# Surgical Technologists

US SOC code 29-2055. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2055

Also called: Scrub tech, OR tech, OR technologist, Operating room technologist, Scrub technologist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **117,460** US surgical technologists, with median pay of **$64,650** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_technologist) of **35,000** from 1970, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for surgical technologists: da Vinci robotic surgery + Mako orthopedic robot, 1999 to 2015. Robotic surgery required OR techs to learn new instrument systems, draping protocols, and case-flow patterns: effectively a new specialty within the specialty.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2055&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **1.7%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.34** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.34. BLS counted **97,930** of these jobs in May 2013 and **117,460** in May 2025 (+20%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Surgical Technologists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1942
- Latest US employment: 117,460 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $64,650 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1990 | 52,000 (estimate) | $22,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [2]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [5] |
| 2000 | 68,590 | $29,020 | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2003 | 73,250 | $32,130 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 82,280 | $34,010 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 83,680 | $34,830 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 84,330 | $36,080 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 86,000 | $37,540 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 89,600 | $38,740 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 91,250 | $39,400 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 92,260 | $39,920 | BLS OEWS May 2010 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS 2010 (pay) [5] |
| 2011 | 94,490 | $40,950 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 97,150 | $41,790 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 97,930 | $42,720 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 98,450 | $43,350 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 100,270 | $44,330 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 105,720 | $45,160 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 106,470 | $46,310 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 110,160 | $47,300 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 109,000 | $48,300 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 107,400 | $49,710 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 109,060 | $48,530 | BLS OEWS May 2021 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS May 2021 (pay) [5] |
| 2022 | 107,400 | $55,960 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 110,320 | $60,610 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 113,890 | $62,830 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 117,460 | $64,650 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (78)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — "Surgical technologist" article (AORT founding 1968, CORT exam 1970, profession development history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_technologist), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
2. [Wikipedia — "Laparoscopy" article (1985 first laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 1990 widespread US adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopy), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Surgical Technologists (historical wage context); inflation adjustment via BLS CPI-U calculator](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/surgical-technologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

8. [Lister (1867) — "On the Antiseptic Principle in the Practice of Surgery" (The Lancet, Vol. 2, pp. 353-356, 1867)](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2802%2951827-4/abstract), The Lancet
9. [Hopkins Medicine — "William Stewart Halsted: The Father of American Surgery" (sterile gloves, aseptic technique, Hopkins OR history)](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/william-stewart-halsted-the-father-of-american-surgery), Johns Hopkins Medicine
10. [Wikipedia — "Surgical technologist" (WWII military OR-tech origins, Army/Navy medic and corpsmen training)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_technologist), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
11. [NBSTSA — National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (CST credential, professional standards)](https://www.nbstsa.org/about-us), National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting
12. [Wikipedia — "Laparoscopy" article (1985 first laparoscopic cholecystectomy by Mühe; 1990 US widespread adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopy), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
13. [Wikipedia — "Intuitive Surgical" (company founding 1995; FDA clearance 2000; European market 1999; 6,730 systems by end 2021)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuitive_Surgical), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
14. [Wikipedia — "Stryker Corporation" (Mako Surgical acquisition December 2013, $1.65 billion; Mako RIO robotic arm for orthopedic surgery)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker_Corporation), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
15. [Theator — "Surgical Intelligence Platform" (surgical video AI, procedural intelligence, OR quality assurance)](https://theator.io/), Theator, Inc.
16. [Intuitive Surgical — "About Intuitive" (12,000+ systems globally, 20.4M+ patients, 70+ countries, 2024 data)](https://www.intuitive.com/en-us/about-us/company), Intuitive Surgical

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-2055 Surgical technologists (2025: 118.4 thousand; 2035: 124.3 thousand; +5.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2055&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
18. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 29-2055 Surgical Technologists: probability 0.34, rank 247 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
19. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-2055.00, human-rated β 0.017)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

20. [Lister (1867) — "On the Antiseptic Principle in the Practice of Surgery" (The Lancet, Vol. 2, pp. 353-356)](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2802%2951827-4/abstract), The Lancet
21. [Wikipedia — "Surgical technologist" (WWII Army OR technician training — profession's origin)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_technologist), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
22. [Wikipedia — "Laparoscopy" (1985: Erich Mühe performs first laparoscopic cholecystectomy; 1990: widespread US adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopy), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
23. [Wikipedia — "Intuitive Surgical" (founded 1995; European market 1999; FDA clearance 2000; 6,730 systems end-2021)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuitive_Surgical), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
24. [Wikipedia — "Stryker Corporation" (Mako Surgical acquisition December 2013, $1.65 billion, RIO orthopedic robot)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stryker_Corporation), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references
25. [BLS — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Surgical Technologists (COVID-19 elective surgery suspension impact context)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/surgical-technologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 29-2055 Surgical Technologists (2024-34: +4.5% projected growth, 115,600 baseline)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2055&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

27. [Wikipedia — "Surgical technologist" (WWII military origins: Army OR techs, Navy corpsmen)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgical_technologist), Wikipedia / multiple sourced references

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Surgical Technologists (29-2055.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2055.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS OOH — Surgical Technologists: 121,900 employed 2024; +5% growth 2024-2034; 12,800 annual openings; median wage $61,580](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/surgical-technologists.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AST: Curriculum resources page, listing AST's Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology (7th edition) and the CCST crosswalk](https://www.ast.org/Educators/Core_Curriculum/), accessed 2026-10-07
- [NBSTSA — CST credential: exam content outline 2025 confirms sterile field maintenance, instrument passing, surgical counts, and patient safety monitoring as core validated competencies](https://www.nbstsa.org/cst-certification), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AORN: Guidelines for Perioperative Practice (2027 edition): 37 evidence-based guidelines, with a new Artificial Intelligence guideline and an update to Prevention of Unintentionally Retained Surgical Items](https://www.aorn.org/guidelines-resources/guidelines-for-perioperative-practice), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Theator (homepage): a surgical intelligence platform that turns surgical video into intelligence; minimally invasive procedures are already visualized](https://theator.io/), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Caresyntax (homepage, archived Jan 5, 2026): vendor-neutral surgical data platform; deployed in over 3,000 operating rooms, supporting more than 32,000 surgical teams](https://web.archive.org/web/20260105090951/https://caresyntax.com/), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Censis: CensiTrac Surgical Instrument Tracking (product page): every scan updates a tray's location through sterile processing, replacing paper count sheets; an item marked missing carries forward to the next assembler and the OR](https://censis.com/products/censitrac/), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.