Surgical Tech vs Medical Assistant: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Surgical Tech vs Medical Assistant: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-2055 and 31-9092). The national median annual wage is $64,650 for surgical techs and $45,690 for medical assistants (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +5.0% for surgical techs and +12.9% for medical assistants from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award vs Postsecondary nondegree award. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Surgical TechSOC 29-2055 | Medical AssistantSOC 31-9092 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $64,650 | $45,690 | Surgical Tech |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 117,460 | 817,870 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +5.0% | +12.9% | Medical Assistant |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +5,900 jobs | +107,600 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 7,100 a year | 109,700 a year | Medical Assistant |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Postsecondary nondegree award | Postsecondary nondegree award | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.63 | 3.74 | About the same |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.62 | 4.41 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.53 | 3.22 | Surgical Tech |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cooperation | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($64,650 vs $45,690)
- more decision-making freedom matters (3.53 vs 3.22)
- faster projected national growth matters (+12.9% vs +5.0%)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 0% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Equipment Maintenance (+2.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operation and Control (+1.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Repairing (+1.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Quality Control Analysis (+1.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Social Perceptiveness (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Speaking (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Critical Thinking (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Surgical Tech
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
Medical Assistant
- Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Surgical Tech
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (71.2% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Ambulatory healthcare services (23.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (3.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
Medical Assistant
- Ambulatory healthcare services (74.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (16.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (2.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Surgical Tech → Medical Assistant: skills to build: Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Programming.
- Medical Assistant → Surgical Tech: skills to build: Equipment Maintenance, Operation and Control, Repairing. Careers after Medical Assistant
Go deeper
Surgical Tech career hub · Surgical Tech salary · Medical Assistant career hub · Medical Assistant salary · Medical Assistant how to become · Medical Assistant career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Surgical Tech or Medical Assistant?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-2055 and 31-9092). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “surgical tech vs medical assistant salary”, “medical assistant vs surgical tech salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).