Sacramento SPD techs earn roughly $33.27 to $49.84 an hour according to Indeed's 2026 data, near the top of what the trade pays anywhere in the country. Sutter Health anchors the market with a dense regional hospital network and the surgical volume to match, and California does not legally require certification, so hospital-trained entry without a CRCST is still possible here. It is just slower than showing up already certified.
The dominant SPD employer in the metro, with high-volume surgical services across a regional hospital network.
Sacramento's academic medical center, meaning the most complex trays and the deepest specialty instrument sets. [VERIFY: UC Davis SPD hiring]
Multiple Sacramento-area medical centers; a common route into part time SPD hours. [VERIFY: Kaiser Sacramento SPD]
Day-shift, no-call work at lower pay than the hospitals; see hospital vs ASC.
At Sacramento wages, certified applicants show up for every posting, so CRCST is the practical price of entry even though the state does not mandate it. Work the CRCST certification guide first, or start from how to become an SPD tech.
About $33.27 to $49.84 per hour per Indeed's 2026 data, well above the national median. Check your exact range with the salary estimator.
No. Only New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania legally require it. In Sacramento it is an employer preference, but the pay draws enough certified applicants that CRCST functions as a de facto requirement.
Sutter Health, on volume alone. UC Davis Health carries the more complex case mix if you want academic-center instrument experience.