San Diego, CA
San Diego postings run $34.41 to $51.29 per hour per Indeed's 2026 data, among the highest SPD ranges in the country. California does not require certification by law, so unlike New York or Pennsylvania you can get hired here uncertified and test later, though at these wages most employers can afford to prefer a credential. The academic systems set the ceiling; the ASCs set the schedule.
Where the jobs are
Multi-hospital academic system with the region's highest surgical volume and the most complex trays.
The county's largest system by hospital count, with departments spread across the metro. [VERIFY]
Multi-campus nonprofit running significant inpatient and outpatient surgical volume. [VERIFY]
Weekday day shifts, narrower instrument set, usually at the low end of that hourly range. Compare the two settings.
No state mandate means the hospital-trained path is open, but San Diego pay attracts enough applicants that a credential is what separates two otherwise identical resumes. Read the CRCST certification guide, and the no-experience hiring guide if this would be your first SPD role.
Questions
Indeed's 2026 data puts postings at $34.41 to $51.29 per hour, well above what the same job pays in most of the country. Nights and weekends at UC San Diego Health sit at the top of that band; weekday ASC roles near the bottom. See the 2026 pay guide.
No. Only New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania mandate it for central service techs. In San Diego it is employer preference, and at these wage levels most employers exercise that preference.
The nominal range is near the national ceiling, but San Diego housing eats most of the premium. Compare a top-of-band San Diego offer against a Phoenix or Sacramento offer on take-home, not on the hourly rate.
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