Best Surgical Tech Programs in Illinois (2026)

Quick answer: Surgical technologists in Illinois earn a median of $64,650 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited surgical technologist schools in Illinois with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

If you want to train as a surgical technologist in Illinois, start by weighing program length, schedule, and cost at nearby schools. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $64,650 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Illinois Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$64,650BLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$48,560 to $91,890BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Illinois metro for this fieldBloomington, IL, $68,140BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+4.5% growth, about 7,000 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment3,570 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois location quotient0.78BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Surgical technologist Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Illinois figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 89 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

William Rainey Harper College

Palatine, IL 86.8 miles away BOC Score 59.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 73
  • Annual completions: 2528
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $56,704 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Triton College

River Grove, IL 84.7 miles away BOC Score 54.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71
  • Annual completions: 1558
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,701 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Richland Community College

Decatur, IL 77.9 miles away BOC Score 53.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 52.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 64
  • Annual completions: 605
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,785 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Black Hawk College

Moline, IL 84.4 miles away BOC Score 52.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 38
  • Annual completions: 590
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,173 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Elgin Community College

Elgin, IL 76.7 miles away BOC Score 50.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 63
  • Annual completions: 2748
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,220 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Illinois Central College

East Peoria, IL 36.5 miles away BOC Score 50.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 67
  • Annual completions: 2210
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,058 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

College of DuPage

Glen Ellyn, IL 73.2 miles away BOC Score 47.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 24.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 98
  • Annual completions: 3152
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,984 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Prairie State College

Chicago Heights, IL 76.7 miles away BOC Score 47.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 20.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 60
  • Annual completions: 896
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,647 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Rasmussen University-Illinois

Rockford, IL 87.4 miles away BOC Score 45.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 6000 East State Street, 4th Floor Rockford, IL 61108-2513
  • (815) 316-4800
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 41.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 33
  • Annual completions: 165
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,996 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College

Rockford, IL 86.0 miles away BOC Score 44.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 1130 South Alpine Road Suite 100 Rockford, IL 61108-3900
  • (815) 965-8616
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26
  • Annual completions: 765
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $37,799 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College

Chicago, IL 89.1 miles away BOC Score 43.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 15.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 33
  • Annual completions: 1448
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,665 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Parkland College

Champaign, IL 69.9 miles away BOC Score 40.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 32.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 72
  • Annual completions: 811
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,315 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Surgical Technologist Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Surgical Technologists
Surgical Technologists annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $45940, P25 $54690, P50 $64650, P75 $79750, P90 $96940.10th$45,94025th$54,69050th (median)$64,65075th$79,75090th$96,940
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Surgical Technologists annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$45,940
25th$54,690
50th (median)$64,650
75th$79,750
90th$96,940
Projected employment growth, United States, Surgical Technologists, 2024-2034
Surgical Technologists employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 115600; 2034 projected employment 120800; percent change +4.5%.2024115,600 jobs2034 (proj.)120,800 jobsChange: +4.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Surgical Technologists employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024115,600
2034 projected120,800
Percent change+4.5%


Frequently Asked Questions

How long does surgical technologist training take in Illinois?

Surgical technologist certificate programs in Illinois typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do surgical technologists earn in Illinois?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), surgical technologists in Illinois earned a median annual wage of approximately $64,650. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $48,560 to $91,890 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many surgical technologist schools are in Illinois?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)