Side-by-side distribution
Lab Technician
$28.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 46%
- Live roles
- 1,233
Surgeon
$423,939
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.8%
- Live roles
- 598
Highest-paying jobs
Prototyping Lab Technician, Robotics
ICE - Materials Lab FA Technician
Lab Technician - Crypto and Key Management Infrastructure
Lab Technician, Fluidstack Labs
Laboratory Operations & Maintenance Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Microbiology Medical Lab Technician/Medical Technologist (Part-Time/Evenings)
Laboratory Technician (Contract-to-Hire)
HVAC Supervisor & Engineering Lab Technician (2nd shift)
Hardware & Testing Lab Technician
Highest-paying jobs
Oral Surgeon
Cardiovascular Surgeon
Mohs Surgeon - Established Volume - Seattle/Puget Sound
Cardiac Surgeon Clinical Associate
Thoracic Surgeon
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Cardiac Surgeon – AdventHealth Heart & Vascular Institute
PHYSICIAN: Family Medicine with Surgical OB - Virginia, MN
Oral Surgeon
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Aspen Dental
|
$54,080 | 39 |
Advocate Health
|
$72,956 | 35 |
Sanford Health
|
$68,640 | 23 |
Siemens Healthineers
|
$47,537 | 23 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$80,309 | 18 |
University of Rochester
|
$47,497 | 17 |
|
Essentia Health
|
$63,648 | 13 |
USC
|
$52,062 | 13 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Aspen Dental
|
$7,250 | 20 |
| ME Medivet | $83,216 | 14 |
Trinity Health
|
$730,000 | 9 |
Rochester Regional Health
|
$425,000 | 9 |
| MO Montefiore | $175,198 | 9 |
| HM Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians | $591,225 | 8 |
|
Essentia Health
|
$1,000,000 | 7 |
| MG Mass General Brigham | $550,000 | 6 |
Lab Technician salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $74,651 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $53,550 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $53,092 | 13 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 17 |
| New York | $49,920 | 7 |
Lab Technician vs Surgeon: which pays more?
The median for Lab Technician is $28.00/hr per year (typically $23.00/hr–$34.00/hr), versus $423,939 for Surgeon ($150,000–$608,250). That puts Surgeon about 628% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Lab Technician and Surgeon are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.