Side-by-side distribution
Lab Technician
$29.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 46%
- Live roles
- 1,284
Surgeon
$415,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 44%
- Live roles
- 761
Highest-paying jobs
Lab Technician & Test Engineer
Lab Technician, Fluidstack Labs
Hardware Lab Technician
Master Test Lab Technician
Medical Lab Technician - Clinical Laboratory - PRN
Lab Technician and Test Engineer
Medical Laboratory Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Electrical Test Technician, Hardware Platform EE Lab
Highest-paying jobs
Oral Surgeon
Cardiovascular Surgeon
Physician Orthopedic Surgeon (Total Joint)
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 - Orthopedic Hand and Upper Extremity Surgeon - Fargo, ND
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Advocate Health
|
$72,956 | 53 |
|
Aspen Dental
|
$57,200 | 38 |
Sanford Health
|
$68,640 | 23 |
Siemens Healthineers
|
$48,242 | 22 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$86,226 | 17 |
| EH Essentia Health | $63,648 | 16 |
Labcorp
|
$66,170 | 12 |
USC
|
$49,920 | 12 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Skilled Wound Care
|
$375,000 | 145 |
|
Aspen Dental
|
$7,500 | 18 |
| ME Medivet | $82,627 | 13 |
| MO Montefiore | $171,340 | 10 |
Trinity Health
|
$730,000 | 9 |
| HM Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians | $591,225 | 8 |
Rochester Regional Health
|
$387,500 | 8 |
Platinum Dermatology Partners - Physicians
|
$450,000 | 7 |
Lab Technician salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $78,750 | 5 |
| Austin | $62,000 | 3 |
| New York | $61,922 | 5 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 10 |
| Denver | $51,033 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $49,920 | 12 |
Surgeon salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $375,000 | 6 |
| Austin | $375,000 | 6 |
| New York | $350,000 | 6 |
| London | $91,377 | 6 |
Lab Technician vs Surgeon: which pays more?
The median for Lab Technician is $29.00/hr per year (typically $23.35/hr–$34.00/hr), versus $415,000 for Surgeon ($150,000–$611,625). That puts Surgeon about 588% 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.