Sterile Processing Technician Jobs in San Diego, CA: Pay and Who's Hiring

In San Diego, the May 2025 median for sterile processing technicians is about $67.8K, 42% over the U.S. median. The middle half runs from $59.8K to $77.4K.

Pay

The median is the middle of sterile processing technicians already employed, not a starting wage. The 25th is the lower quarter of that group. The 75th is what the upper quarter already earns.

Percentile	Metro	CA	U.S.
25th	$59,830	$49,650	$39,800
Median	$67,830	$61,370	$47,700
75th	$77,410	$77,660	$58,570

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages are the Medical Equipment Preparers series, SOC 31-9093.

Hiring difficulty and demand

Hiring difficulty

4.7

Metro employment

630

National growth, 2025 to 2035

10.8%

National openings a year

10.7 thousand

This is the same score as the free check.

Who's hiring

Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, 8 campuses
Scripps Health, 4 campuses
Bh-sdopco, 2 campuses
Coast Center For Orthopedic and Arthroscopic Surgery, 2 campuses
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, 2 campuses
Palomar Health, 2 campuses

Campuses on file in the provider extract, not live job ads.

License and training

Most states do not license this work, but a few, including New York and New Jersey, require certification for new hires. Employers often want CRCST from HSPA or CSPDT from CBSPD. Confirm the rule in your state.

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, medical equipment preparers

The work

You decontaminate used instruments, inspect them, and build trays to a count sheet. Then you run the sterilizer and track each load.

The schedule drives the work. An add-on case or a missing instrument means a rush, and the tray still has to be right.

Nearby metros

Riverside, CA · 79 miles
Los Angeles, CA · 111 miles
Oxnard, CA · 153 miles
Bakersfield, CA · 206 miles

Medical Equipment Preparers hiring pages

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Questions

Who hires sterile processing technicians in San Diego?

Hospitals and surgery centers hire sterile processing technicians in San Diego. Organizations on file in the provider extract include Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, Scripps Health, Bh-sdopco.

Do I need certification for sterile processing in California?

A few states require it. Check the California rule before you start in San Diego.

What should a surgery center in San Diego weigh when hiring?

Ask about tray types and certification. San Diego has roughly a fifth fewer of these workers than a typical metro. This metro is 11% over the California median.