How much do radiology technicians make?

Radiology Technician salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Radiologic Technologists and Technicians (SOC 29-2034) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Radiology technicians in the US earned a median of $80,110 a year ($38.52 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $64,810 to $98,750.

Median annual pay: $80,110; Mean $83,840
Median hourly pay: $38.52; Mean $40.31
Typical range (10th–90th): $56.0K–$119K; $55,980 to $118,660
US jobs: 230,490; +5.0% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a radiology technician: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: California

Radiology Technician pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$55,980
25th percentile$64,810
Median$80,110
75th percentile$98,750
90th percentile$118,660

Half of all radiology technicians earned more than $80,110 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $55,980; the top 10% made over $118,660. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $64,810 to $98,750.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$55,980	$26.91	$4,665
25th	$64,810	$31.16	$5,401
Median (50th)	$80,110	$38.52	$6,676
75th	$98,750	$47.47	$8,229
90th	$118,660	$57.05	$9,888
Mean (average)	$83,840	$40.31	$6,987

Radiology Technician salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for radiology technicians by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. California $121,260
2. Massachusetts $103,620
3. District of Columbia $102,770
4. Oregon $102,290
5. Washington $102,090

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $59,300
50. Alabama $60,700
49. Arkansas $63,640
48. Louisiana $63,680
47. Tennessee $64,630

Best after cost of living: California. Its median of $121,260 is worth about $109,520 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$60,700	50	$68,338	50	$29.18	3,500	1.66
Alaska	$98,920	7	$96,640	4	$47.56	370	1.15
Arizona	$89,200	12	$88,600	11	$42.89	4,670	1.44
Arkansas	$63,640	49	$73,202	47	$30.60	2,210	1.70
California	$121,260	1	$109,520	1	$58.30	20,900	1.15
Colorado	$87,760	13	$85,161	14	$42.19	3,960	1.38
Connecticut	$91,970	11	$88,766	10	$44.22	3,230	1.91
Delaware	$84,210	17	$84,372	19	$40.49	650	1.34
District of Columbia	$102,770	3	$93,511	7	$49.41	660	0.94
Florida	$76,750	32	$74,216	45	$36.90	16,470	1.66
Georgia	$74,550	36	$77,420	40	$35.84	7,540	1.54
Hawaii	$101,700	6	$92,496	8	$48.89	690	1.10
Idaho	$80,080	22	$83,859	22	$38.50	1,490	1.74
Illinois	$79,930	25	$79,964	35	$38.43	7,650	1.25
Indiana	$77,640	30	$83,190	24	$37.33	5,470	1.71
Iowa	$65,930	45	$75,124	43	$31.70	2,550	1.64
Kansas	$76,070	34	$84,458	16	$36.57	2,270	1.58
Kentucky	$69,670	42	$77,275	41	$33.50	3,630	1.81
Louisiana	$63,680	48	$72,194	48	$30.61	3,370	1.74
Maine	$80,080	23	$82,514	27	$38.50	1,050	1.64
Maryland	$85,890	14	$81,832	29	$41.29	3,370	1.22
Massachusetts	$103,620	2	$97,979	3	$49.82	5,500	1.51
Michigan	$76,420	33	$79,425	37	$36.74	7,220	1.64
Minnesota	$83,400	18	$84,566	15	$40.10	4,910	1.67
Mississippi	$59,300	51	$68,198	51	$28.51	2,510	2.16
Missouri	$73,080	40	$80,470	34	$35.14	5,170	1.76
Montana	$77,070	31	$81,431	31	$37.05	850	1.66
Nebraska	$72,860	41	$80,863	33	$35.03	1,670	1.63
Nevada	$82,910	19	$82,927	25	$39.86	1,840	1.19
New Hampshire	$84,910	16	$81,515	30	$40.82	1,240	1.82
New Jersey	$95,000	9	$87,312	12	$45.67	6,320	1.47
New Mexico	$79,940	24	$86,692	13	$38.44	1,150	1.32
New York	$98,470	8	$91,243	9	$47.34	13,450	1.39
North Carolina	$74,450	37	$78,928	38	$35.79	9,250	1.87
North Dakota	$67,790	44	$76,204	42	$32.59	740	1.73
Ohio	$78,320	28	$84,420	18	$37.65	9,570	1.73
Oklahoma	$74,160	38	$84,423	17	$35.65	3,640	2.13
Oregon	$102,290	4	$98,964	2	$49.18	2,700	1.38
Pennsylvania	$76,050	35	$77,942	39	$36.56	8,090	1.33
Rhode Island	$85,330	15	$83,428	23	$41.02	660	1.31
South Carolina	$69,600	43	$74,241	44	$33.46	3,630	1.58
South Dakota	$65,240	46	$73,646	46	$31.36	980	2.15
Tennessee	$64,630	47	$70,349	49	$31.07	4,660	1.42
Texas	$78,630	27	$81,014	32	$37.80	20,250	1.44
Utah	$81,000	20	$81,931	28	$38.94	1,780	1.02
Vermont	$94,540	10	$96,511	5	$45.45	470	1.54
Virginia	$80,670	21	$79,789	36	$38.78	5,140	1.25
Washington	$102,090	5	$95,400	6	$49.08	4,130	1.16
West Virginia	$74,150	39	$82,852	26	$35.65	1,810	2.58
Wisconsin	$79,140	26	$84,106	20	$38.05	5,010	1.70
Wyoming	$77,860	29	$84,000	21	$37.43	430	1.52

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for radiology technicians

348 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Vallejo, CA	$160,380	$147,844	270
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$154,850	$140,233	1,000
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$141,780	$122,633	2,850
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$137,530	$127,598	200
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$135,880	$127,384	1,360
Redding, CA	$129,960	$129,077	90
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$129,920	$118,221	110
Modesto, CA	$129,030	$123,939	370
Stockton-Lodi, CA	$128,480	$122,258	280
Napa, CA	$128,170	$113,874	40

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	12,700	$102,730	$91,264
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	6,450	$108,030	$95,125
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	5,650	$82,140	$79,290
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	5,470	$83,140	$80,648
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	5,000	$80,780	$81,903
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	4,630	$78,890	$69,108
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	4,130	$80,190	$78,193
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	4,100	$104,590	$96,605
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	3,990	$80,710	$80,663
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	3,460	$94,820	$91,777

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves radiology technician pay: employers and settings

State is the biggest lever on radiology tech pay. California leads with a median of $121,260, followed by Massachusetts at $103,620, the District of Columbia at $102,770, Oregon at $102,290, and Washington at $102,090. At the bottom are Arkansas at $63,640, Alabama at $60,700, and Mississippi at $59,300. California stays on top even after adjusting for living costs, at $109,520.

Workplace matters less but still shows up. Hospitals, which employ most rad techs, pay a median of $80,610. Outpatient care centers pay $84,720 while physicians' offices pay $74,540. Federal jobs, many of them in veterans' hospitals, have the highest employer median at $97,490 and state government pays $85,430.

Added credentials widen your options: technologists who also hold CT, MRI or mammography certification can work in more departments. Hospitals need imaging around the clock, and evening, overnight and weekend shifts may carry a differential. Across all x-ray techs, pay runs from $55,980, the 10th percentile, to $118,660, the 90th. Those percentiles describe the spread of pay across all techs, shaped by state, setting and modalities; they are not experience levels.

Where radiology technicians work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	58.7%	$80,610
Offices of Physicians	16.6%	$74,540
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	7.5%	$78,400
Outpatient Care Centers	7%	$84,720
Employment Services	3%	$80,710
Federal Executive Branch	2.7%	$97,490

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	201,310	$79,880
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	6,320	$97,490
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	6,520	$85,430
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	16,340	$78,200

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Radiology Technician pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$80.1K $56.7K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $56,670 in 2015 to $80,110 in 2025, up 41% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $76,607 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 5% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What radiology technicians do

A radiology technician, more formally a radiologic technologist or radiographer, takes the x-rays and CT scans that physicians use to find fractures, pneumonia, tumors, kidney stones and internal bleeding. The rad tech reads the physician's order, checks the patient's identity and history, positions the body and the equipment, sets the exposure and shields areas that should not be imaged. They then check each image for quality and repeat any view that a radiologist could not read.

Most x-ray techs work in hospitals: 58.7% of the jobs in our data are in general medical and surgical hospitals, where the work covers the emergency department, operating rooms, intensive care units and portable x-rays at the bedside. Others work in physicians' offices, imaging centers, labs and outpatient clinics. Rad techs work alongside radiologists, nurses and ER doctors, and many add CT, mammography or MRI after their first credential. The job keeps you on your feet, lifting and turning patients who may be injured or in pain, and you wear a dosimeter badge that tracks your radiation exposure.

A typical day

Read the imaging order and confirm the patient, body part and any pregnancy or contrast risk
Position patients on the table or at the wall stand, often working around casts, splints and pain
Set exposure factors, place lead shielding and take the images
Wheel a portable x-ray unit to ICU beds and into surgery when a patient cannot be moved
Review each image for positioning and motion, and repeat views a radiologist cannot use
Prepare oral or IV contrast for CT and fluoroscopy studies under a radiologist's direction
Send images to the PACS system, log the exam and report equipment faults

Also called: radiology tech, xray tech, x ray tech, x-ray tech, x-ray technician, x ray technician, rad tech, radiologic technologist.

How to become a radiology technician

Full guide

To become a radiology tech, you complete an accredited radiography program (usually a 2-year associate degree), pass the ARRT Radiography exam, and get a state license where one is required. Most people finish in 2 to 3 years, including prerequisites.

Typical time: 2-3 years; Fastest: About 2 years
Minimum education: Associate degree plus completion of an accredited radiography program
License: Required in most states (more than 75% of states license radiologic technology); rules vary by state
Typical training cost: $9.5K–$14.2K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a radiology technician: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 2-3 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $9.5K–$14.2K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $80,110; $29,130 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 12–18%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($29,130 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (2-3 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for radiology technicians

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +5.0%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 234,200; 246,000 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 13,000; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 0.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects radiologic technologist and technician jobs to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, from 234,200 to 246,000. That is faster than the 3.5% expected across all occupations. About 13,000 openings a year are projected, many of them to replace techs who retire or move into other work.

The demand comes from an older population: falls, broken bones, head injuries and chronic disease all lead to more x-rays and CT scans. Hospitals will keep hiring around the clock, so new graduates willing to take nights or weekends usually have the widest choice of jobs.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Radiology Technician salary FAQ

How much do radiology technicians make an hour?

The median hourly wage for radiology technicians was $38.52 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $26.91 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $57.05. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays radiology technicians the most?

California has the highest median pay for radiology technicians, $121,260 a year, followed by Massachusetts ($103,620) and District of Columbia ($102,770). After adjusting for each state's price level, California comes out ahead at about $109,520 in national-average dollars.

Do radiology technicians make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of radiology technicians earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $80,110, and the top 10% earn more than $118,660. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is a radiology tech the same as a radiologist?

No. A radiology tech, or radiologic technologist, takes the images: positioning the patient, running the equipment and checking image quality. A radiologist is a physician who interprets those images and writes the diagnosis. Radiologists finish medical school and a residency, while most rad techs train for about two years in an associate degree program and then pass the ARRT radiography exam.

Do x-ray techs make more in hospitals or outpatient clinics?

In our data, outpatient care centers come out slightly ahead, with a median of $84,720 against $80,610 in general hospitals, and physicians' offices pay less at $74,540. Hospitals still employ most techs, and they offer night, weekend and on-call shifts that often pay a differential. Outpatient centers tend to have daytime, weekday hours and more scheduled exams.

Is being a rad tech dangerous because of radiation?

The risk is managed, not zero. Techs stand behind shielding during exposures, wear lead aprons for fluoroscopy and portable studies, and wear a badge that records their dose, which employers track over their whole career. BLS notes that these protections keep exposure low. The more common hazards are back strain from lifting patients and contact with infectious diseases.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-2034
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-2034.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Radiologic and MRI Technologists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Application Fees, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
Education Requirements, Primary Eligibility Pathway, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
Three-Year Limit on ARRT Eligibility After Completing an Educational Program, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
State Licensing, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
Radiologic Technology AAS, Hutchinson Community College · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Biennial CE Requirements, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
Continuing Qualifications Requirements, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists · checked October 28, 2026

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