Radiology techs must protect themselves and their patients from harmful exposure levels.
Radiology associates or radiologic technicians perform imaging tests such as mammograms, X-rays, sonograms, MRI scans and CT scans. Radiologic technicians receive instructions from physicians regarding the type of test and part of the body that needs imaging. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, expects the occupation to grow 17 percent by 2018. Salaries vary by location and employer.
National Wage Estimates
The BLS report for May 2010 shows a mean annual wage of $55,730 for this occupation. The top 10 percent earned at least $76,850 and the bottom 10 percent earned $36,510 or less per year.
Industries Providing Highest Mean Salaries
Although general hospitals employ approximately 60 percent of the nation's radiologic technicians, such hospitals are not among the BLS' best-paying industries for this occupation, offering mean annual wages of $55,880. Services conducting scientific research paid radiology technologists an average of $66,910, according to the May 2010 BLS report. Universities, professional schools and colleges paid $63,330 as an average salary and office administrative services paid $61,580. Specialty hospitals, excluding substance abuse and psychiatric facilities, paid an annual mean wage of $60,550. Radiology associates earned an average of $59,120 per year working for employment services.
States with Highest Average Salaries
Radiologic technicians earned the highest salaries in Massachusetts, where the mean annual wage was $78,920. The BLS' May 2010 report also shows that the average wage in Maryland was $68,940 and was $66,040 in California. Annual mean wages in Nevada were $65,960 and $65,930 in the District of Columbia. West Virginia reported the lowest average wages ($42,920) of any state for this occupation.
Metropolitan Areas with Highest Mean Salaries
Massachusetts' Boston-Quincy-Cambridge metropolitan area offered the highest average wages of any city in the country. Radiology technicians earned an average of $89,690, according to the May 2010 report from the BLS. California cities claimed positions two through nine on the May 2010 BLS listing of the 10 best-paying metropolitan areas. In the San Jose area, average salaries were $82,200 and they were $77,150 in the Oakland-Hayward-Fremont area. Radiology technicians earned an average of $76,720 in the Napa area and $74,870 in the San Francisco-Redwood City-San Mateo metropolitan area. Earnings were $74,790 in the Vallejo area, $72,360 in Salinas, $72,350 in Modesto and $70,020 in the greater Sacramento area. The Bethesda-Gaithersburg metropolitan area of Maryland ranked tenth on the list with annual mean wages of $69,610.
Tags: 2010 report, earned average, mean annual, metropolitan area, technicians earned, this occupation, according 2010
