A radiologist's main duties involve working with diagnostic imaging equipment. Although radiologists work mainly in hospitals, doctor's offices and laboratories, they are not subject to the same levels of stress and work hours as other health care employees, such as doctors and nurses. Radiologists may earn an hourly wage or yearly salary.
Median Wage
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for a radiologist was $53,240 in 2009, which translates into $25.59 per hour, assuming 40 hours are worked per week. Radiologists typically work a 40-hour week -- however, since most work in hospitals, they are sometimes required to be on call. Overtime is typically paid at a rate of time and a half.
Industry
A radiologist's expected wage fluctuates depending in which industry he works for. According to the BLS, hospitals employed 127,820 out of the 213,560 radiologists in 2009 and paid a mean wage of $26.33 per hour. Physician offices employed 44,000 radiologists and paid a slightly lower wage of $24.45 per hour. Medical and diagnostic laboratories employed the majority of the remaining radiologists and paid $27.53 an hour.
Competition
Location is another factor that dictates a radiologist's hourly wage. Certain states do not necessarily pay more than another because of a higher budget, but because the number of radiologists is less than in others. For example, according to the BLS, the highest paying state for radiologists in 2009 was Massachusetts with an hourly mean wage of $32.95. Radiologists accounted for 1.983 per 1,000 employees in Massachusetts. On the other side of the spectrum is West Virginia, which employed 2.897 radiologists per 1,000 workers and pays a significantly lower mean hourly wage of $19.91.
Employment Statistics
According to the BLS, radiologists should expect an employment increase of 17 percent through 2018. When compared to other careers, that is considered faster than average. Radiologists shouldn't have a problem finding work, even in cities and states that employ an above average number of radiologists, although a radiologist's pay may seem unfavorable in those states.
Starting Out
Although there is no hard data on a radiologist's starting wage, recent college graduates should expect to earn slightly less than the median wage. That is because the median wage takes into account all radiologist's wages, including those that have been employed for multiple years and make more than someone who is just starting out.
Tags: employed radiologists, hourly wage, less than, mean wage, more than, number radiologists, radiologists 2009
