An electrocardiograph, or EKG, technician conducts tests to diagnose disease on pulmonary or cardiovascular systems. EKG technicians may run tests using an EKG machine that interprets the electrical activity of the patient's heart. An EKG technician is also known as a cardiovascular technician, according to ONet. The Bureau of Labor Statistics combines salary data of cardiovascular technicians with that of cardiovascular technologists.
National Salary
The mean hourly wage for cardiovascular technologists and technicians is $23.91, and the mean annual wage, or average annual salary, is $49,730, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009. Median annual wages for cardiovascular technologists and technicians range from about $25,940 to $76,220. The lowest 10 percent of employees earn an average $25,940 a year and the top 10 percent average $76,220.
Starting Salary
Cardiovascular technicians with less than one year of experience earn $32,000 to $48,980, according to PayScale, as of October 2010.
High Employment
General medical and surgical hospitals employ the largest number of cardiovascular technologists and technicians with an average annual salary of $48,830, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009. Other industries that employ large numbers are: the offices of physicians, $53,000; medical and diagnostic laboratories, $54,740; other ambulatory health care services, $49,000; and outpatient care centers, $48,850.
Top-Paying Industries
Offices of other health practitioners pay the highest average annual salary to cardiovascular technologists and technicians at $62,290, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009. Other industries that offer high pay are: medical and diagnostic laboratories, $54,740; physicians' offices, $53,000; employment services, $52,900; and specialty hospitals, except psychiatric and substance abuse, $49,560.
Top-Paying States
Massachusetts pays the highest average annual salary to cardiovascular technologists and technicians at $63,720, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009. Other states that offer higher pay are: New Jersey, $63,140; Oregon, $61,560; Washington, $60,860; and Connecticut, $60,290.
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