Radiographers take precautions to prevent unnecessary radiation exposure for patients.
Radiographers -- or radiologic technologists or radiologic technicians -- perform diagnostic imaging examinations using x-rays, computer tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammography. They prepare patients by explaining the procedures, removing articles through which x-rays cannot pass, and positioning patients so that they can be appropriately radiographed. There were about 214,700 radiologic technologists in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
National Salaries
The median salary of radiographers was about $52,000 per year in May 2008, according to BLS. The top-paying metropolitan areas were San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, with a mean salary of about $78,000; Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California, about $73,000; and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts, about $72,500. The top-paying states were Massachusetts and Nevada with annual mean salaries of about $68,000 and $66,000, respectively, according to BLS.
Salary by Education and Experience
Training programs in radiography lead to a certificate, an associate or a bachelor's degree. Certificate programs take about two years. Certification and registration with the American Registry of Radiological Technologists (ARRT) and continuing education may increase a radiographer's salary. With experience and additional training, staff technologists may also become specialists, performing CT scans or mammography, or become supervisors or administrators.
The mean salary for a radiographer with a high-school diploma and ARRT certification was about $56,000 in 2004, according to The American Society of Radiologic Technologists. The mean salary for a radiographer with a bachelor's degree was about $67,000; with a master's, about $76,000; and with a doctoral degree, about $76,000. By experience, PayScale reported that in November 2010, the median salary for radiographers with ARRT certification and less than one year experience was about $49,000; five to nine years, about $54,000; and 20 years or more, about $69,000.
Salary by Industry
According to BLS, in May 2009 the annual mean salaries were about $55,000 in medical and diagnostic centers; about $51,000 in physicians' offices; about $57,000 in medical and diagnostic labs; about $53,000 in outpatient care centers; and about $56,000 in the federal executive branch. The top-paying industry was scientific, research and development services, with a mean annual salary of about $65,000.
Outlook
The job outlook for radiographers is good. Employment is expected to increase by about 17 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to BLS. As people grow older, the demand for health care services requiring diagnostic imaging grows. Hospitals are likely to remain the principal employer of radiographers. However, as technological innovations make imaging procedures more affordable and accessible, the demand for radiographers will grow in physicians' offices and diagnostic imaging centers.
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