Radiologic technologists and technicians operate medical imaging equipment such as magnetic resonance imaging machines.
Radiology technologists and technicians help doctors to produce images used for the diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions. They are usually well paid, earning an average salary of more than $50,000 per year in the United States, according to a May 2009 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Job Duties
Radiology technologists and technicians assist radiologists, who are doctors with special training in obtaining and interpreting medical images. Their main job is to operate the equipment used to produce images used for medical diagnosis, which may include computed tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines and ultrasound devices. Technologists and technicians usually have at least two years of formal training and must be certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists to work in the United States.
Average Salaries
Radiology technologists and technicians made an average, or mean, hourly wage of $26.05 in May 2009, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the average annual salary was $54,180. The median annual salary was $53,240 and the median hourly wage was $25.59. Median wages are those at which half of people employed in this profession made more money, while the other half made less. The lowest-paid ten percent of radiologic technologists and technicians made $17.16 per hour or less in May 2009, or approximately $35,700 or less on an annual basis. For the highest-paid 10 per cent, the hourly wage was $36.27 or more per hour, or approximately $75,440 per year or more.
Top Employers
The top industry for employment of radiology technologists and technicians in May 2009 was the general medical and surgical hospital industry, which employed 127,820 people in this occupation at an average hourly wage of $26.33 or approximately $54,770 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of radiology technologists and technicians employed in hospitals was nearly three times as many as those in the next highest industry sector, the offices of physicians, which employed 44,000. The medical and diagnostic laboratories industry was the only other industry that employed more than 10,000 radiology technologists and technicians. The scientific research and development services industry was the top-paying employment sector in May 2009, with an average hourly wage of $31.16 or approximately $64,800 per year.
Highest-Paying States
Massachusetts, Nevada, Maryland, Hawaii and the District of Columbia were the five highest-paying states and territories for radiology technologists and technicians in May 2009, all paying more than $60,000 per year, on average. Massachusetts topped the list at $32.95 per hour or approximately $68,530 per year, followed by Nevada, at $31.93 per hour, or approximately $66,240 on an annual basis. Maryland was the only other state to exceed $65,000, with an average hourly wage of $31.64 or approximately $65,820 per year. Hawaii just edged out the District of Columbia at an annual average of $63,470, compared to $63,270 per year.
Highest-Paying Cities
The five highest-paying urban areas for radiology technologists and technicians in May 2009 were all in California and Massachusetts, with the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area of California topping the list at $37.64 per hour or approximately $78,300 per year. The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area of Massachusetts was third highest-paying with an average hourly wage of $34.88 or approximately $72,540 per year. Peabody, Massachusetts, with an average annual salary of $69,760, was the only one of the top five with an average annual salary below $70,000.
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