Radiology is a desirable and basic facet of medicine. And the role in radiology practice is that of the radiology technician/technologist who operates the machines and performs the diagnostic imaging exams. This career path is very promising lately. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), there are currently more than 271,000 x-ray technicians in the United States. And this figure is expected to grow 6%, faster than the global average, in the next 10 years.
Using the latest occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), we looked at the average salary for “radiologic technologists and technicians”, as defined by the BLS, every U.S. state, both current wages and over the last five years.
So, read on to find out what the average radiology tech salary is in every state, and where they earn the most.
The national average annual wage of a radiology tech is $75,250, according to the BLS, which is a solid $10,000 more than the average annual wage for all occupations, $65,470. Depending on the state, however, the average salary of a radiology technician can vary significantly. Radiology tech salaries are heavily dependent on the cost of living in each state.
Below is a list of the 10 states that pay X-ray technicians:
In California, the average salary for radiology techs is close to $30,000 more than the national average, $103,150 vs. $75,250. The gap between the No. 1 best-paying state, California, and the No. 2 state, Massachusetts, is roughly $10,000. For the most part, radiologic technologist salaries follow the relative costs of living of each state. Thus, the lowest paying state for radiology techs is Mississippi, where they earn an average of $25.80 an hour and $53,660 a year.
The bottom ten states where X-ray technicians make the least money are heavily concentrated in the southern United States, where the cost of living is lower than the country as a whole. In Mississippi, the lowest-paid state, x-ray technicians earn more than $20,000 less than the national average. However, it is worth noting that 18 states offer x-ray technician salaries above the national average.
Here’s a look at the last 10 states for X-ray technician salaries:
In every single state, the average radiology tech salary has gone up in the last five years ago. Of course, though, a lot of that is accounted for by inflation. So, it is the growth rates, rather than whether the growth was positive or negative, is what’s important. Mississippi has the lowest growth rate in radiologic technologist salaries, increasing by 11.4% from 2018’s $48,150 to 2023’s $53,660. In West Virginia, by contrast, radiology tech wages have surged by 29.8%, from $49,740 to $64,580.
Below is the average annual salary for X-ray technicians in all 50 states, based on the most recent data, as of May 2023, according to the BLS.
The state with the biggest growth in radiology tech salaries over the last five years is West Virginia. Pennsylvania witnessed excellent gains, with radiologic technician wages increasing by 29.4%, from $53,640 to $69,420. Delaware was no slouch either, seeing its average radiology tech salary rising by 27.7%, from $60,550 to $77,350. California, the highest-paying state, has seen radiology tech salaries increase by a little over 27.3% over the same period, which is also among the fastest growth rates.
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