---
title: "Radiologic Technologist and Technician"
description: "Take x-rays and CAT scans or administer nonradioactive materials into patient's bloodstream for diagnostic or research purposes. Includes radiologic…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiologic-technologist-and-technician"
last-updated: "2026-08-23T15:56:39.581Z"
---

# Radiologic Technologist and Technician

**Category:** Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · **SOC code:** 29-2034 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 29-2034.00

Take x-rays and CAT scans or administer nonradioactive materials into patient's bloodstream for diagnostic or research purposes. Includes radiologic technologists and technicians who specialize in other scanning modalities.

Also advertised as: Computed Tomography Technologist (CT Tech); Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist (DRT); Imaging Technologist (Imaging Tech); Mammographer; Radiographer; Radiologic Technologist (RT); Radiology Technician (Radiology Tech); Registered Radiologic Technologist (RT (R)).

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $80,110 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $38.52/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $55,980 to $118,660, with the middle half between $64,810 and $98,750
- **Total US employment:** 230,490
- **Typical entry education:** Associate's
- **Preparation required:** Some preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +4.3% over 2024–2034 (BLS EP, 2024–2034)
- **Annual job openings:** 12,900 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 57/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 230,490 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $55,980 |
| 25th | $64,810 |
| 50th (median) | $80,110 |
| 75th | $98,750 |
| 90th | $118,660 |
| Mean (average) | $83,840 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CA | $121,260 | $109,520 | 20,900 |
| MA | $103,620 | $97,979 | 5,500 |
| DC | $102,770 | $93,511 | 660 |
| OR | $102,290 | $98,964 | 2,700 |
| WA | $102,090 | $95,400 | 4,130 |
| HI | $101,700 | $92,496 | 690 |
| AK | $98,920 | $96,640 | 370 |
| NY | $98,470 | $91,243 | 13,450 |
| NJ | $95,000 | $87,312 | 6,320 |
| VT | $94,540 | $96,511 | 470 |
| CT | $91,970 | $88,766 | 3,230 |
| AZ | $89,200 | $88,600 | 4,670 |
| CO | $87,760 | $85,161 | 3,960 |
| MD | $85,890 | $81,832 | 3,370 |
| RI | $85,330 | $83,428 | 660 |

38 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 53 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiologic-technologist-and-technician/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/radiologic-technologist-and-technician.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 228,000 in the 2024–2034 base year to 237,800 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 9,800 jobs, or +4.3%. Faster than average: 4.3% against 3.1% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 12,900 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2024–2034.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Associate's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Some preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** None.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 72.9% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 16.5% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 10.6% |

## What the work involves

- Position patient on examining table and set up and adjust equipment to obtain optimum view of specific body area as requested by physician.
- Set up examination rooms, ensuring that all necessary equipment is ready.
- Transport patients to or from exam rooms.
- Complete quality control activities, monitor equipment operation, and report malfunctioning equipment to supervisor.
- Explain procedures and observe patients to ensure safety and comfort during scan.
- Provide assistance in dressing or changing seriously ill or injured patients or patients with disabilities.
- Monitor patients' conditions and reactions, reporting abnormal signs to physician.
- Perform general administrative tasks, such as answering phones, scheduling patient appointments, or pulling and filing films.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Active Listening — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Social Perceptiveness — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Service Orientation — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operation and Control — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Medicine and Dentistry — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 4.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Computers and Electronics — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administrative — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Oral Comprehension — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Problem Sensitivity — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Deductive Reasoning — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C), Investigative (I).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 5.90 |
| C — Conventional | 5.08 |
| I — Investigative | 4.88 |
| S — Social | 3.41 |
| A — Artistic | 1.00 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 87.0 |
| ISFJ | 78.2 |
| ISTP | 74.0 |
| ESTJ | 67.3 |
| INTJ | 66.9 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Cardiovascular Technologist and Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cardiovascular-technologist-and-technician) — median $74,310
- [Diagnostic Medical Sonographer](https://nuecareer.com/careers/diagnostic-medical-sonographer) — median $96,590
- [Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/magnetic-resonance-imaging-technologist) — median $95,480
- [Radiation Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiation-therapist) — median $105,310
- [Neurodiagnostic Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/neurodiagnostic-technologist) — median $50,290
- [Nuclear Medicine Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/nuclear-medicine-technologist) — median $101,370
- [Ophthalmic Medical Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/ophthalmic-medical-technologist) — median $50,290
- [Endoscopy Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/endoscopy-technician) — median $48,430
- [Surgical Technologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/surgical-technologist) — median $64,650
- [Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/medical-and-clinical-laboratory-technician) — median $62,930

### Radiologic Technologist and Technician compared with

- [Radiology Tech vs Ultrasound Tech](https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiology-tech-vs-ultrasound-tech) — side by side on BLS wage percentiles, projected growth, openings and entry requirements

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2024–2034. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/radiologic-technologist-and-technician