An advanced practice radiologic technologist who performs imaging procedures and patient assessments under a radiologist's supervision. BLS does not publish separate figures for radiologic technologists and technicians; it counts them within radiologic technologist and technician (SOC 29-2034), whose median pay is $80,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
- SOC 29-2034
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Radiologist Assistant in four numbers
- Median pay
- $80,110a year, or $38.52/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $56KTop 10% $119K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.0%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 13,000234,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025234.2K
- Projected 2035246K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 234.2K Projected 2035 246K - Typical education
- Master'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Registered Radiologist Assistant, R.R.A., RRA, Radiology Practitioner Assistant, Advanced Practice Radiologic Technologist.
Pay
How much do Radiologic Technologists and Technicians make?
Every radiologist assistant in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$80,110
Middle half earn $64,810 to $98,750
- 10th
- $55,980
- 25th
- $64,810
- 75th
- $98,750
- 90th
- $118,660
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $55,980 |
| 25th | $64,810 |
| Median | $80,110 |
| 75th | $98,750 |
| 90th | $118,660 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $80,110
- Median hourly wage
- $38.52/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $83,840
- People employed
- 230,490
Versus all US occupations
At $80,110, Radiologic Technologists and Technicians earn 57% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $29,130 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 22% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $118,660 or more while the bottom 10% earn $55,980, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 59% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $121,260, and still leads at $109,520 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Radiologic Technologists and Technicians the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $121,260 | $109,520 | 20,900 |
| 2Massachusetts | $103,620 | $97,979 | 5,500 |
| 3District of Columbia | $102,770 | $93,511 | 660 |
| 4Oregon | $102,290 | $98,964 | 2,700 |
| 5Washington | $102,090 | $95,400 | 4,130 |
| 6Hawaii | $101,700 | $92,496 | 690 |
| 7Alaska | $98,920 | $96,640 | 370 |
| 8New York | $98,470 | $91,243 | 13,450 |
| 9New Jersey | $95,000 | $87,312 | 6,320 |
| 10Vermont | $94,540 | $96,511 | 470 |
Job outlook
Is Radiologist Assistant a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | +5% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Radiologic Technologists and Technicians to change 5.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 11,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 13,000 openings are projected each year, 5.6% of the 234,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Radiologist Assistant
Radiologist assistants first become registered radiographers with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), then gain clinical experience. They complete an ARRT-recognized radiologist assistant educational program, which now leads to a master's degree, with a clinical preceptorship under radiologists.
Graduates take the ARRT Registered Radiologist Assistant (R.R.A.) exam, and ARRT has added a pathway for certified radiology practitioner assistants. State rules on what radiologist assistants may do vary, and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists and the Society of Radiology Physician Extenders provide resources.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Radiologist Assistant do?
Radiologist assistants are experienced radiologic technologists with graduate-level training who extend the work of radiologists. Under radiologist supervision they perform fluoroscopic exams such as swallow studies and barium studies, lumbar punctures, joint injections for arthrograms, paracentesis, and other image-guided procedures.
They also take patient histories, obtain consent, evaluate image quality, and communicate initial observations to the supervising radiologist, who makes the final interpretation. Radiologist assistants manage patients before and after procedures, follow up on contrast reactions, and help with protocol development and teaching, freeing radiologists to focus on interpretation and complex cases.
Day-to-day tasks
- Perform fluoroscopic exams under radiologist supervision
- Conduct image-guided procedures such as lumbar punctures and arthrograms
- Obtain patient histories and informed consent
- Evaluate image quality and report initial observations to the radiologist
- Manage patient care before and after procedures
- Respond to contrast reactions and follow up with patients
- Help develop imaging protocols
- Teach and mentor radiologic technologists and students
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Radiologist assistants work in hospital radiology departments and large outpatient imaging centers. They spend the day performing procedures in fluoroscopy and procedure rooms, wearing lead aprons, and consulting with radiologists. Schedules are mostly daytime, and some positions include call.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes carry very serious consequences.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Active Listening3.8
- Speaking3.4
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Writing3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Learning Strategies2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.4 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.9 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.5
- Service Orientation3.5
- Operations Monitoring3.1
- Operation and Control3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Quality Control Analysis3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Time Management3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.5 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Categorization or classification software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Information retrieval or search software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Radiologist Assistant?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRS) built on O*NET's Radiologic Technologist and Technician profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Radiologist Assistant |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Realistic5.9
- Investigative5.2
- Conventional4.8
- Social3.8
- Artistic1.0
- Enterprising1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Radiologist Assistant
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
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Most earn $39K to $121K
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More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with radiologic technologists and technicians highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Radiologist Assistant$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Radiologist Assistant | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Radiologist Assistant appears on
Questions
Radiologist Assistant: frequently asked questions
How much do Radiologic Technologists and Technicians make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for radiologic technologists and technicians. It counts them within radiologic technologist and technician, whose median pay is $80,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $64,810 and $98,750, and the top 10% earn $118,660 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Radiologist Assistant?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Radiologic Technologists and Technicians, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as some preparation.
Is Radiologist Assistant a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 13,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Radiologist Assistant do?
Radiologist assistants are experienced radiologic technologists with graduate-level training who extend the work of radiologists. A typical task: perform fluoroscopic exams under radiologist supervision. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Medical software, Object or component oriented development software.
Which states pay Radiologic Technologists and Technicians the most?
The highest state medians for Radiologic Technologists and Technicians are California ($121,260), Massachusetts ($103,620), District of Columbia ($102,770) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Radiologist Assistant?
O*NET scores Radiologic Technologists and Technicians highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.