Pay is the easy comparison. These are the O*NET task statements and work-context ratings for each occupation — the part of the decision a salary table cannot show. Work context is rated on a 1–5 scale by people doing the job, and every measure O*NET rates for both occupations is printed below, ranked by how far apart the two sit. A gap of a full point is a real difference in the work; anything smaller is the two occupations being alike, and is shown as such rather than filtered out.
Radiology Tech vs Ultrasound Tech (2026)
Ultrasound tech pays more: a median of $96,590 a year against $80,110 for Radiology tech (BLS OEWS, May 2025) — a gap of $16,480 a year (21% more). Getting there costs more too: about two years of full-time study, against an associate degree is the education typically required. ARRT requires an associate degree or higher, from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency, before you can sit its examination. for Radiology tech. Every figure on this page is a published BLS or O*NET statistic with its release year attached.
Both are imaging roles entered through a two-year accredited program, both work in hospitals and imaging centres alongside the same radiologists, and a fair number of people end up holding both credentials. Radiologic technologists work with ionising radiation — plain film, and often CT after further certification. Diagnostic medical sonographers use ultrasound, which involves no radiation but puts far more of the diagnostic burden on the operator’s own scanning skill, and carries a well-documented rate of repetitive-strain injury to the scanning arm.
- Median pay gap
- $16,480
- Typical entry education
- Associate's vs Associate's
- Projected change
- +4.3% vs +13.0%
- Openings a year
- 12,900 vs 5,800
Ultrasound tech higher · BLS OEWS, May 2025
Radiology tech vs Ultrasound tech · BLS EP, 2024–2034
Radiology tech vs Ultrasound tech · BLS EP, 2024–2034
Radiology tech vs Ultrasound tech · BLS EP, 2024–2034
Radiology tech vs Ultrasound tech, side by side
| Measure | Radiology techRadiologic Technologist and Technician | Ultrasound techDiagnostic Medical Sonographer | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOC occupation code | 29-2034 | 29-2032 | US Standard Occupational Classification, 2018 |
| Median annual wage | $80,110 | $96,590 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Median hourly wage | $38.52/hr | $46.44/hr | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest 10% earn under | $55,980 | $67,820 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest 25% earn under | $64,810 | $80,430 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Top 25% earn over | $98,750 | $106,930 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Top 10% earn over | $118,660 | $129,370 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| People employed in the US | 230,490 | 90,160 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Projected employment change | +4.3% | +13.0% | BLS EP, 2024–2034 |
| Openings a year | 12,900 | 5,800 | BLS EP, 2024–2034, including replacement demand |
| Typical entry education | Associate's | Associate's | BLS EP, 2024–2034 |
| Prior work experience typically needed | None | None | BLS EP, 2024–2034 |
| On-the-job training typically needed | None | None | BLS EP, 2024–2034 |
| Preparation level (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation | Some preparation | O*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026 |
| AI-resilience score (NueCareer analysis, 0–100) | 57 | 47 | NueCareer analysis of O*NET work activities and work context — not a BLS figure |
Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Employment change, annual openings and entry requirements are BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034. Job zone is O*NET 30.3 Database (May 2026).
The AI-resilience score is a NueCareer analysis of O*NET work-activity and work-context composition. It is our number, not a BLS or O*NET one, and it describes task mix rather than forecasting adoption.
What actually differs day to day
Radiology techRadiologic Technologist and Technician
- 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.
What people in the job actually hold: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 73%, Post-Secondary Certificate 17%, Bachelor's Degree 11% (O*NET incumbent survey).
Ultrasound techDiagnostic Medical Sonographer
- Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
- Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
- Select appropriate equipment settings and adjust patient positions to obtain the best sites and angles.
- Prepare patient for exam by explaining procedure, transferring patient to ultrasound table, scrubbing skin and applying gel, and positioning patient properly.
- Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
What people in the job actually hold: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 47%, Post-Secondary Certificate 19%, Bachelor's Degree 17% (O*NET incumbent survey).
| Work context (O*NET, 1–5) | Radiology tech | Ultrasound tech | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spend Time SittingPhysical | 2.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| Spend Time StandingPhysical | 3.6 | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| Time PressurePressure | 3.7 | 4.0 | 0.4 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in GeneralPeople | 4.5 | 4.2 | 0.3 |
| Indoors, Environmentally ControlledEnvironment | 4.5 | 4.7 | 0.2 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within TeamsPeople | 4.5 | 4.3 | 0.2 |
| Conflict SituationsPressure | 3.1 | 3.0 | 0.2 |
| Freedom to Make DecisionsAutonomy | 4.0 | 4.2 | 0.2 |
| Contact With OthersPeople | 5.0 | 4.8 | 0.1 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your BodyPhysical | 3.4 | 3.5 | 0.1 |
| Consequence of ErrorPressure | 3.4 | 3.5 | 0.1 |
| Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather ConditionsEnvironment | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
None of the 12 measures separates these two by a full point. O*NET cannot tell them apart on the conditions of the work, which is a real finding rather than missing data: whatever divides these two jobs, it is not what the day feels like.
What it takes to get in, on each side
Entry requirements below are BLS Employment Projections for both occupations. Where an occupation carries a hand-verified credential record, the accrediting body, the named exam and the realistic program length are shown too, each traced to the issuing body's own page with the date it was checked. Where it does not, this page publishes the federal data and says so rather than filling the gap.
How you become a Radiology tech
Credential detail hand-verified against the issuing bodies, last checked August 23, 2026.
Most states require radiologic technologists to be licensed or certified, and requirements vary by state. The usual route is an associate degree plus an ARRT-approved educational program in radiography, then the ARRT certification exam; employers typically require or prefer certified technologists even where the state does not.
- Typical entry education (BLS)
- Associate's degree
- Typical program length
- An associate degree is the education typically required. ARRT requires an associate degree or higher, from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency, before you can sit its examination.
- Realistic range
- Postsecondary programs also lead to graduate certificates or bachelor's degrees in healthcare and related fields and in science technologies.
- Accreditation: JRCERT
- JRCERT is the only agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for accrediting educational programs in radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance, and medical dosimetry. Note the distinction: ARRT's own requirement is that you complete an 'ARRT-approved educational program' and hold a degree from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency; BLS says only that some states require candidates for licensure to complete an accredited program. Programmatic accreditation is therefore the standard route rather than a single universal legal requirement.
- Exam: ARRT certification examination in Radiography
- The final of ARRT's three initial requirements (education, ethics, examination). It measures the knowledge of the daily tasks an entry-level medical imaging professional performs, following ARRT's published content specifications. ARRT also develops and administers separate exams used purely for state licensing, including Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography and Fluoroscopy.
- Governing body: ARRT
- The national credentialing organization for medical imaging and radiation therapy: it sets the education, ethics, and examination requirements for certification and registration, administers the exams, and runs continuing education requirements. Many states use ARRT exam scores and credentials when making licensing decisions, and many ask ARRT to administer their state licensing exams.
- Licensed state by state
- Most, but not all, states license or certify radiologic technologists. ARRT states that more than 75% of states have licensing laws covering the practice of radiologic technology; in those states you must hold the state license before you can work. Some but not all of those states require ARRT certification and registration as a condition of licensure, and requirements otherwise vary. Earning an ARRT credential does not by itself make you eligible to work in a particular state. Contact the state's health board. Note also that few states require licensure specifically for MRI technologists.
- Keeping the credential
- ARRT requires most Registered Technologists to earn and report 24 approved continuing education credits each two-year biennium, regardless of how many ARRT credentials they hold. Credits cannot be carried forward from one biennium to the next. State license renewal carries separate requirements.
Step by step
- Complete an ARRT-approved educational program in radiography
The program must be in the same discipline as the credential you are pursuing, and you must demonstrate the didactic and clinical competencies ARRT specifies. Your program director confirms to ARRT that you met the requirements. JRCERT is the only U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor for radiography programs.
- Earn an associate degree or higher
ARRT requires an associate (or more advanced) degree from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency before you take the examination. The degree does not have to be in the radiologic sciences and can be earned before or after the radiologic sciences program.
- Meet ARRT's ethics requirement
Ethics is one of ARRT's three initial requirements alongside education and examination; ARRT reviews criminal and professional conduct history, with a preapplication route for candidates with a potential violation.
- Pass the ARRT certification examination in Radiography
You have three years after completing your educational program to establish eligibility and apply for ARRT certification and registration.
- Obtain a state license where your state requires one
More than 75% of states have licensing laws covering radiologic technology. You apply to the state directly and must meet that state's own requirements, which are separate from ARRT's. Some states require ARRT certification as a condition of the license; some administer ARRT-written exams for licensing purposes.
- Keep the credential current
Report 24 approved continuing education credits every two-year biennium to maintain ARRT certification and registration.
Sources checked for Radiology tech
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Radiologic and MRI Technologists — checked August 23, 2026
- ARRT — State Licensing — checked August 23, 2026
- ARRT — Education Requirements, Primary Eligibility Pathway — checked August 23, 2026
- ARRT — Initial Requirements for Earning ARRT Credentials — checked August 23, 2026
- ARRT — Biennial CE Requirements — checked August 23, 2026
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology — home page — checked August 23, 2026
How you become an Ultrasound tech
Federal data only — the licensing detail for this occupation has not been hand-verified yet, so this page does not assert it.
Diagnostic medical sonographers typically need at least an associate’s degree or a postsecondary certificate.
- Typical entry education (BLS)
- Associate's degree
Which should you choose?
There is no answer to this that is true for everybody, and any page that gives you one is usually selling a program. What we can do is state the trade in the terms the federal data actually supports, and leave the decision where it belongs.
Choose Ultrasound tech if the pay gap is worth the extra training
The gap is $16,480 a year (21% more) over the Radiology tech median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That gap is real and it compounds over a career. So does what it costs to get there: Ultrasound tech typically needs about two years of full-time study, against an associate degree is the education typically required. ARRT requires an associate degree or higher, from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency, before you can sit its examination. for Radiology tech. Those are years you are not earning, and in most cases tuition you are borrowing. Compare the gap against the debt and the delay, not against your current pay.
Choose Radiology tech if you need to be earning sooner
Radiology tech gets you into paid work faster: an associate degree is the education typically required. ARRT requires an associate degree or higher, from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency, before you can sit its examination.. Its median of $80,110 is still above the $50,980 median across all US occupations. Check the hiring volume rather than assuming the shorter route is the easier one to get hired into: BLS projects 12,900 openings a year for Radiology tech and 5,800 for Ultrasound tech (BLS EP, 2024–2034). And it is a legitimate stopping point, not only a stepping stone — plenty of people who intended to move on did not, because the work suited them.
Choose neither if the day-to-day work does not fit
The task lists and the O*NET work-context readings above differ more between these two than the wage figures do, and work context is what you experience every shift: how much time pressure, how much contact with the public, how much of the day on your feet, how bad a mistake is. Radiology tech and Ultrasound tech are not the only two options — they are just the two you searched for. If neither task list reads like a description of a day you want, that is useful information, not a failed comparison.
We are not going to name a winner. One of these pays more and the other costs less to enter, which is a trade, not a ranking — and the right side of it depends on your finances, your timeline, your tolerance for the specific work and, for the licensed roles, your state. Every figure above is a published federal statistic with its vintage attached, so you can check the trade against your own situation rather than take our word for it.
Radiology Tech vs Ultrasound Tech: FAQ
What is the difference between a Radiology tech and an Ultrasound tech?
Both are imaging roles entered through a two-year accredited program, both work in hospitals and imaging centres alongside the same radiologists, and a fair number of people end up holding both credentials. Radiologic technologists work with ionising radiation — plain film, and often CT after further certification. Diagnostic medical sonographers use ultrasound, which involves no radiation but puts far more of the diagnostic burden on the operator’s own scanning skill, and carries a well-documented rate of repetitive-strain injury to the scanning arm. In federal terms they are two separate occupations: Radiologic Technologist and Technician is SOC 29-2034 and Diagnostic Medical Sonographer is SOC 29-2032, which is why they carry separate wage and projection figures rather than a shared one.
Does a Radiology tech or an Ultrasound tech make more money?
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer pays more. The BLS OEWS May 2025 median is $96,590 a year against $80,110 — a gap of $16,480 a year (21% more). The realistic entry band matters as much as the median: the lowest-paid 10% of Ultrasound techs earn under $67,820 and the lowest-paid 10% of Radiology techs under $55,980. Getting the higher figure costs about two years of full-time study.
Is it harder to become a Radiology tech or an Ultrasound tech?
BLS records the typical entry requirement as associate's degree for radiologic technologist and technicians and associate's degree for diagnostic medical sonographers (BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034). In practice that means an associate degree is the education typically required. ARRT requires an associate degree or higher, from an institution accredited by an ARRT-recognized agency, before you can sit its examination. for Radiology tech and about two years of full-time study for Ultrasound tech. The full credential path — accreditation, named exams, state variation — is set out below for Radiology tech; for Ultrasound tech we currently publish the federal data only rather than guess at the licensing detail.
Which has better job security, a Radiology tech or an Ultrasound tech?
BLS projects +4.3% employment change for radiologic technologist and technicians and +13.0% for diagnostic medical sonographers over 2024–2034, with 12,900 and 5,800 openings a year respectively (BLS Employment Projections). For anyone entering now the openings figure matters more than the growth rate, because it includes people leaving the occupation as well as new posts. Our own AI-resilience score — a NueCareer analysis of O*NET task composition, not a federal statistic — puts Radiology tech at 57 and Ultrasound tech at 47 out of 100.
Should I become a Radiology tech or an Ultrasound tech?
We will not tell you, and you should be wary of a page that does — most of the sites ranking for this question are schools that teach one of the two. We are not going to name a winner. One of these pays more and the other costs less to enter, which is a trade, not a ranking — and the right side of it depends on your finances, your timeline, your tolerance for the specific work and, for the licensed roles, your state. Every figure above is a published federal statistic with its vintage attached, so you can check the trade against your own situation rather than take our word for it.
Full profiles, wage percentiles and state-by-state pay: Radiologic Technologist and Technician and Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. Wage data is BLS OEWS May 2025.