Radiology Tech Salary 2026 by State: Highest-Pay States

Radiology tech pay in 2026 ranges from USD 64,910 at the 10th percentile to USD 121,420 at the 90th percentile, with a national median annual wage of USD 80,110 across roughly 230,490 radiologic technologist jobs (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release, occupation code 29-2034). The state-by-state spread is wide - California radiologic technologists earn USD 117,950 mean annual wage and Massachusetts USD 101,910, while Mississippi techs earn USD 59,090 and Alabama USD 60,800. MRI technologists earn more (USD 88,180 median per BLS) because they hold the additional ARRT MR certification. Federal government radiology techs earn USD 93,970 average per the May 2024 OEWS, the highest of any setting.

This guide is direct-to-v3 quality and was written against the BLS OEWS May 2025 release, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for radiologic and MRI technologists, and ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) certification pay benchmarks. Every state-by-state figure cites the BLS occupation code 29-2034 OEWS May 2025 release. Click through to BLS for the original numbers and to verify any figure you cite in workforce planning or salary negotiation.

Quick answer

• Median radiology tech pay 2026 (BLS): USD 80,110 per year national median, USD 64,910 at the 10th percentile, USD 121,420 at the 90th percentile. Mean annual wage USD 83,840.
• Top paying states (mean annual wage): California USD 117,950, Massachusetts USD 101,910, Washington USD 100,900, Oregon USD 99,630, New York USD 99,000 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
• Highest employment states: California 20,900, Texas 20,250, Florida 16,470, New York 13,450, Pennsylvania 8,090.
• MRI tech pay: USD 88,180 median (BLS May 2024), USD 64,910 to USD 121,420 percentile range.
• Specialty pay: CT USD 70,000 to USD 90,000, MRI USD 75,000 to USD 100,000, mammography USD 65,000 to USD 90,000, interventional USD 80,000 to USD 120,000.

Last verified October 5, 2026 against the BLS OEWS May 2025 release (occupation 29-2034), the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for radiologic and MRI technologists, and ARRT certification pay benchmarks. State-by-state figures come from the BLS May 2025 OEWS release; specialty pay ranges come from ARRT certification pay benchmarks and radiology department compensation data published in 2025 and 2026.

Radiology tech salary by state: BLS May 2025 OEWS table

The BLS OEWS May 2025 release publishes a mean annual wage and median annual wage for radiologic technologists and technicians (occupation code 29-2034) in every state and the District of Columbia. The national median is USD 80,110 and the national mean is USD 83,840. The table below ranks states from highest to lowest mean annual wage. Note that radiology tech pay is more geographically uniform than dental assistant pay because imaging is performed in larger facilities (hospitals, imaging centers) that are distributed across every state.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 release for occupation 29-2034 (Radiologic Technologists and Technicians). Mean and median annual wages shown are BLS-published figures. State employment counts are BLS OEWS May 2025. Small-state figures (Vermont 470, Alaska 370, Wyoming 430, Delaware 650) deserve careful interpretation, as a small number of facilities can move the averages more than in larger employment states.

Why California leads the table

California has the highest radiology tech pay in the country at USD 117,950 mean annual wage and USD 121,260 median annual wage. The lead comes from three forces: high cost of living, strong MRI and specialty imaging demand in the major metros, and a tight labor market for ARRT-certified radiology techs. The San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles are the two largest MRI labor markets in the US, which means MRI-certified techs in those metros earn the MRI premium on top of the COL adjustment. The state's large teaching hospital system (UCSF, UCLA, Stanford, UCSF Benioff, Cedar-Sinai) and the high concentration of outpatient imaging centers (RadNet, SimonMed, Akumin) anchor the labor market.

The California Department of Public Health requires Radiologic Technology Certification for all radiology techs, which raises the qualification bar relative to states with no formal licensing requirement. The California license requires ARRT primary certification plus a California state application and a California-specific radiation protection exam. California techs in the major Bay Area hospitals (Stanford, UCSF, Kaiser Permanente) earn USD 130,000 to USD 170,000 per year with 5 to 10 years of experience and specialty certifications in CT or MRI.

Specialty modality pay: CT, MRI, mammography, interventional

The BLS occupation code 29-2034 groups all radiologic technologists and technicians into a single category, but specialty modality pay meaningfully lifts the median. MRI technologists earn USD 88,180 median (BLS May 2024) versus USD 77,660 for all radiologic technologists, and other specialty certifications add USD 5,000 to USD 20,000 per year on top of base radiography pay.

Sources: BLS OEWS May 2024 release for MRI technologist median USD 88,180, ARRT certification pay benchmarks, and radiology department compensation data published by AMN Healthcare, RadNet, and SimonMed in 2025 and 2026. The "top earner" column reflects lead MRI/CT techs, radiologist assistants, and specialty techs at the 90th percentile and above.

ARRT certification ROI

The ARRT Registered Technologist (RT) credential is the national gold-standard certification for radiologic technologists and is required by most states for licensure and by most employers for hire. The ARRT primary exam costs USD 295 and requires an associate degree from a JRCERT-accredited program. ARRT-certified radiology techs earn USD 5,000 to USD 15,000 more per year than non-certified techs. ARRT post-primary certifications in CT, MRI, mammography, and interventional each add USD 5,000 to USD 20,000 per year to base pay. The ARRT Registered Radiologist Assistant (RRA) credential is the highest-credentialed radiology tech role, with pay bands of USD 100,000 to USD 140,000 per year.

ARRT post-primary certifications follow the standard ARRT exam fee (USD 250 to USD 400 per exam plus USD 50 to USD 100 in fees). The total investment for a working radiologic technologist to add MRI certification is roughly USD 400 to USD 600 in exam fees plus 6 to 12 months of structured clinical experience, and the pay lift is typically USD 10,000 to USD 20,000 per year - which means the certification pays for itself within the first 6 to 12 months of working at the higher rate. The highest-ROI post-primary certifications in order of pay impact are MRI (highest), CT, mammography, and interventional.

Highest-employment states for radiology techs

California has the largest radiology tech workforce with 20,900 jobs, Texas is second with 20,250, Florida is third with 16,470, New York fourth with 13,450, and Pennsylvania fifth with 8,090. These five states alone account for roughly 80,000 radiology tech jobs - more than a third of the 230,490 total US radiology tech workforce.

California and Texas are high-employment because of large populations, large hospital systems (Cedars-Sinai, UCSF, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford; MD Anderson, Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann), and large outpatient imaging networks. Florida and New York are high-employment because of the size of the consumer healthcare market and the concentration of teaching medical centers. Pennsylvania has a large legacy hospital system from the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia medical communities.

Hospital vs outpatient center vs federal government pay

Radiology tech pay varies meaningfully by setting. The BLS May 2024 OEWS release publishes median annual wages by setting: federal government (VA hospitals, federal prison hospitals, military hospitals) at USD 93,970; outpatient care centers at USD 81,000; hospitals (state, local, private) at USD 78,560; medical and diagnostic laboratories at USD 76,770; offices of physicians at USD 66,060.

Federal government is the highest-paying setting because the federal General Schedule (GS) pay scale is grade-based. Federal radiology techs typically start at GS-9 (USD 60,000 to USD 75,000) and progress to GS-11 (USD 75,000 to USD 95,000) over 3 to 5 years. With locality pay adjustment (which can add 20 to 35 percent in high-cost metros), federal techs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City earn USD 90,000 to USD 130,000 per year. The trade-off is the application process (USAJOBS.gov) and the security clearance timeline, which can take 3 to 12 months.

How to become a radiology tech in 2026

The standard path is a 2-year associate degree at a community college or technical school with a JRCERT-accredited radiography program. The associate degree costs USD 5,000 to USD 25,000 and prepares graduates for the ARRT primary certification exam (USD 295 fee). After passing the ARRT exam and earning state licensure (required in most states), graduates are eligible for entry-level radiography positions at hospitals, imaging centers, and physician offices.

The 4-year bachelor's degree in radiologic science costs USD 15,000 to USD 60,000 and is required for some advanced roles (RRA, radiology management, education). The bachelor's path typically lifts entry-level wages by USD 5,000 to USD 10,000 per year and unlocks faster progression to lead technologist and management roles. For high-school graduates who want a 2-year path into healthcare with strong pay and growth, radiologic technology is one of the strongest ROI paths in 2026.

After graduation and ARRT primary certification, the next-highest-ROI upgrade is to add a post-primary certification in MRI (highest pay lift), CT, or mammography. The MRI certification in particular opens USD 80,000 to USD 100,000 per year roles at outpatient imaging centers and academic medical centers, which is the fastest path from the BLS median to the upper pay band. According to BLS occupational outlook, radiologic and MRI technologist jobs will grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034 (faster than the 3 percent all-occupations average), with 13,400 annual openings projected from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits.

Radiology tech vs MRI tech vs radiologist assistant pay

The radiologic technology field has three career tracks with distinct pay bands. Radiologic technologists (general X-ray) earn a BLS median of USD 77,660 (May 2024) and typically start at USD 60,000 to USD 70,000. MRI technologists (ARRT MR post-primary) earn a BLS median of USD 88,180 and typically start at USD 75,000 to USD 90,000 with experience. Radiologist assistants (ARRT RRA credential, requires a bachelor's degree and clinical experience) earn USD 100,000 to USD 140,000 per year.

The MRI certification ladder is the most common upgrade path because the demand for MRI is growing faster than general X-ray, and MRI techs earn USD 5,000 to USD 15,000 per year more than general radiography techs in the same hospital. The RRA path is the highest-leverage - radiologist assistants perform image-guided procedures and assist radiologists in patient assessment, and they earn 30 to 50 percent more than the senior radiography techs - but the RRA requires a bachelor's degree and additional clinical experience, which makes it a longer-term career move.

For radiology techs planning a long-term career, the standard progression is: associate degree (2 years) -> ARRT primary certification -> 1 to 2 years of clinical experience -> ARRT post-primary in MRI or CT -> 5 to 10 years of experience -> lead tech or modality supervisor (USD 90,000 to USD 130,000) -> RRA or radiology management (USD 130,000 to USD 170,000). Each step unlocks more pay, and the entire progression can be completed within 10 to 15 years of entering the field.