Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

Median salary

$80,110

Average salary

$83,840

Employment

230,490

Projected growth

4.3% growth

Annual openings

12,900

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Radiologic Technologists and Technicians Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.3/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
English Languageimportance 4.1/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.9/5
Administrativeimportance 3.5/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.3/5
Psychologyimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Contact With Others5.0/5
Exposed to Disease or Infections4.9/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.8/5
Physical Proximity4.7/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Parking Enforcement Workers97% skill match
Nuclear Medicine Technologists96% skill match
Meter Readers, Utilities94% skill match
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians93% skill match
Dental Hygienists93% skill match
Baggage Porters and Bellhops93% skill match
Forest and Conservation Technicians93% skill match
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.5/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.3/5
Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Diagnostic and procedural coding software
Diagnostic image review software
Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine DICOM software/modality management software
Electronic medical record EMR software
Film processor tracking and management software
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
GE Healthcare ViewPoint Solutions
Information management subsystem software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Cooperation
Empathy
Integrity
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalHigh
InvestigativeMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where radiologic technologists and technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).