According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were about 207,000 radiologic techs (technicians and technologists) employed in the U.S. as of May 2019. This profession includes practitioners who take CAT scans and x-rays or administer nonradioactive materials for diagnostic or research purposes. It does not, however, include MRI technologists or diagnostic medical sonographers. Radiologic techs are employed mainly in hospitals and physician offices, but smaller numbers are also found employed by outpatient care centers and medical diagnostic laboratories. Radiologic techs typically earn better salaries than the average worker in most other occupations. As of May 2019, the BLS estimates that the national mean salary for radiologic techs was $63,120 per year, in comparison to the $53,490 annual mean salary for workers in all occupations in the United States. Radiologic tech pay varies widely from region-to-region. This wide variation is readily visible in BLS data from May 2019, which indicates the following about radiologic tech pay in the top 20 metro areas in the U.S.:
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 12,060 | $74,550 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 5,860 | $82,460 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 5,920 | $67,460 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 3,660 | $61,390 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 4,300 | $65,760 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 3,240 | $74,040 | ||
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 4,330 | $57,110 | ||
| 8 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 4,260 | $60,420 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 3,190 | $61,470 | ||
| 10 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 2,640 | $66,850 | ||
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 3,700 | $81,120 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 2,280 | $103,670 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 1,640 | $80,410 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 3,010 | $58,860 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 2,120 | $76,540 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 2,520 | $69,550 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 1,820 | $80,990 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 1,790 | $60,390 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 1,860 | $69,080 | ||
| 20 | St. Louis | 1,580 | $53,690 | ||
| National | 207,360 | $63,120 | |||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on December 12, 2020