More than 41,500 MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technologists were working in the U.S. as of May 2024 according to the latest occupational employment numbers available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The four-state Southwestern region accounted for an estimated 3,520 MRI technologist jobs at that time, or about 8% of the national total.  BLS data revealed the Southwestern U.S. to be a modestly better than average one for MRI technologist pay, with about 20% of the region's MRI technologists working in a state where the annual mean wage for the profession was above the national average.  A closer study of May 2024 state-level BLS statistical data provides the following about MRI technologist pay in the Southwestern U.S. region:

MRI Technologist Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	710	$95,170	19th
NM	110	$87,930	26th
OK	360	$82,880	33rd
TX	2,340	$88,150	25th
U.S.	41,560	$89,999	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data accessed on February, 18, 2026