The average salary of a radiologic technologist rose by 5.3% over the past three years and now averages $69,266, according to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists Wage and Salary Survey 2019.

The survey shows that all radiologic technology disciplines and specialty areas saw average annual increases since 2016, with some areas showing greater gains than others.

“Compared to the 2016 wage and salary survey, the 2019 survey shows varying gains across all practice areas,” said John Culbertson, M.A., M.Ed., ASRT director of research. “Although this is a welcome improvement, we should point out that the overall average increase is lower than the inflation rate of 6.8% over the  same time period.”

Nuclear medicine technologists experienced the largest average gains at 10%, from a $75,819 average annual salary in 2016 to $83,385 in 2019. Radiation therapists followed with a 7.7% increase, moving from $82,798 to $89,159. Magnetic resonance imaging technologists experienced a 7.2% increase from $71,063 to $76,177. Radiographers saw a 3.2% increase over the period, from $56,071 to $57,865.

Other increases include sonographers at 6.2%, computed tomography technologists at 6.3% and mammographers at 6.5%.

The disciplines with the highest reported mean compensation were medical dosimetry at $114,891 and radiologic assistants at $108,494.

In addition to wage variations for different practice areas, salaries also fluctuate from region to region. On average, California R.T.s have the highest annual compensation at $101,699, followed by technologists in Hawaii at $89,497. Technologists in Alabama earned the lowest base annual compensation at $54,122.

The survey also highlights R.T.s’ satisfaction with their compensation. Responses show that nearly half of respondents, 49.2%, are either satisfied or very satisfied with their pay. Regarding their benefits, 52.1% were either very satisfied or satisfied with their benefits.

The ASRT sent questionnaires in March 2019 to all ASRT members with an email address in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A total of 14,165 radiologic technologists returned completed questionnaires, resulting in an 11% return rate.

The ASRT conducts the Wage and Salary Survey every three years and has captured longitudinal data since 2001. ASRT members can access the complete 2019 survey here.