Career
Radiologic technologists and technicians
Take the X-rays and scans doctors read.
$80,110
Median pay
+5.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
13,000
Openings a year
Associate's degree
Typical education
2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Explain procedures and observe patients to ensure safety and comfort during scan.
- Process exposed radiographs using film processors or computer generated methods.
- Perform procedures, such as linear tomography, mammography, sonograms, joint and cyst aspirations, routine contrast studies, routine fluoroscopy, or examinations of the head, trunk, or extremities under supervision of physician.
- Record, process, and maintain patient data or treatment records and prepare reports.
- Prepare contrast material, radiopharmaceuticals, or anesthetic or antispasmodic drugs under the direction of a radiologist.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Explain procedures and observe patients to ensure safety and comfort during scan.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
2 years of education after high school (associate's degree), for a median of $80,110 a year and 13,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Allied Health ProfessionsSee the degree →
- Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation TherapistCIP 51.0907
- Radiologic Technology/Science - RadiographerCIP 51.0911
- Mammography Technology/TechnicianCIP 51.0919
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians$74,310 · +3.7%
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers$96,590 · +13.9%
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists$95,480 · +7.7%
- Radiation Therapists$105,310 · +2.8%
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.