# Nuclear Medicine Technologists

US SOC code 29-2033. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2033

Also called: Nuclear med tech, NMT, CNMT, PET technologist, PET-CT technologist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **17,080** US nuclear medicine technologists, with median pay of **$101,370** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **21,670**, in May 2009. BLS counts here go back to May 2003, when there were **17,550** jobs. The last full technology era for nuclear medicine technologists: SPECT-CT consolidation and quantitative PET, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2033&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **25.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Nuclear Medicine Technologists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1941
- Latest US employment: 17,080 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [1]
- Latest US median pay: $101,370 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Outlook: +4.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### All 24 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1993 | n/a | $29,600 (estimate) | Est., PubMed [2] |
| 2003 | 17,550 | $51,560 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [1] |
| 2004 | 17,520 | $56,450 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [1] |
| 2005 | 18,280 | $59,670 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [1] |
| 2006 | 19,270 | $62,300 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [1] |
| 2007 | 20,410 | $64,670 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [1] |
| 2008 | 21,200 | $66,660 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [1] |
| 2009 | 21,670 | $67,910 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [1] |
| 2010 | 21,600 | $68,560 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [1] |
| 2011 | 21,200 | $69,450 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [1] |
| 2012 | 20,480 | $70,180 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [1] |
| 2013 | 20,020 | $71,120 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [1] |
| 2014 | 20,320 | $72,100 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [1] |
| 2015 | 19,740 | $73,360 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [1] |
| 2016 | 19,650 | $74,350 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [1] |
| 2017 | 18,930 | $75,660 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [1] |
| 2018 | 18,810 | $76,820 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [1] |
| 2019 | 18,110 | $77,950 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [1] |
| 2020 | 17,510 | $79,590 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [1] |
| 2021 | 17,140 | $78,760 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [1] |
| 2022 | 16,910 | $85,300 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [1] |
| 2023 | 16,560 | $92,500 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [1] |
| 2024 | 16,960 | $97,020 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [1] |
| 2025 | 17,080 | $101,370 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [1] |

## Sources (92)

### Employment series

1. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

2. [PubMed — "Work force problems in nuclear medicine and possible solutions" (J Nucl Med Technol, 1993; NMT salary competitiveness and workforce shortage discussion)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8469992/), PubMed / SNMMI
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

4. [Berkeley Lab, Crucible of Nuclear Medicine — early radioisotope production and clinical counting-room methods, 1940s-1950s](https://www2.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/nuclear-med-history.html), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
5. [News-Medical.net — History of Nuclear Medicine: development of early radioisotope scanning and counting methods in clinical practice](https://www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-Nuclear-Medicine.aspx), News-Medical / AZO Network
6. [JNMT Supplement 2020 — "A Half-Century of Nuclear Medicine" (Cassen rectilinear scanner 1951, clinical adoption through 1960s)](https://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/Supplement_1/40S), Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology / SNMMI
7. [European Journal of Nuclear Medicine — "The 70th anniversary of automated radionuclide imaging" (rectilinear scanner history)](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-019-04413-5?error=cookies_not_supported&code=cdd35d66-95f2-49c0-8040-df4d7dc63570), Springer Nature / EANM
8. [ORAU Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity — Squibb "Technetope" Tc-99m Generator (1967): early commercial Tc-99m generator in US hospitals](https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/nuclear-medicine/general/technetope.html), Oak Ridge Associated Universities
9. [JACC Cardiovascular Imaging 2009 — "Unparalleled Contribution of Technetium-99m to Medicine Over 5 Decades" (Tc-99m generator commercial availability and clinical expansion)](https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcmg.2008.12.013), Journal of the American College of Cardiology / Elsevier
10. [BNL Newsroom — "Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Technetium-99m" (Mo-99/Tc-99m generator history and medical adoption)](https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=213162), Brookhaven National Laboratory
11. [Journal of Nuclear Cardiology — "Dual-isotope myocardial perfusion SPECT: Past, present, and future" (Tl-201 history, Tc-99m sestamibi FDA approval 1990, cardiac SPECT growth)](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12350-017-0966-0?error=cookies_not_supported&code=d84b4251-b52b-4a8f-94f9-de28b60f6f40), Springer Nature / ASNC
12. [PMC — "Work force problems in nuclear medicine and possible solutions" (cardiac SPECT volume growth, NMT workforce shortage, 1993)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8469992/), PubMed / SNMMI
13. [Siemens Healthineers — "A turning point in medicine: the invention of PET/CT" (Townsend/Nutt prototype 1998, GE Discovery LS first commercial 2001, 400+ systems installed by 2004)](https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/molecular-imaging/news/pet-ct-25-anniversary), Siemens Healthineers
14. [PMC — "FDG-PET and PET/CT - Part II" (FDA oncology approvals 2000, clinical adoption history, impact on nuclear medicine practice)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2766900/), PubMed Central / SNMMI
15. [SNMMI 2025 annual meeting AI sessions — digital PET/SPECT, quantitative PET (SUV precision, TMTV), and AI reconstruction as the technology infrastructure for advanced nuclear medicine practice](https://www.snmmi.org/), Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
16. [AuntMinnie nuclear medicine / molecular imaging 2025-2026 — theranostics and quantitative PET driving NMT demand at cancer centers; digital SPECT enabling shorter bone scan acquisitions](https://www.auntminnie.com/), AuntMinnie / Informa
17. [GE HealthCare AIR Recon DL for PET / Omni Legend — AI deep learning PET reconstruction; 20-40% shorter acquisition times; OmniLink theranostics patient management platform (Lu-177 DOTATATE, Lu-177 PSMA); GE Healthcare product pages 2025](https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/products/molecular-imaging/pet-ct/omni-legend), GE HealthCare
18. [Subtle Medical SubtlePET — FDA 510(k)-cleared AI PET denoising; 50-75% radiotracer dose reduction at diagnostic image quality; NMTs initiate post-processing at scanner console; Subtle Medical 2025](https://subtlemedical.com/subtlepet/), Subtle Medical
19. [Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2024-2025 — AI deep learning PET reconstruction non-inferior at 50% dose reduction for oncology FDG-PET; AI TMTV/SUVmax quantification matches expert inter-reader agreement for lymphoma staging](https://jnm.snmjournals.org/), Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-2033 Nuclear medicine technologists (2025: 17.4 thousand; 2035: 18.2 thousand; +4.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2033&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-2033.00, human-rated β 0.258)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

22. [ACS Landmarks — Saul Hertz and the Medical Uses of Radioiodine (first human I-131 treatment, March 31, 1941, Massachusetts General Hospital)](https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/medical-uses-of-radioiodine.html), American Chemical Society
23. [Springer — "Radioiodine: the success story of Nuclear Medicine" (European Journal of Nuclear Medicine; I-131 history from 1941 to present)](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-016-3548-5?error=cookies_not_supported&code=32b90bae-7ef8-4e10-b8db-9f35774b069f), European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Springer
24. [JNMT Supplement 2020 — "A Glimpse into the Past: 1970-2020" (SNM Technologist Section founding, Los Angeles June 1971, 737 charter members)](https://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/Supplement_1/28S), Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology / SNMMI
25. [JNMT Supplement 2020 — "History of the NMTCB" (charter June 1977; first exam September 15, 1978; 652 examinees; 22 test sites)](https://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/Supplement_1/67S), Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology / SNMMI
26. [Journal of Nuclear Cardiology — "Dual-isotope myocardial perfusion SPECT: Past, present, and future" (Tc-99m sestamibi FDA approval 1990; ASNC formation 1993)](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12350-017-0966-0?error=cookies_not_supported&code=d84b4251-b52b-4a8f-94f9-de28b60f6f40), Springer Nature / ASNC
27. [Siemens Healthineers — "A turning point in medicine: the invention of PET/CT" (GE Discovery LS 2001; 95%+ of PET scanners sold were PET-CT by 2004)](https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/molecular-imaging/news/pet-ct-25-anniversary), Siemens Healthineers
28. [AuntMinnie nuclear medicine 2025-2026 — theranostics (Lu-177 DOTATATE / PSMA) driving NMT demand at academic medical centers and cancer centers; salary premiums and persistent job openings](https://www.auntminnie.com/), AuntMinnie / Informa

### Predecessors & successors

29. [PMC — "Nuclear Medicine Practices in the 1950s through the mid-1970s" (early NMTs drawn from radiologic technology background; on-the-job training from radiologic technologist base)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4147674/), PubMed Central
30. [JNMT Supplement 2020 — "A Glimpse into the Past: 1970-2020" (early NMT backgrounds: radiology, laboratory, physics)](https://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/Supplement_1/28S), Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology / SNMMI
31. [BLS OOH 2024-34 — Radiation Therapists (29-1124): median wage $99,700; +4% growth; ARRT T credential from NMT background](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiation-therapists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
32. [BLS OOH 2024-34 — Medical and Health Services Managers (11-9111): median wage $116,750; +29% growth; NRC compliance knowledge differentiates NMT-background managers](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Nuclear Medicine Technologists (29-2033.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2033.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — Nuclear Medicine Technologists: 21,600 employed 2024; +1% projected growth 2024-2034; 800 annual openings; median wage $99,430 (May 2024)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nuclear-medicine-technologists.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NMTCB — CNMT (Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist) credential requires accredited education program + examination; radiotracer preparation and administration require credentialed presence; nmtcb.org 2025](https://www.nmtcb.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ARRT — Nuclear Medicine (N) credential pathway; state licensure/registration required in 37 U.S. states for nuclear medicine technology practice; radiation safety compliance is legally non-delegable](https://www.arrt.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SNMMI 2025 annual meeting AI sessions — AI PET reconstruction, AI quantitative PET (SUV, TMTV), AI cardiac SPECT MPI, and theranostics workflow platforms are the most-discussed AI applications in nuclear medicine; snmmi.org](https://www.snmmi.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [GE HealthCare AIR Recon DL for PET / Omni Legend PET-CT — AI deep learning PET reconstruction; 20-40% shorter acquisition times at equivalent diagnostic quality; GE OmniLink theranostics patient management platform (2023-2024); GE Healthcare product pages 2025](https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/products/molecular-imaging/pet-ct/omni-legend), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Siemens Healthineers AI-Rad Companion PET/CT — AI quantitative PET: automated SUVmax/SUVmean, total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), longitudinal lesion tracking; 500+ radiology/nuclear medicine department deployments; RSNA 2024](https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/digital-health-solutions/ai-rad-companion), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Subtle Medical SubtlePET — FDA 510(k)-cleared AI PET denoising; enables 50-75% radiotracer dose reduction at diagnostic image quality; NMTs initiate post-processing at scanner console; Radiology AI journal 2025; Subtle Medical product documentation 2025](https://subtlemedical.com/subtlepet/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Journal of Nuclear Medicine 2024-2025 — AI deep learning PET reconstruction non-inferior at 50% dose reduction for oncology staging; AI TMTV/SUVmax quantification matches expert inter-reader agreement for lymphoma staging; AI cardiac SPECT MPI (QPS AI) reaches expert-equivalent diagnostic performance on standard studies](https://jnm.snmjournals.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Lantheus / Lucerno Dynamics Lara System — AI-powered real-time radiotracer kinetics monitoring during PET scans; acquired by Lantheus 2024; used by NMTs at PSMA-PET cancer centers; Lantheus 2025 investor materials; AuntMinnie nuclear medicine coverage 2025](https://www.lantheus.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AuntMinnie nuclear medicine / molecular imaging 2025-2026 — theranostics (Lu-177 DOTATATE / PSMA) driving NMT demand at cancer centers; NMT job postings increasingly specify "theranostics experience" and "quantitative PET protocol" as preferred qualifications](https://www.auntminnie.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SNMMI Practice Guidelines for Nuclear Medicine — NMT scope of practice: radiotracer preparation, QC, patient preparation, administration, image acquisition, processing; all radiopharmaceutical administration requires credentialed NMT or nuclear medicine physician](https://snmmi.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Advocacy/NMT%20Scope%20of%20Practice%203rd%20Edition%20Final%2011.11.24.pdf), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Cedars-Sinai QPS AI — AI cardiac SPECT MPI analysis module with automated myocardial perfusion quantification, ejection fraction computation, and defect classification; JNM 2025 validation: AI cardiac SPECT reaches expert-equivalent diagnostic performance on standard studies](https://www.csmc.edu/Research/Departments-Programs/Biomedical-Imaging-Research-Institute/Software), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NRC 10 CFR Part 35 — Medical Use of Byproduct Material: administered dose records, patient identification verification, adverse event reporting, and authorized user attestation are NRC-mandated NMT documentation responsibilities; non-delegable to AI systems](https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part035/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Dragon Medical One (Nuance/Microsoft) — AI-powered voice dictation for hospital imaging departments; used by NMTs for technical findings notes and worksheet field completion hands-free; Microsoft/Nuance product pages 2025](https://www.nuance.com/healthcare/physician-and-clinical-documentation/dragon-medical-one.html), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.