Radiologic technologists
Official title Radiologic Technologists and Technicians (SOC 29-2034)
Also called Rad tech, X-ray tech, X-ray technologist, CT technologist, CT tech
In brief
In May 2025, BLS counted 230,490 US radiologic technologists, with median pay of $80,110 a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is an estimate of 5,000 from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for radiologic technologists: Flat-panel digital radiography and multi-detector CT, 2005 to 2020. Higher scanner throughput meant fewer technologists could handle the same patient volume, but the growth in imaging orders kept employment rising.
What the sources say
Official outlook
BLS projects employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035.
AI exposure studies
- 28.1% of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. Eloundou and others, 2023
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.
Last updated .
Cite this page
Future History. (2026, October 11). Radiologic technologists: jobs and pay since 1930 [Data set; data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35]. https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2034
Future History. "Radiologic technologists: jobs and pay since 1930." Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. Last modified October 11, 2026. https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2034.
@misc{futurehistory_29_2034, author = {{Future History}}, title = {Radiologic technologists: jobs and pay since 1930}, year = {2026}, month = oct, howpublished = {\url{https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2034}}, note = {Last updated 2026-10-11. Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35}, }
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≈ $78,056 in 2024 prices (derived by us, CPI-adjusted)
November 8, 1895: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen notices that cathode rays cause a fluorescent screen to glow in his darkened laboratory at the University of Wurzburg. He names the invisible radiation X-Strahlen (X-rays) and spends six weeks validating the discovery before announcing it. His first published image is an X-ray of his wife Bertha's hand, showing her wedding ring and the bones beneath. The announcement reaches the U.S. press by January 1896. Within months, physics departments and physicians across the country are building or acquiring X-ray apparatus.
October 1920: Eddy C. Jerman, a dedicated advocate for the X-ray technician, gathers fourteen X-ray workers in Chicago to found the American Association of Radiological Technicians, half of whom are women. The organization's stated purpose is "affording technicians an opportunity for the interchange of thoughts and ideas concerned with radiologic technique." There is no written protocol for the work; operators have been learning by the "hunch method" for 25 years. Jerman himself had no formal radiologic training; he was an electrical engineer who became a pioneer of technique standardization. The founding meeting is the organizational birth of the profession.
The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists is founded jointly by the Radiological Society of North America, the American Roentgen Ray Society, and the American Society of X-ray Technicians. The first registered technologist is Sister M. Beatrice Merrigan, who passes the examination by submitting ten required radiographic films spanning sinus to knee, and answering 20 essay questions. The ARRT establishes the template for credentialing that will eventually become state-mandated licensure.
Rose Marie Pegues becomes the first Black radiologic technologist to receive ARRT registration. In the same decade, the profession is navigating the consequences of decades of unshielded radiation exposure: many early operators have developed radiation-induced cancers or chronic radiation dermatitis from the unprotected, high-exposure conditions of the open-tube era. Lead aprons, which had been invented decades earlier, are now being adopted as standard practice.
The professional society adopts "radiologic technologist" as the preferred occupational title, with "technician" reserved for assistants and lower-credential workers. The shift is deliberate: it signals that the role requires professional-level education, clinical judgment, and credential maintenance, not just manual operation of equipment. This naming decision will take years to propagate through HR job titles and public usage, but it establishes the professional framing that will eventually support state-licensure campaigns.
The first CT scan in the United States is performed at Mayo Clinic, using an EMI scanner designed by Godfrey Hounsfield. CT produces cross-sectional images that plain film radiography cannot: it can visualize soft tissue differentiation, brain structures, and internal anatomy with a clarity previously only available through exploratory surgery or autopsy. Within four years there are 1,130 CT machines installed worldwide. For radiologic technologists, CT is not a displacement threat but a new credential pathway: experienced radiographers cross-train as CT technologists, and the occupation expands to absorb the new modality.
Fujifilm introduces the FCR 101, the world's first commercial computed radiography (CR) system, at the International Congress of Radiology. CR replaces film-screen cassettes with reusable imaging plates; the digital image can be post-processed, transmitted electronically, and stored without physical film. For radiologic technologists, the change eliminates darkroom chemistry work and enables image manipulation after acquisition, but the core patient-facing and positioning work is entirely unchanged. More than 100,000 FCR units are eventually sold worldwide, and the transition to digital radiography accelerates through the 1990s.
ARRT introduces advanced-level certification examinations in Mammography (M) and Cardiovascular-Interventional Radiography (CV). These credentials acknowledge that the occupation has differentiated into subspecialties with distinct clinical demands. By 1999, 30% of ARRT-certified technologists hold multiple credentials, up from 5% in 1991. By 2022, nearly 47% hold multiple credentials, reflecting how deeply the multi-modality model has taken hold.
ARRT now certifies and registers more than 360,000 technologists across 15 disciplines, making it the world's largest credentialing organization in medical imaging, interventional procedures, and radiation therapy. The occupation has expanded from a single skill (X-ray) to a broad clinical technology family. AI tools are embedded in every major scanner console and PACS, but the ARRT and state licensure frameworks continue to require a credentialed human operator for every ionizing-radiation study performed. No regulatory pathway for unattended AI-operated radiologic equipment exists in any U.S. jurisdiction.
Will AI replace radiologic technologists? What the research says
Each figure is stated by the named source; we publish no forecasts of our own. Where sources disagree, we show the disagreement rather than an average.
Each figure is stated by the named source; we publish no forecasts of our own. Where sources disagree, the spread is the honest signal.
What's changing day to day for radiologic technologists
Three parts of your work where AI is already doing real lifting, and what stays yours.
AI is sitting alongside you hereReview AI-assisted image quality assessment and release studies to the radiologist, evaluating AI-generated image quality scores and artifact flags (Siemens AI-Rad Companion, Annalise.ai, Lunit Insight) against direct visual review of reconstructed series, determining whether a study is diagnostic or requires repeat acquisition, and releasing the study to the PACS worklist with appropriate priority tagging.
Review AI-assisted image quality assessment and release studies to the radiologist, evaluating AI-generated image quality scores and artifact flags (Siemens AI-Rad Companion, Annalise.ai, Lunit Insight) against direct visual review of reconstructed series, determining whether a study is diagnostic or requires repeat acquisition, and releasing the study to the PACS worklist with appropriate priority tagging.[7],[11]
AI image quality tools (Siemens AI-Rad Companion, Annalise.ai) now flag non-diagnostic image quality before the radiologist touches the study, reducing the tech's cognitive load on routine quality checks but elevating the importance of correctly interpreting AI quality alerts. Your defensibility is in the nuanced cases: AI tools optimized for common acquisition artifacts may miss subtle patient-motion artifacts, equipment-related ghosting, or beam-hardening artifacts that require a trained eye. Develop systematic artifact recognition skills so your quality review adds genuine value on top of the AI flag, rather than simply rubber-stamping the AI's output.
AI is sitting alongside you hereMonitor AI radiology triage alerts (Aidoc) for critical incidental findings on completed studies, reviewing Aidoc worklist flags for PE, intracranial hemorrhage, aortic dissection, and critical incidental pulmonary nodules on CT studies the tech just acquired
Monitor AI radiology triage alerts (Aidoc) for critical incidental findings on completed studies, reviewing Aidoc worklist flags for PE, intracranial hemorrhage, aortic dissection, and critical incidental pulmonary nodules on CT studies the tech just acquired; escalating flagged studies to the radiologist or ordering physician per critical-finding notification protocol; and documenting notification time in the PACS audit trail.[5],[9]
Aidoc and similar AI triage tools are deployed at 1,000+ hospitals and flag critical findings before the radiologist dictates the final report, at AI-enabled sites, you may be the first clinical staff member to see a critical-finding alert on a study you just acquired. Understand the specific algorithms your department has deployed (PE-CT, ICH, aortic dissection, pulmonary nodule) and the institutional protocol for rad tech involvement in critical-finding escalation: the technologist who can triage an Aidoc alert intelligently and initiate the notification chain adds measurable value in time-to-treatment.
AI is sitting alongside you herePerform mammography examinations, positioning and compressing the breast using standard CC and MLO views and additional diagnostic views as required, calibrating compression force per patient tolerance, selecting appropriate exposure settings (digital mammography or DBT/tomosynthesis), and releasing studies to the PACS for AI-assisted CAD review (Lunit Insight, DeepHealth iCAD) before radiologist interpretation.
Perform mammography examinations, positioning and compressing the breast using standard CC and MLO views and additional diagnostic views as required, calibrating compression force per patient tolerance, selecting appropriate exposure settings (digital mammography or DBT/tomosynthesis), and releasing studies to the PACS for AI-assisted CAD review (Lunit Insight, DeepHealth iCAD) before radiologist interpretation.[12]
AI CAD tools for mammography (Lunit Insight, iCAD ProFound) are FDA-cleared and deployed at 2,400+ hospitals: they assist radiologist interpretation after the study is acquired, not during acquisition. Your value in this task is in the acquisition quality: proper breast positioning and compression directly determine whether the study is diagnostic or requires recall, and AI CAD accuracy is degraded by poor positioning. Developing ARRT Advanced Certification in Mammography (M) and expertise in challenging cases (augmented breasts, dense breast tissue, post-surgical anatomy) protects your role in mammography workflows as AI assists but does not replace the technologist-patient interaction.
Where radiologic technologists go next
Natural next steps for someone with your foundation: not exits, evolutions.
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- US median pay
- $123,860 (May 2025)
- BLS outlook 2025-35
- +24.2%
- Health Informatics SpecialistsNo timeline for this role yet
- Radiation Therapists
- US median pay
- $105,310 (May 2025)
- BLS outlook 2025-35
- +2.8%
What each move takes
Medical and Health Services Managers
Senior radiologic technologists with charge tech or lead tech experience are well-positioned for radiology manager, imaging services director, and medical imaging administrator roles, tracked under Medical and Health Services Managers. As imaging departments deploy AI tools (Aidoc, Siemens AI-Rad Companion, GE Effortless Recon AI) at scale, health systems need imaging managers who understand both the clinical workflow and the vendor evaluation, protocol governance, and staff training required for responsible AI adoption. An MHA (Master of Health Administration) or ARRT's Radiologic Technology Leadership Certificate is the credential investment that accelerates this path.
- · ARRT Radiologic Technology Leadership Certificate or MHA (Master of Health Administration) with healthcare operations focus
- · AHRA Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) examination: the standard credential for imaging department management
- · Healthcare finance for imaging: DRG and outpatient imaging reimbursement (APC, CMS), budget management, modality utilization and productivity benchmarking
- · AI vendor management: evaluating imaging AI tools, negotiating deployment agreements, managing AI algorithm performance post-deployment
- · Workforce management in imaging: staffing models for multi-modality departments, per-diem and float pool management, ARRT credential verification compliance
How has the work of radiologic technologists changed since 1896?
The tools that defined the work, one line per era. Select an era to see how it reshaped the work.
Open-tube X-ray apparatus (pre-professional era)
The earliest X-ray machines were hand-built from evacuated glass tubes and induction coils. Operators learned by trial and error: exposure times for a hand ranged from minutes to an hour, and there was no agreed technique for positioning patients or calibrating output. Radiation burns were routine occupational injuries; lead shielding was not yet in use. The work required mechanical aptitude, patience with patients, and tolerance for physical risk. There was no formal training and no standardized protocol, which meant each operator worked out their own methods from scratch.
Effect on the workThe absence of any credential system meant operators were hired on the basis of demonstrated competence, not formal qualification. The most skilled operators could command premium wages but had no professional protection. Most worked as employees of hospitals or physicians.
Standardized film-screen radiography and ARRT credentialing (1920-1960)
The 1920 founding of the American Association of Radiological Technicians, and the 1922 founding of the ARRT, began the process of converting a craft into a profession. The first registered technologist, Sister M. Beatrice Merrigan, passed the 1922 examination by submitting ten radiographic films and answering essay questions. Standardized film-screen combinations (replacing glass plates), the development of cones and collimators to limit beam scatter, and rotating anode tubes in the 1930s all improved image quality and reduced radiation dose. Lead aprons and film badges came into common use in the 1940s.
Effect on the workARRT credentialing raised the floor on practitioner competence and gave hospitals a verifiable qualification to require in hiring. The standardized curriculum introduced in 1952 created more consistent training pathways and laid the foundation for eventual state-licensure requirements.
Nuclear medicine, fluoroscopy, and early CT (multi-modality expansion)
The 1960s saw radiologic technology branch in multiple directions simultaneously. Nuclear medicine clinical use expanded, requiring technologists trained in radiotracer handling and gamma camera operation. Linear accelerators for radiation therapy created a new subspecialty. In 1962, the professional society formally adopted "radiologic technologist" as the preferred title, with "technician" reserved for assistants, signaling a deliberate upgrade in professional identity. The transforming event of the era was the clinical introduction of computed tomography: the first U.S. CT scan occurred at Mayo Clinic in 1973, using an EMI scanner that produced cross-sectional brain images previously impossible on plain film. By 1977 there were 1,130 CT machines installed worldwide. The CT technologist became a new subspecialty within the occupation, requiring advanced training in 3D anatomy, contrast timing, and scanner operation.
Effect on the workEach new modality added net headcount to the radiologic technology workforce rather than displacing existing technologists. CT operators were largely recruited from experienced radiologic technologists who received additional training, and demand grew faster than training pipelines could supply. By the end of the 1960s, ARRT had awarded 56,000 credentials; by the late 1970s the pace was accelerating.
MRI clinical deployment (1977 first human scan through widespread hospital adoption)
The first human full-body MRI scan was performed in 1977 by Raymond Damadian, and clinical MRI scanning began spreading to major U.S. academic medical centers in the early 1980s. MRI created a second major subspecialty within radiologic technology, with distinct safety demands: MRI technologists must screen every patient for ferromagnetic implants before approaching the high-field magnet, a mistake that can cause catastrophic patient injury or death. ARRT introduced the MRI certification examination in the early 1990s as the subspecialty matured into a distinct credential category. The safety-critical nature of MRI patient screening became one of the strongest human-presence requirements in any healthcare technical role.
Effect on the workMRI deployment created net new positions at an accelerating rate through the 1980s and 1990s as scanner counts grew. Experienced CT technologists often cross-trained into MRI; the two subspecialties together drove significant wage premiums over general radiography by the mid-1990s.
Computed radiography and PACS (Fuji FCR 1983; digital filmless workflow 1992-2000s)
Fujifilm introduced the first computed radiography (CR) system, the FCR 101, in 1983, replacing film-screen cassettes with reusable imaging plates that produced digital images. More than 100,000 units were eventually sold globally. The shift from film to digital had a cascading effect on the radiologic technologist's workflow: darkroom chemistry work disappeared, the "reject" image could be post-processed rather than requiring patient recall, and images were transmitted electronically rather than physically mounted on light boxes. PACS (picture archiving and communication systems) arrived in parallel: the U.S. Army installed the first large-scale PACS in 1992. By the early 2000s, major hospital systems were operating filmless departments, and the technologist's workstation had become a computer terminal as much as a scanner console.
Effect on the workDigitization eliminated the darkroom technician role that had historically been part of every radiology department, but the scanner-side work of patient positioning and acquisition remained entirely human-dependent. Net effect on employment was roughly neutral: jobs were lost in film processing, recovered in PACS administration and digital workflow coordination.
Flat-panel digital radiography and multi-detector CT (DR, 64-slice, 256-slice systems)
Flat-panel direct digital radiography (DR) replaced computed radiography cassettes in higher-volume departments through the 2000s and 2010s, producing images in seconds rather than the CR cassette-reader cycle. Multi-detector CT (MDCT) expanded from 4-slice to 64-slice to 256-slice configurations, enabling cardiac gating, angiographic quality images, and whole-body trauma scans in under a minute. 3D reconstruction and coronal/sagittal reformats became standard, requiring technologists to understand anatomy in three dimensions to plan acquisition protocols appropriately. The volume of imaging studies grew rapidly: by 2010, U.S. hospitals and outpatient imaging centers were performing tens of millions of CT examinations per year.
Effect on the workHigher scanner throughput meant fewer technologists could handle the same patient volume, but the growth in imaging orders kept employment rising. The outpatient imaging center model expanded substantially through the 2000s, diversifying the employment base beyond hospital settings.
AI-integrated imaging: auto-positioning, deep learning reconstruction, and triage AI
The current era is defined by AI capabilities embedded directly into scanner consoles and PACS workflows: GE HealthCare TrueFidelity and Effortless Recon AI perform deep learning CT reconstruction that reduces radiation dose 30-50% while maintaining diagnostic quality; Canon Altivity and GE SmartExam guide patient positioning with real-time body-landmark detection; Siemens AI-Rad Companion and Annalise.ai generate real-time image quality alerts and structured reporting pre-fills; Aidoc flags critical incidental findings (PE, intracranial hemorrhage, aortic dissection) on completed studies before the radiologist reads them. For the technologist, these tools are primarily augmentations: they reduce repeat scans, improve dose management, and surface critical findings faster. The legally non-delegable work (patient positioning for complex cases, contrast administration and adverse-reaction monitoring, MRI safety screening, radiation safety compliance) remains entirely human-dependent under ARRT and state licensure frameworks.
Effect on the workAHRA Workforce Report 2025 describes AI tools as a "force multiplier" for the same or smaller technologist headcount rather than a direct staffing reduction trigger. BLS projects +5% employment growth 2024-2034, driven by aging demographics. AI has not yet produced detectable net displacement of radiologic technologist positions at any scale.
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Browse all rolesRadiologic Technologists and Technicians employment and pay by year
View all 27 years of cited US data, each linked to its source
| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 5,000 | n/a | Est., ASRT Museum and Archives Researched context | Report |
| 1948 | 25,000 | n/a | Est., Beekley Medical Researched context | Report |
| 1970 | 100,000 | $6,500 | Est., ARRT (employment) Researched contextEst., ASRT Museum and Archives (pay) Researched context | Report |
| 1980 | 120,000 | n/a | Est., Smithsonian Magazine Researched context | Report |
| 1990 | n/a | $27,000 | Est., BLS OOH Researched context | Report |
| 2000 | 167,000 | n/a | Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook Researched context | Report |
| 2003 | 173,030 | $40,620 | BLS OEWS May 2003 Official statistic | Report |
| 2004 | 177,220 | $43,350 | BLS OEWS May 2004 Official statistic | Report |
| 2005 | 184,580 | $45,950 | BLS OEWS May 2005 Official statistic | Report |
| 2006 | 190,180 | $48,170 | BLS OEWS May 2006 Official statistic | Report |
| 2007 | 200,370 | $50,260 | BLS OEWS May 2007 Official statistic | Report |
| 2008 | 208,570 | $52,210 | BLS OEWS May 2008 Official statistic | Report |
| 2009 | 213,560 | $53,240 | BLS OEWS May 2009 Official statistic | Report |
| 2012 | 194,790 | $54,620 | BLS OEWS May 2012 Official statistic | Report |
| 2013 | 194,000 | $55,200 | BLS OEWS May 2013 Official statistic | Report |
| 2014 | 193,400 | $55,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 Official statistic | Report |
| 2015 | 195,590 | $56,670 | BLS OEWS May 2015 Official statistic | Report |
| 2016 | 200,650 | $57,450 | BLS OEWS May 2016 Official statistic | Report |
| 2017 | 201,200 | $58,440 | BLS OEWS May 2017 Official statistic | Report |
| 2018 | 205,590 | $59,520 | BLS OEWS May 2018 Official statistic | Report |
| 2019 | 207,360 | $60,510 | BLS OEWS May 2019 Official statistic | Report |
| 2020 | 206,720 | $61,900 | BLS OEWS May 2020 Official statistic | Report |
| 2021 | 216,380 | $61,370 | BLS OEWS May 2021 Official statistic | Report |
| 2022 | 215,820 | $65,140 | BLS OEWS May 2022 Official statistic | Report |
| 2023 | 221,170 | $73,410 | BLS OEWS May 2023 Official statistic | Report |
| 2024 | 223,460 | $77,660 | BLS OEWS May 2024 Official statistic | Report |
| 2025 | 230,490 | $80,110 | BLS OEWS May 2025 Official statistic | Report |