# Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

US SOC code 29-2034. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2034

Also called: Radiologic technologist, Rad tech, X-ray tech, X-ray technologist, CT technologist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **230,490** US radiologic technologists and technicians, 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](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history) of **5,000** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for radiologic technologists and technicians: 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. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2034&ioType=o).

### 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](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.

## Radiologic Technologists and Technicians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1896
- Latest US employment: 230,490 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $80,110 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [24]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ASRT Museum and Archives [1] |
| 1948 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Beekley Medical [2] |
| 1970 | 100,000 (estimate) | $6,500 (estimate) | Est., ARRT (employment) [3]; Est., ASRT Museum and Archives (pay) [7] |
| 1980 | 120,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Smithsonian Magazine [4] |
| 1990 | n/a | $27,000 (estimate) | Est., BLS OOH [8] |
| 2000 | 167,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook [5] |
| 2003 | 173,030 | $40,620 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 177,220 | $43,350 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 184,580 | $45,950 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 190,180 | $48,170 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 200,370 | $50,260 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 208,570 | $52,210 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 213,560 | $53,240 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2012 | 194,790 | $54,620 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 194,000 | $55,200 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 193,400 | $55,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 195,590 | $56,670 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 200,650 | $57,450 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 201,200 | $58,440 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 205,590 | $59,520 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 207,360 | $60,510 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 206,720 | $61,900 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 216,380 | $61,370 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 215,820 | $65,140 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 221,170 | $73,410 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 223,460 | $77,660 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 230,490 | $80,110 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (85)

### Employment series

1. [ASRT Museum and Archives — ASRT History (founding 1920, early membership, profession development narrative)](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history), American Society of Radiologic Technologists
2. [Beekley Medical — "A Centennial Celebration for Radiologic Technologists" (historical profession growth narrative, ASXT membership figures)](https://blog.beekley.com/a-centennial-celebration-for-radiologic-technologists), Beekley Medical
3. [ARRT — A Timeline of Our Profession: Highlights of the History of Radiologic Technology (credential milestone data: 56,000 certificates by end of 1960s)](https://www.arrt.org/pages/arrt-timeline), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
4. [Smithsonian Magazine — "Fifty Years Ago, the First CT Scan Let Doctors See Inside a Living Skull" (history of CT introduction in U.S. clinical practice from 1973)](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/fifty-years-ago-the-first-ct-scan-let-doctors-see-inside-a-living-skull-180978792/), Smithsonian Magazine
5. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Radiologic and MRI Technologists (current edition with historical trend context)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. 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), [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

7. [ASRT Museum and Archives — ASRT History (profession development and workforce narrative through founding decades)](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history), American Society of Radiologic Technologists
8. [BLS OOH — Radiologic and MRI Technologists (current edition with historical earnings context)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. 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), [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), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [Iowa Radiology — "A Brief History of X-Rays" (early X-ray apparatus, operator practices, radiation injury in pioneering era)](https://info.iowaradiology.com/x-rays-brief-history), Iowa Radiology
12. [ASRT Museum and Archives — ASRT History (founding narrative, Eddy Jerman, early practitioner challenges)](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history), American Society of Radiologic Technologists
13. [ARRT — A Timeline of Our Profession (founding 1922, first registered technologist Sister Mary Beatrice Merrigan, credential growth)](https://www.arrt.org/pages/arrt-timeline), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
14. [Beekley Medical — "A Centennial Celebration for Radiologic Technologists" (postwar workforce expansion, ASXT membership growth)](https://blog.beekley.com/a-centennial-celebration-for-radiologic-technologists), Beekley Medical
15. [Smithsonian Magazine — "Fifty Years Ago, the First CT Scan Let Doctors See Inside a Living Skull" (EMI scanner 1973, first U.S. CT at Mayo Clinic, 1,130 units worldwide by 1977)](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/fifty-years-ago-the-first-ct-scan-let-doctors-see-inside-a-living-skull-180978792/), Smithsonian Magazine
16. [Wikipedia — Radiographer (MRI safety screening, technologist subspecialty development)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiographer), Wikipedia
17. [NIH PMC — "Impact of computers in radiography: The advent of digital radiography, Part-2" (Fuji FCR 101 history, 1983 launch, CR and DR workflow transformation)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2747436/), National Institutes of Health
18. [NIH PMC — "Picture archiving and communication systems: past, present, and future" (PACS deployment history, 1992 U.S. Army first large-scale installation)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10754358/), National Institutes of Health
19. [BLS OOH — Radiologic and MRI Technologists (employment trends and imaging volume growth, current edition)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [RSNA AI (Radiology) 2024-2025 — AI imaging automation in the context of multi-detector CT and digital radiography workflow](https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/ai), Radiological Society of North America
21. [GE HealthCare — Effortless Imaging: Effortless Recon DL and TrueFidelity deep learning CT reconstruction; AI and deep learning solutions across CT, MRI, mammography and X-ray](https://www.gehealthcare.com/products/imaging/effortless-imaging), GE HealthCare
22. [AHRA (Association for Healthcare Radiology Administration) Workforce Report 2025 — AI tools framed as force multiplier; technologist training for AI workflows is top management priority](https://www.ahra.org/am/template.cfm?Section=Advocacy), Association for Healthcare Radiology Administration
23. [Aidoc — 1,000+ hospital deployments; 30+ FDA-cleared AI algorithms by 2025; critical-finding triage for PE, ICH, aortic dissection](https://www.aidoc.com/), Aidoc

### Forecasts and exposure studies

24. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-2034 Radiologic technologists and technicians (2025: 234.2 thousand; 2035: 246.0 thousand; +5.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2034&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-2034.00, human-rated β 0.281)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

26. [Iowa Radiology — "A Brief History of X-Rays" (Roentgen discovery 1895, rapid global adoption)](https://info.iowaradiology.com/x-rays-brief-history), Iowa Radiology
27. [ASRT Museum and Archives — ASRT History (founding 1920, Eddy C. Jerman narrative, fourteen founding members)](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history), American Society of Radiologic Technologists
28. [ARRT — History: first registered technologist Sister M. Beatrice Merrigan (1922), founding organizations, credentialing model](https://www.arrt.org/pages/about/about-us/history), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
29. [ARRT — A Timeline of Our Profession (diversity milestones; 1936 first Black R.T. Rose Marie Pegues)](https://www.arrt.org/pages/arrt-timeline), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists
30. [Smithsonian Magazine — "Fifty Years Ago, the First CT Scan Let Doctors See Inside a Living Skull" (Mayo Clinic 1973, EMI scanner history, 1,130 units by 1977)](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/fifty-years-ago-the-first-ct-scan-let-doctors-see-inside-a-living-skull-180978792/), Smithsonian Magazine
31. [NIH PMC — "Impact of computers in radiography: The advent of digital radiography, Part-2" (Fuji FCR 101, 1983, CR workflow change)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2747436/), National Institutes of Health / PMC
32. [ARRT — About Us: 360,000+ certified technologists in 15 disciplines; world's largest credentialing organization in medical imaging (2025)](https://www.arrt.org/pages/about/about-us), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists

### Predecessors & successors

33. [ASRT Museum and Archives — ASRT History (founding narrative; early operators as photographers, electricians, and physics assistants)](https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/museum-and-archives/asrt-history), American Society of Radiologic Technologists
34. [Beekley Medical — "A Centennial Celebration for Radiologic Technologists" (postwar military-trained radiographers entering civilian hospitals)](https://blog.beekley.com/a-centennial-celebration-for-radiologic-technologists), Beekley Medical

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Radiologic Technologists and Technicians (29-2034.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2034.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS OOH — Radiologic and MRI Technologists: 245,100 employed 2024; +6% projected growth 2024-2034; 19,200 annual openings; median wage $67,180](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ASRT: Staffing Surveys (page): ASRT's nationwide surveys of radiology and radiation therapy facility managers and directors](https://www.asrt.org/main/news-publications/research/staffing-surveys), accessed 2026-10-08
- [ARRT: State Licensing (page): more than 75 percent of states have licensing laws covering the practice of radiologic technology, and many use ARRT exam scores or credentials in licensing decisions; an ARRT credential is not the same as a state license](https://www.arrt.org/pages/about-the-profession/state-licensing), accessed 2026-10-08
- [Aidoc — 1,000+ hospital deployments; 30+ FDA-cleared AI algorithms by 2025; flags PE, ICH, aortic dissection in CT studies; worklist prioritization visible to rad techs at Aidoc-enabled sites](https://www.aidoc.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [GE HealthCare: expands its Effortless Recon DL portfolio at RSNA 2024 (press release, December 5, 2024), including TrueFidelity DL deep learning CT reconstruction offering improved sharpness and noise texture without compromising dose performance](https://www.gehealthcare.com/en-us/about/newsroom/press-releases/ge-healthcare-expands-its-effortless-recon-dl-portfolio-bringing-advanced-deep-learning-image-reconstruction-to-clinicians-worldwide), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Siemens Healthineers AI-Rad Companion — AI organ segmentation and chest CT nodule flagging in \<90 seconds; 500+ radiology department deployments globally; RSNA 2024; ECR 2025](https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/digital-health-solutions/ai-rad-companion), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Subtle Medical — SubtleMR and SubtlePET: FDA 510(k)-cleared deep learning denoising; enables dose reduction (PET) and scan-time reduction (MRI) without sacrificing diagnostic quality; Radiology AI journal 2025](https://subtlemedical.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [RSNA AI (Radiology) 2024-2025 — deep learning reconstruction reduces CT radiation dose 30-50% with non-inferior diagnostic quality; AI auto-positioning reduces positioning time 30-40% in controlled trials](https://pubs.rsna.org/journal/ai), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Annalise.ai — FDA-cleared AI chest X-ray and CT platform; detects 124 clinical findings; 40+ peer-reviewed publications; deployed at health systems in U.S., UK, and Australia (2025)](https://annalise.ai/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Lunit Insight — FDA-cleared AI for mammography CAD and chest X-ray; deployed at 2,400+ hospitals in 50+ countries; 99% sensitivity for lung nodule detection; Lunit product documentation 2025](https://www.lunit.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lunit-INSIGHT-MMG.jpg), accessed 2026-05-23

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