Everyone wants to know how much other professionals in their field are earning. But let's be real, it's difficult to make direct comparisons. No matter what field you're in, your salary depends on where you work, how long you've been working, your scope of responsibility, and the personal and technical skills required for your particular position. That said, we can look at national averages in a given field -- just to get an idea of whether or not we're in the ballpark.
American Traveler Allied places a wide spectrum of Radiology Technologists in short-term contract positions, commonly know as "travel" jobs. These positions typically last for 13 weeks, and may be extended, or renewed -- if the employer and healthcare professional agree. Because employers are in need when they hire travelers, the traveler pay rate usually reflects that need, generally above the compensation rate offered to permanent staff.
Let's take a look at what some of the most popular employment sites say about Rad Tech salary in 2024. Then we'll take a look at how permanent staff pay relates to travel pay.
| Title | Annual Salary Range |
| Radiologic Technologist | $77K to $117K |
| CT Tech | $71K to $107K |
| MRI Technologist | $95K to $151K |
| Interventional Radiology Technologist | $99K to $169K |
Glassdoor states that their numbers are based on values between 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role. Glassdoor analyzes salary data collected from their platform and from government data.
| Title | National Average Annual Salary |
| Radiology Technologist | $95.1K |
| Sonographer Ultrasound | $109.5K |
| XRay Technician | $108.2K |
| Cath Lab Technology | $132.7K |
Ziprecruiter reports that their salary estimates are derived from employer job postings and from third party data sources.
| Title | Mean Annual Wage |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $75.2K |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $89.0K |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | $92.5K |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | $86.6K |
You can see that the BLS salary estimates are a bit more conservative than those listed on the non-government employment platforms. The BLS data is taken from a wide variety of sources, including the Occupational Employment Statistics Survey, Modeled Wage estimates and the Current Population Survey. Gathering and compiling this large amount of data results in reporting that generally lags behind for-profit platforms.
The pay for many radiology positions can verge into the six figures, and travel pay rates are generally higher than pay rates for staff clinicians. As with any profession, travel pay varies with location, with the requirements of the position, and with the urgency of need for hiring.
At this moment, in September of 2024, our annualized pay for a traveling Radiology Technologist is over 40% higher than the mean average annual pay reported by the BLS. Some specialties are considerably higher than that right now, including Interventional Radiology Tech, Nuclear Medicine, MRI, Cat Scan and Sonography.
Travel assignments also include incentives like bonuses, license reimbursement, tax advantages -- along with overtime pay that is often available.
It is usually the case that traveling techs don't work 52 weeks per year. (Although it is possible!) Having a flexible schedule is one of the main reasons you choose to travel! You can earn excellent money, take a break when you want -- indulge in a dream vacation, a neglected hobby or spend uninterrupted quality time with loved ones.