The X Factor

• Radiologic technicians numbered 213,560 in 2009, with the median salary for the field at $53,240. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the field of X-ray technology to grow by 17 percent and add 37,000 jobs nationwide through 2018. As for the range of earnings, the lowest-paid X-ray techs received $35,700, while the highest-paid in the field received $75,440.
  
  

Top Industries

• Scientific research and development services topped the BLS list as the highest-paying industry for the X-ray technician profession, paying $64,800. Consulting services for the profession also paid higher-than-average wages, at $61,970, as did employment services, at $59,620. Specialty hospitals paid their X-ray technicians an above-average salary of $58,320. While general medical and surgical hospitals were the largest employer of X-ray technicians and did pay annual higher-than-average wage of $54,770, they did not make the BLS top five best-paying list.
  
  

Highest Paying States

• The states paying the highest salaries for their X-ray technicians were spread across the country. Massachusetts earned first place with the highest salaries of $68,530. Technicians employed in Nevada earned the second-highest salaries, at $66,420. Maryland's radiologic technicians earned $65,820, while those in Hawaii received $63,470. The District of Columbia's X-ray technicians were close behind at $63,270. Although West Virginia was the largest employer of X-ray technicians, its annual salary of $41,400 was considerably lower than average.
  
  

Back to Basics

• While the BLS did not account for level of education or experience in its salary study, the baseline minimum for entry into the X-ray technician field is a certificate or diploma in radiologic technology. The majority of prospective X-ray techs pursue a two-year associate degree from one of the hundreds of community colleges and technical schools accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, which also does accredit four-year bachelor's degree programs and higher. Level of education and degree may impact an X-ray technician's salary.