A nuclear medicine technologist in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara has a median wage of $198,950. In San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas the median is $52,480. That is a 3.79-fold difference for the same job title, which is unusually wide even by the standards of a country this large — and it means a national average for this role is close to meaningless.
From $78,080 at the 10th percentile to $134,500 at the 90th is only 1.72×, which is narrow. Pay for nuclear medicine technologists is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
8 of the ten best-paying metros for nuclear medicine technologists are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $198,950 | $95.65 | 0.79 | 100 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $189,790 | $91.25 | 0.66 | 170 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $173,260 | $83.30 | 1.11 | 130 |
| Modesto CA | $172,530 | $82.95 | 1.63 | 30 |
| Fresno CA | $163,380 | $78.55 | 1 | 50 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $162,380 | $78.07 | 0.63 | 110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $156,410 | $75.20 | 0.67 | 460 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $150,870 | $72.54 | 0.83 | 160 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $133,380 | $64.13 | 0.86 | 200 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $128,560 | $61.81 | 0.76 | 30 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $127,010 | $61.06 | 0.72 | 100 |
| New Haven CT | $125,980 | $60.57 | 1.08 | 30 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $125,340 | $60.26 | 0.9 | 940 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $123,450 | $59.35 | 0.97 | 290 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $118,110 | $56.78 | 0.56 | 100 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $115,230 | $55.40 | 0.9 | 60 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $113,670 | $54.65 | 0.86 | 30 |
| Worcester MA | $111,400 | $53.56 | 1.13 | 40 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $109,900 | $52.84 | 0.72 | 250 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $108,860 | $52.34 | 0.96 | 480 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $107,380 | $51.63 | 0.63 | 130 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $107,300 | $51.59 | 0.55 | 80 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $107,230 | $51.56 | 0.88 | 320 |
| Green Bay WI | $106,370 | $51.14 | 1.58 | 30 |
| Omaha NE-IA | $105,610 | $50.77 | 1.18 | 60 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $52,480 | $25.23 | 2.2 | 170 |
| Wichita KS | $64,610 | $31.06 | 2.55 | 90 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $65,110 | $31.30 | 1.72 | 70 |
| Knoxville TN | $82,620 | $39.72 | 1.3 | 60 |
| Montgomery AL | $82,620 | $39.72 | 1.89 | 30 |
| Chattanooga TN-GA | $82,770 | $39.79 | 1.44 | 40 |
| Pittsburgh PA | $82,830 | $39.82 | 1.01 | 120 |
| Fayetteville NC | $83,330 | $40.06 | 2.13 | 30 |
| Tallahassee FL | $83,360 | $40.08 | 1.66 | 30 |
| Huntsville AL | $83,390 | $40.09 | 1.28 | 40 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $91,950 | $44.21 | 3.59 | 130 |
| Port St. Lucie FL | $100,700 | $48.41 | 3.47 | 70 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL | $90,460 | $43.49 | 3.35 | 70 |
| Charleston WV | $86,780 | $41.72 | 3.04 | 30 |
| Wichita KS | $64,610 | $31.06 | 2.55 | 90 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $87,380 | $42.01 | 2.29 | 280 |
| Flint MI | $87,060 | $41.86 | 2.25 | 30 |
| Winston-Salem NC | $91,350 | $43.92 | 2.2 | 70 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $52,480 | $25.23 | 2.2 | 170 |
| Fayetteville NC | $83,330 | $40.06 | 2.13 | 30 |
| Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH | $95,470 | $45.90 | 2.03 | 30 |
| Gainesville FL | $97,470 | $46.86 | 1.93 | 30 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $125,340 | $60.26 | 0.9 | 940 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $108,860 | $52.34 | 0.96 | 480 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $156,410 | $75.20 | 0.67 | 460 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $102,460 | $49.26 | 1.29 | 410 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $99,810 | $47.99 | 1.29 | 400 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $100,130 | $48.14 | 1.23 | 320 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $107,230 | $51.56 | 0.88 | 320 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $103,900 | $49.95 | 0.98 | 310 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $98,160 | $47.19 | 1.44 | 300 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL | $101,120 | $48.62 | 1.82 | 290 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $123,450 | $59.35 | 0.97 | 290 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $87,380 | $42.01 | 2.29 | 280 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-2033. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 102 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 426 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.