A radiologic technologist in Vallejo has a median wage of $160,380. In Ponce the median is $30,850. That is a 5.2-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.
Ten per cent of radiologic technologists earn below $55,980 and ten per cent above $118,660 — a 2.12× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 48%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
10 of the ten best-paying metros for radiologic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo CA | $160,380 | $77.10 | 1.27 | 270 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $154,850 | $74.45 | 0.59 | 1,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $141,780 | $68.17 | 0.81 | 2,850 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $137,530 | $66.12 | 0.67 | 200 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $135,880 | $65.33 | 0.85 | 1,360 |
| Redding CA | $129,960 | $62.48 | 0.84 | 90 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $129,920 | $62.46 | 0.75 | 110 |
| Modesto CA | $129,030 | $62.04 | 1.27 | 370 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $128,480 | $61.77 | 0.65 | 280 |
| Napa CA | $128,170 | $61.62 | 0.37 | 40 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $124,980 | $60.09 | 0.75 | 120 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $113,480 | $54.56 | 0.78 | 1,770 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $110,770 | $53.26 | 0.83 | 250 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $108,540 | $52.19 | 0.89 | 80 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $108,030 | $51.94 | 0.69 | 6,450 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $107,650 | $51.75 | 0.81 | 390 |
| Fresno CA | $107,350 | $51.61 | 1.07 | 760 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $106,270 | $51.09 | 0.81 | 140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $105,200 | $50.58 | 0.69 | 2,130 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $105,190 | $50.57 | 0.84 | 2,140 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $104,810 | $50.39 | 0.85 | 1,520 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $104,590 | $50.28 | 1.02 | 4,100 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $103,670 | $49.84 | 0.46 | 80 |
| Kingston NY | $103,480 | $49.75 | 1.02 | 90 |
| Bend OR | $103,350 | $49.69 | 0.94 | 150 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $30,850 | $14.83 | 1.31 | 120 |
| Mayaguez PR | $31,220 | $15.01 | 1.53 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $31,410 | $15.10 | 0.75 | 50 |
| Arecibo PR | $32,360 | $15.56 | 1.19 | 60 |
| Guayama PR | $34,530 | $16.60 | 1.65 | 30 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $37,300 | $17.93 | 0.87 | 890 |
| Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $50,400 | $24.23 | 0.99 | 120 |
| Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area | $51,240 | $24.63 | 1.72 | 310 |
| Hattiesburg MS | $52,090 | $25.04 | 2.43 | 220 |
| Dothan AL | $52,230 | $25.11 | 1.82 | 160 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester MN | $80,330 | $38.62 | 3.98 | 720 |
| Morgantown WV | $75,390 | $36.24 | 3.64 | 360 |
| Enid OK | $79,840 | $38.38 | 2.81 | 100 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines NC | $64,700 | $31.11 | 2.67 | 170 |
| Sebring FL | $67,420 | $32.41 | 2.55 | 110 |
| Rome GA | $66,700 | $32.07 | 2.54 | 170 |
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $62,890 | $30.24 | 2.46 | 340 |
| Hattiesburg MS | $52,090 | $25.04 | 2.43 | 220 |
| Idaho Falls ID | $81,910 | $39.38 | 2.12 | 260 |
| Charleston WV | $79,570 | $38.26 | 2.11 | 320 |
| Ann Arbor MI | $80,450 | $38.68 | 2.1 | 680 |
| Greenville NC | $65,750 | $31.61 | 2.04 | 240 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $102,730 | $49.39 | 0.9 | 12,700 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $108,030 | $51.94 | 0.69 | 6,450 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $82,140 | $39.49 | 0.84 | 5,650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $83,140 | $39.97 | 0.91 | 5,470 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $80,780 | $38.84 | 1.02 | 5,000 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $78,890 | $37.93 | 1.11 | 4,630 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $80,190 | $38.55 | 0.96 | 4,130 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $104,590 | $50.28 | 1.02 | 4,100 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $80,710 | $38.80 | 0.93 | 3,990 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $94,820 | $45.59 | 0.98 | 3,460 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $97,390 | $46.82 | 0.68 | 3,170 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $77,530 | $37.27 | 1.12 | 3,150 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 29-2034. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 484 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.