Radiology Technician Salary: Is It Enough to Cover Your Expenses?
How much do you think a radio technician earns? If you do not have any idea how much they earn and you want to know how much is the radiology technician salary, then this article will be a lot of help.
There are many possible reasons why a person wants to know how much a certain profession will give you. First, the individual might be interested in that profession and he might just want to check whether its pay is sufficient for his daily expenses. Another reason is that the person might just conducting a research. There are still more reasons that we can no longer enumerate. Whatever the reason is, this article will tell you how much a radio technician earns.
What Is a Radio Technician?
Before we discuss about the radio technician salary, it is important to know what a radio technician is and what does a radio technician do.
A radio technician is someone who is assigned for the maintenance and repair of radio equipment. When we say radio equipment, it does not mean that radio that we use to listen to music. It is the equipment that offers wireless transmission signals with the use of electromagnetic radiation of a frequency from 30 KHz to 300 GHz.
Aside from being responsible for the radio equipment’s maintenance and repair, a radio technician is also responsible for receiving and even transmitting communication. Another term for a radio technician is radio operator. Radio technicians are usually working at a hospital since it is considered to be a medical profession.
The Radio Technician Salary
There are people who are really curious about how much a radio technician earns. Well, a radio technician salary is good enough to support a person’s daily expense. In the year 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducted a study on how much each profession earns. They found out that the average annual salary for a radio technician is $54,340. The median salary of a radio technician per hour reaches up to $26.13.
National Average Radiology Technologist Salary
$56,760
Salary Range
Hourly Wage Annual Wage
Upper: $37.71 $78,440
Median: $26.54 $55,200
Lower: $18.06 $37,570
States With Highest Salary
State Avg. Hourly Wage Avg. Annual Wage
- California $34.63 $72,030
- Alaska $33.14 $68,920
- Massachusetts $33.12 $68,890
- District of Columbia $32.76 $68,130
- Rhode Island $32.63 $67,860
*All statistical data is from the U.S. Department of Labor and is updated quarterly
Some people might think that it is relatively small for a medical profession. The truth is that the radio technician salary is not bad at all. Remember that becoming a radio technician won’t take too much time. Compared to other medical professions, it is easier to become a radio technician as it won’t take too much time and it won’t need too much money – because the course for radio technicians is much cheaper compared to other medical courses.
Another thing to remember is that the figure shown above is only the average salary that a radio technician makes. The salary can still go higher or lower depending on certain factors. Some factors that can affect the rise and fall of their salary are experience, working hours, working tasks and even working environment. Some technicians earn as much as $300,000 per year while others earn as low as $36,510 annually.
How to Become a Radio Technician?
If you think radio technician salary is enough for you to live the kind of life that you want, then why not become a radio technician? Contrary to what some people think, it is not that difficult to become one. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (US BLS), there is no standard education required to become a radio technician. In fact, entry levels are accepted for this position. You will learn how to do the job as you take the position. There are also certificates for becoming a technician. However, these certificates are not required to land a job.
Though there is no education standard required, it is recommended for a person to have the skills needed to become a technician. One must have skills or slight knowledge with electronic assembly or repair. For a position that does not require education standard, the radio technician salary is definitely a good pay.
Alternate Career Options
If you are not satisfied with the radio technician salary and you want more than how a technician earns but still want to be in the medical field, then there are a lot of alternate career options for you. You can study and become a nurse, medical technologist or even a doctor.
On the other hand, if you just don’t enjoy becoming a radio technician but do not want to go to school for further studies, you might want to become a broadcast and sound engineering technician. If you still do not find it interesting, you might also want to try becoming an electrical and electronics engineering technician.