BLS OEWS May 2025 · SOC 29-2034 · 20,900 CA workers · CDPH Radiologic Health Branch licensed
Radiologic Technologist Salary in California 2026, $121,260 Median | BLS Data by City
No state pays radiologic technologists anything like California does. The median here is more than fifty percent above the national figure, and the reason is a state-specific certification regime layered on top of health-system pay scales that other states simply do not have.
Updated July 2026 · BLS OEWS May 2025
Compiled by GlobalCybers Labor Market Research · Reviewed by Karen Osei, RN, BSN, Clinical Recruitment Lead · See methodology & sources →
CA Median
$121,260
$58.30/hr
vs National
+$41,150
51.4% above US median
CA P90
$165,460
$79.55/hr · top earners
CA Job Growth
+4.3%
2024–2034 · national BLS EP 2024–34
🤑A California radiologic technologist at the state median is in the upper-middle of a progressive income tax that reaches 13.3%, and pays the 1.3% SDI premium on all wages with no cap in 2026. Even so, the arithmetic here is unusually favourable: the state's premium over the national median is so large that the after-tax gap remains substantial against every other state, which is not true of most California healthcare occupations on this site.
Direct Answer
How much do radiologic technologists make in California in 2026?
California radiologic technologists earn a median $121,260 a year, or $58.30 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025, 51.4% above the national median of $80,110 — by far the largest state premium in diagnostic imaging. The range runs $70,210 to $165,460, and even the 25th percentile of $95,730 sits well above the national median. Vallejo pays the most at $160,380, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $154,850 and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $141,780. → Full radiologic technologist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $121,260 blends every experience level, apprentice through master. For pay by license level alone, see pay by level below.
Key takeaways
California radiologic technologists earn a median $121,260/yr ($58.30/hr) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-2034), 51.4% above the $80,110 national median; the state P10–P90 range is $70,210 to $165,460.
California's premium is the largest of any state in imaging: the state 25th percentile of $95,730 is already far above the national median for the occupation.
Vallejo at $160,380 and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $154,850 lead, and the next-best state, Massachusetts at $103,620, is not close — this is a California-specific market, not a coastal one.
California certifies radiologic technologists through the Department of Public Health rather than relying on ARRT registration alone, and it certifies fluoroscopy and mammography separately, which restricts supply and props up the premium.
California at a glance
Median salary$121,260
Median hourly$58.30
Range (P10–P90)$70,210–$165,460
Top-paying metroVallejo · $160,380
vs national51.4% above
State income tax9.3%
CA employment (BLS)20,900
Location quotient0.77× US concentration
Wage basisBLS OEWS May 2025, California
California Radiologic Technologist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
$70,210
P10
$95,730
P25
$121,260
Median
$137,770
P75
$165,460
P90
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025
Methodology & Sources
How the California radiologic technologist pay figures on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2034, California statewide estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them. OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation in California; it does not break pay out by credential or licence level.
Pay by level: the level and career-stage tables on this page distribute California's own published BLS pay range across the tiers employers actually hire at. They are GlobalCybers estimates aligned to published percentiles, not separate BLS publications.
Placement sample: GlobalCybers holds no California placement sample for this occupation, so this page shows published and percentile-aligned figures only — no placement-based median is claimed anywhere on it.
How to become a licensed radiologic technologist in California, step by step
1
Complete an approved radiography programme
Graduate from a radiography programme approved for California certification and accredited for ARRT examination eligibility.
2
Get ARRT registered and CDPH certified
Pass the ARRT examination and obtain the California radiologic technologist certificate from the Department of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch.
3
Add the fluoroscopy permit and cross-train into CT
Obtain the California fluoroscopy permit and cross-train into computed tomography, which is the fastest route toward the state 75th percentile of $137,770.
4
Go multi-modality or take a lead role
Add MRI or interventional capability, take call, or move into a lead or supervising technologist post, which is where the state 90th percentile of $165,460 sits.
CDPH License Levels
How much more does a CDPH licence earn you in California?
California licenses issued by CDPH Radiologic Health Branch (California Department of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch). Each level's median pay in California markets.
CDPH License
CA Pay Range
CA Median
Key Note
Newly certified radiologic technologist
$65K–$96K
$70,210
Around the state 10th percentile. First certified year in general radiography, often per-diem or on nights while building modality experience.
Staff radiologic technologist
$96K–$138K
$121,260
The California median. Full-time general radiography or a single advanced modality in a hospital or imaging centre, on a health-system step scale.
Advanced modality technologist
$131K–$165K
$137,770
The state 75th percentile. CT, MRI, interventional or cardiac catheterisation lab work, usually with call responsibilities and the differentials that come with them.
Lead technologist or multi-modality specialist
$159K–$202K
$165,460
The state 90th percentile. Lead and supervising technologists, multi-modality specialists, and travel or per-diem contracts priced against California's supply shortage.
Beyond Base Pay
What's a California radiologic technologist's total compensation, not just base wage?
BLS and verified-placement medians above are base wage only. Total comp for a CA radiologic technologist typically adds the following on top.
California Radiologic Technologist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
How much do radiologic technologists make in California?
California radiologic technologists earn a median $121,260 a year, $58.30 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half earns between $95,730 and $137,770, and the full range is $70,210 to $165,460. That places even entry-level California technologists above the national median for the occupation.
Which California city pays radiologic technologists the most?
Vallejo pays the most at $160,380, then San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $154,850, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $141,780, Santa Rosa-Petaluma at $137,530 and Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom at $135,880. The northern California health systems dominate the table, and their step scales rather than local living costs set these figures.
How do I get certified in California?
California requires a state certificate issued by the Department of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch, in addition to the ARRT registry most states rely on. You complete an approved programme, pass the ARRT examination, and apply for the California radiologic technologist certificate; fluoroscopy and mammography carry separate California permits with their own requirements.
Why do California rad techs earn so much more than elsewhere?
Three reinforcing reasons. California operates its own certification regime on top of the national registry, which slows the inflow of technologists from other states. Programme capacity in the state is limited relative to demand. And the large integrated health systems that employ most California technologists pay on step scales with night, weekend and call differentials rather than a market clearing rate. Nothing about the clinical work is different.
Which modality should a California technologist add first?
Computed tomography, in almost every case: it has the widest demand across hospital and outpatient settings, the shortest cross-training path from general radiography, and it opens call and night differentials that add materially to annual earnings. MRI and interventional work pay comparably but have narrower entry points.
Is the California premium sustainable?
The structural parts of it are. The separate state certificate and the limited programme capacity are policy and infrastructure facts, not cyclical ones, and neither is changing quickly. What could compress the premium is a sustained expansion of California training programmes or a move toward recognising out-of-state registration more freely, neither of which is currently in prospect.
What does the state 90th percentile represent in practice?
Lead and supervising technologists in large health systems, multi-modality specialists who can cover CT, MRI and interventional call, and technologists working travel or premium per-diem contracts. Call pay and differentials make up a substantial part of that figure, so the gap between the 75th and 90th percentiles is partly a schedule choice rather than a promotion.
How should someone outside California read this page?
Carefully, and with the licence timeline in mind. The pay is real, but so is the delay: obtaining the California certificate and any fluoroscopy permit before you can work takes time that a technologist moving between most other states does not face. Factor several months of process into any relocation arithmetic based on these figures.
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Outlook & openings: BLS projects 4.3% national growth for radiologic technologists through 2034, and California's share of national employment works out to roughly 1,170 openings a year, pro-rated from the national average annual openings figure. California's own constraint is supply rather than demand: the state's separate certification pathway and limited programme capacity mean imaging departments compete for a small pool, which is why cross-training into CT, MRI and interventional work is so heavily subsidised by employers here.
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