Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-2035

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

Median pay sits 72% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Pediatric Surgeons, Physicians, All Other, Radiologists, Emergency Medicine Physicians).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Physicians, All Other ($266K) , Radiologists ($421K) , Emergency Medicine Physicians ($336K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2035 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Review physicians' orders to confirm prescribed exams
  2. 2. Conduct screening interviews of patients to identify contraindications, such as ferrous objects, pregnancy, prosthetic heart valves, card…
  3. 3. Select appropriate imaging techniques or coils to produce required images
  4. 4. Operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners
  5. 5. Provide headphones or earplugs to patients to improve comfort and reduce unpleasant noise
  6. 6. Place and secure small, portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners on body part to be imaged, such as arm, leg, or head
  7. 7. Position patients on cradle, attaching immobilization devices, if needed, to ensure appropriate placement for imaging
  8. 8. Take brief medical histories from patients
  9. 9. Inspect images for quality, using magnetic resonance scanner equipment and laser camera
  10. 10. Intravenously inject contrast dyes, such as gadolinium contrast, in accordance with scope of practice
  11. 11. Test magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to ensure proper functioning and performance in accordance with specifications
  12. 12. Create backup copies of images by transferring images from disk to storage media or workstation

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2035 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.8
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.8
  4. 4. Speaking 3.6
  5. 5. Operations Monitoring 3.6
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.4
  7. 7. Operation and Control 3.3
  8. 8. Writing 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.2
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Physics 4.0
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.6
  5. 5. Medicine and Dentistry 3.5
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 3.5
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-72%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $95,480/yr
$95K
National median
↑ +7%
Growth 2024-2034
2,600
Annual openings
43,390
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

1. California $124,000
2. Hawaii $119,370
3. Alaska $120,610
4. Oregon $121,920
5. New Hampshire $105,420
6. Connecticut $106,330
7. Massachusetts $110,600
8. District of Columbia $128,710
9. New York $113,270
10. Washington $122,750

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Physicians, All Other $265,930
  2. 2. Radiologists $420,860
  3. 3. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  4. 4. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  5. 5. Cardiologists $496,010
  6. 6. Surgeons, All Other $414,010

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists sits 72% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $95,480.

Employment Projections expect +7% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $124,000. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists pay-rank #43 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists sits at pay-rank #43 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 29-2035 · national median $95,480 · middle third of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (#43/71). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2035

California · top state for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

$124K published median

Hawaii · #2 state pay

$119K · behind California

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists · $559K

Physicians, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists · $266K

Compare Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

Against another occupation

Pediatric Surgeons card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists mid-table among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #43 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Audiologists ($96K), Diagnostic Medical Sonographers ($97K), Registered Nurses ($98K), Speech-Language Pathologists ($98K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do magnetic resonance imaging technologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists. Leading ones include: Review physicians' orders to confirm prescribed exams; Conduct screening interviews of patients to identify contraindications, such as ferrous objects, pregnancy, prosthetic heart valves, card…; Select appropriate imaging techniques or coils to produce required images; Operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for magnetic resonance imaging technologists? ▼
For SOC 29-2035, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.8), Monitoring (3.8), Speaking (3.6). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Physics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $95,480 as the national median for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists. The published 10th-90th range is $68,890 to $127,670. Beside Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists is +7%. Projected annual openings: about 2,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists? ▼
California ($124,000), Hawaii ($119,370), Alaska ($120,610) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2035. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics