Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-2033

Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Median pay sits 70% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Pediatric Surgeons, Psychiatrists, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Anesthesiologists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Nuclear Medicine Technologists: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , Psychiatrists ($282K) , Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ($352K) , Anesthesiologists ($391K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Nuclear Medicine Technologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2033 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of…
  2. 2. Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images
  3. 3. Process cardiac function studies, using computer
  4. 4. Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physic…
  5. 5. Record and process results of procedures
  6. 6. Produce a computer-generated or film image for interpretation by a physician
  7. 7. Prepare stock radiopharmaceuticals, adhering to safety standards that minimize radiation exposure to workers and patients
  8. 8. Explain test procedures and safety precautions to patients and provide them with assistance during test procedures
  9. 9. Perform quality control checks on laboratory equipment or cameras
  10. 10. Dispose of radioactive materials and store radiopharmaceuticals, following radiation safety procedures
  11. 11. Gather information on patients' illnesses and medical history to guide the choice of diagnostic procedures for therapy
  12. 12. Maintain and calibrate radioisotope and laboratory equipment

Nuclear Medicine Technologists: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2033 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.9
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.8
  3. 3. Speaking 3.8
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.5
  5. 5. Writing 3.5
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.5
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.4
  8. 8. Science 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.7
  2. 2. Biology 4.0
  3. 3. English Language 3.9
  4. 4. Physics 3.9
  5. 5. Medicine and Dentistry 3.8
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.8
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-70%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $101,370/yr
$101K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
900
Annual openings
17,080
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Nuclear Medicine Technologists

1. Washington $126,200
2. Massachusetts $118,250
3. Oregon $122,100
4. District of Columbia $116,630
5. California $162,380
6. New York $118,650
7. New Jersey $124,280
8. Connecticut $117,150
9. Colorado $116,990
10. Hawaii $125,650

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons $352,220
  2. 2. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  3. 3. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  4. 4. Surgeons, All Other $414,010
  5. 5. Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
  6. 6. Psychiatrists $281,870

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Nuclear Medicine Technologists sits 70% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $101,370.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. 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: Washington at $126,200. 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.

Nuclear Medicine Technologists pay-rank #35 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Nuclear Medicine Technologists sits at pay-rank #35 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 29-2033 · national median $101,370 · middle third of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (#35/71). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Nuclear Medicine Technologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2033

Washington · top state for Nuclear Medicine Technologists

$126K published median

Massachusetts · #2 state pay

$118K · behind Washington

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Nuclear Medicine Technologists · $559K

Psychiatrists

Lower-pay peer beside Nuclear Medicine Technologists · $282K

Compare Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Nuclear Medicine Technologists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Nuclear Medicine Technologists

Against another occupation

Pediatric Surgeons card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nuclear Medicine Technologists mid-table among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #35 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Occupational Therapists ($100K), Genetic Counselors ($100K), Physical Therapists ($103K), Dental Hygienists ($98K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do nuclear medicine technologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Nuclear Medicine Technologists. Leading ones include: Administer radiopharmaceuticals or radiation intravenously to detect or treat diseases, using radioisotope equipment, under direction of…; Detect and map radiopharmaceuticals in patients' bodies, using a camera to produce photographic or computer images; Process cardiac function studies, using computer; Calculate, measure, and record radiation dosage or radiopharmaceuticals received, used, and disposed, using computer and following physic…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for nuclear medicine technologists? ▼
For SOC 29-2033, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.9), Active Listening (3.8), Speaking (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Biology, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Nuclear Medicine Technologists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $101,370 as the national median for Nuclear Medicine Technologists. The published 10th-90th range is $78,080 to $134,500. Beside Pediatric Surgeons ($559,030), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Nuclear Medicine Technologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Nuclear Medicine Technologists is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Nuclear Medicine Technologists? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Nuclear Medicine Technologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Nuclear Medicine Technologists? ▼
Washington ($126,200), Massachusetts ($118,250), Oregon ($122,100) 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 Nuclear Medicine Technologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2033. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Nuclear Medicine 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