X-ray technician in Texas see lower-than-average salaries.
No one would call an X-ray technician a magician or superhero, but people in the profession are able to do something most cannot -- look inside the human body. X-ray technicians, or as they are more formally called, radiologic technicians, make use of machinery and special films to take pictures of the body from the inside out. In Texas, radiologic technicians earned salaries slightly below the national average for the profession.
Facts
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 wages survey established the national average salary for the X-ray technology field as $54,180 per year. For X-ray techs in the Lone Star State, salaries statewide fell just below the national average, at $52,320, a difference of $1,860 per year.
Range
Not all of Texas' 14,680 radiologic technicians earned salaries under their countrywide counterparts. In Texas' highest earning 90th percentile, salaries reached $71,560 for the highest-paid X-ray technicians. At the bottom end of the scale, the lowest-paid X-ray technicians in Texas earned salaries in the 10th percentile averaging $35,500 per year.
Considerations
Texas seeking salaries in the X-ray technician field begin their path to employment with post-secondary education. The Joint Review Commission on Education in Radiologic Technology accredits hundreds of schools offering associate degrees and bachelor's degrees in the field. Texas is home to more than 30 accredited institutions, including The University of Texas, Paris Junior College, San Jacinto College Central, Tyler Junior College, Midwestern State University and Weatherford College.
Outlook
The BLS foresees growth of 17 percent in the radiologic technician field, expecting 37,000 jobs to be added through 2018. The BLS attributes the increased demand for X-ray techs to heightened use of medical imaging technology.
