How Much Does an Xray Technician Make in South Carolina?

X-ray technicians make good money working x-ray machines.

The field of radiology has a few specialties, but every radiologist must know how to operate an x-ray machine for diagnostic imaging of a patient's bone structure. X-ray technicians are generalists and the entry-level position for this profession, yet they still make very good average salaries in South Carolina and throughout the United States.

South Carolina Average

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists x-ray technicians as belonging to the "radiologic technologists and technicians" classification in their Occupational Employment Statistics 2010-2011 Handbook. As of May 2009, x-ray technicians in South Carolina made an average or mean annual salary of $50,470. This breaks down to a mean hourly rate of $24.26.

South Carolina Metro Comparisons

Like in any other profession and state, salaries for x-ray technicians in South Carolina are different by metro area. The combined metro listed by BLS of Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord paid x-ray technicians 8.8 percent more than the state average with a mean salary of $54,890 per year. Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville combined metropolitan area made a little less than the state average at a mean of $49,220 annually. Sumter came in with a mean salary of $34,180 per year, 32.3 percent less than the South Carolina state average.

State Comparisons

State average wages for x-ray technicians varied as well in May 2009. Kentucky was one of the most densely populated state for x-ray technicians and paid a mean salary of $45,840 annually. The Washington D.C. metro x-ray tech earned a mean $63,270 per year, much higher than South Carolina's average salary of $50,470. Nevada was the second highest paying state average with a mean of $66,420 per year, nearly one third more at a 31.6 percent increase over South Carolina's average.

National Average Comparison

The average x-ray technician in the United States made $54,180 per year or $26.05 per hour according to the Occupational Employment Statistics website. That is 7.4 percent more than South Carolina's mean of $50,470 per year, placing South Carolina in the upper end of the 25th to 50th percentile range of American x-ray tech salaries.

References

• OES; May 2009 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; South Carolina
• OES; May 2009 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC
• OES; May 2009 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Sumter, SC
• OES; May 2009 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC
• OES; Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2009; 29-2034 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians