Measurements of employer-reported wages, surveyed physician compensation, or offers made to recruits each yield an extremely different picture of a radiologist salary. According to averages for 2025 on pages 4- 9 of its October 2023 report, average radiology compensation in the U.S. is $609,684 (Doximity). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), radiologists earned a median annual wage of $420,860 in May 2025; however, a 2025 report on physician recruiting states that the average starting offer for radiology was set at $500,000. These numbers address distinct questions and do not assure how much any one doctor will earn.
Here is what they mean, how to calculate useful pay equivalents, and why you buy into a salary without losing sight of hours, bonuses, or career costs.
Radiologist salary at a glance
| Benchmark | Amount | Meaning |
| Doximity, 2026 report | $609,684 | Average radiology compensation for 2025 among surveyed full-time physicians |
| BLS, May 2025 | $420,860 | Median annual occupational wage |
| BLS, May 2025 | $381,530 | Mean annual occupational wage |
| AMN Healthcare, 2025 report | $500,000 | Average starting salary offered in its radiologist recruitment sample |
| Doximity interventional radiology | $634,658 | Average 2025 compensation for that specialty |
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Sources: Doximity, BLS and AMN Healthcare.
The numbers reflect different samples and definitions. Doximity’s 2026 analysis drew on nearly 23,000 physician compensation surveys completed during 2025 and restricts its compensation survey to full-time physicians practicing at least 40 hours weekly. BLS uses occupational employment and wage surveys of employers; its estimates do not capture self-employed physicians in the same way. AMN reports offers from recruitment engagements, not what all newly qualified doctors actually receive. The most reliable benchmark depends on the question you are asking.
What is the average radiologist salary in the United States?
The Doximity average of $609,684 is a useful physician-compensation benchmark, but it should not be presented as the typical guaranteed base salary. Compensation can combine fixed pay and other earnings, and a survey average can be influenced by the doctors and practices participating.
The BLS median, $420,860, answers a different question: half the radiologists in its wage distribution earned above that midpoint and half below it. Its mean of $381,530 is lower than its median; this is mathematically possible when lower observations pull down the average. It does not mean that the federal data are incorrect or that the Doximity figure must be discarded.
For a practical comparison, use the BLS median to understand employer-reported wages, the Doximity average for a broader physician-survey perspective, and actual written offers to assess a particular job. Never blend the three into an invented nationwide salary range.
Radiologist or radiologic technologist: check the job title
A radiologist is a physician who interprets medical images and may perform procedures. Radiologic technologists generally acquire the images. The BLS reports a May 2025 median of $80,110 for radiologic technologists and technicians. That number does not describe physician earnings. Searching for the wrong job title can produce a dramatically misleading pay comparison.
Radiologist salary per year, month,h and hour
The following conversions use the Doximity annual average as an illustration, not a contractual wage schedule.
| Period | Gross equivalent |
| Annual | $609,684 |
| Monthly, divided by 12 | $50,807 |
| Biweekly, divided by 26 | $23,449 |
| Weekly, divided by 52 | $11,725 |
| Hourly, divided by 2,080 | $293.12 |
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These figures exclude taxes and assume 52 weeks of 40 hours, which may not reflect a physician’s actual work or time off. BLS separately reports a mean hourly wage of $183.43 and a median hourly wage of $202.34 in its May 2025 data. Those are federal estimates; $293.12 is only an arithmetic conversion of Doximity’s annual number.
Calculate pay for your actual schedule.
A $600,000 package divided by 2,000 working hours equals $300 per hour. If the same package requires 2,500 hours, the effective figure drops to $240. Both calculations describe gross compensation, not take-home pay. Include reading shifts, procedures, meetings, call coverage, and other required duties when estimating hours. An advertised high annual figure is less informative without a workable schedule.
Entry-level radiologist salary: starting offers versus residency pay
AMN Healthcare’s August 2025 recruitment report gives radiologists an average starting salary offer of $500,000. Its underlying review covers recruitment engagements from April 2024 through March 2025. This is an offer-based benchmark, not a national estimate exclusively for first-year physicians; the recruited doctors may have different levels of experience.
AMN published a newer review on September 16, 2026. It reports $419,000 as the average physician starting salary across specialties and uses 1,293 permanent physician and advanced-practitioner recruiting engagements. Its public summary does not provide a verified radiologist-specific starting amount, so the 2025 radiology figure remains the explicitly dated specialty benchmark here. Do not replace it with the newer all-physician average.
Resident pay is a separate category. Residents are physicians still completing supervised specialty training and generally receive institution-defined stipends rather than attending compensation. A radiology fellowship may also delay the transition to an attending position. Compare a genuine first-year attending contract against similar first-year roles, and ask whether the quoted amount includes a sign-on payment, a temporary income guarantee or a productivity bonus.
Diagnostic radiologist salary versus interventional radiology
Diagnostic radiologists interpret imaging examinations such as CT, MRI, ultrasound and radiographs and advise clinicians about findings and further investigation. Interventional radiologists also carry out image-guided procedures and often have direct patient-care, procedural and emergency-cover responsibilities.
Doximity’s 2026 survey reports $609,684 for its broad radiology category and $634,658 for interventional radiology. The reported difference is $24,974, approximately 4.1% of the broader figure. Radiology reporting has described the former figure as diagnostic radiology, but the publicly displayed Doximity table labels it simply “Radiology.” Therefore, readers should not treat this as a perfectly matched, exclusive comparison of two nonoverlapping groups.
Specialty choice also changes the work itself. Review procedure volume, complications coverage, patient consultations, after-hours duties, and case mix. A compensation difference alone cannot establish which role produces the better hourly return or employment experience.
Radiologist salary by state: how to compare locations accurately
Geography matters, yet an attractive state-level average can hide major differences between cities, employers, and individual practice groups. A statewide median cannot tell you the offer available at a specific hospital. Conversely, a metropolitan compensation table covering all physicians cannot be relabeled as radiology-specific data.
Use the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics database to select occupation 29-1224, Radiologists, then compare states or metropolitan areas using the same release and the same measure. Check whether an estimate is available: suppressed or missing data do not imply a zero salary. Geographic pay information should be considered alongside current job listings and actual recruiter conversations.
A location comparison that goes beyond gross pay
For each offer, record its guaranteed compensation, realistic incentive payout, required annual hours, housing expenses, taxes, relocation costs, and call schedule. Examine whether the employer provides malpractice coverage and whether you may face tail-insurance obligations. Do not simply label one state the highest paying on the basis of a broad national survey or an unverified salary website.
Doximity publishes metropolitan pay comparisons across physician specialties, but its general metro figures cannot establish how much radiologists earn in each city. Treat citywide physician data as context, not a substitute for specialty-specific evidence.
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Seven factors that shape radiologist compensation
1. Practice ownership and employment model
An employed physician may receive a guaranteed salary plus bonuses and benefits. Partners may receive distributions linked to practice performance but can assume business expenses, buy-in requirements, and financial risk. Compare money available to the doctor after relevant business obligations, rather than treating gross practice revenue as personal income.
2. Workload and productivity
Some agreements use work relative value units, or wRVUs, to measure billed professional work. A bonus may start only after a threshold and depend on a conversion rate. Request examples showing how the formula performs at realistic volumes, and ask who handles disputed counts or changes in billing rules.
3. Nights, weekends,s and call
Emergency imaging and procedural services may require irregular schedules. Higher compensation can reflect burdensome night shifts or frequent call. Ask for the actual roster, backup arrangements, and whether extra shifts are paid separately.
4. Fellowship and subspecialty expertise
Training in neuroradiology, breast imaging, musculoskeletal imaging, ng or other areas can influence hiring and job responsibilities. It does not guarantee a salary premium everywhere. Compare positions that genuinely require similar expertise.
5. Academic versus community practice
Academic jobs may include teaching, research, and administrative time; community roles may use different productivity expectations. Published physician-wide practice-setting averages are not a substitute for comparing individual radiology contracts.
6. Remote and teleradiology work
Remote reporting may change geography and scheduling, but compensation depends on case volume, shift timing, equipment support, licensure, employment status, and whether benefits are included. Independent-contractor rates should not be compared directly with employee pay without considering taxes, insurance and uncompensated work.
7. Contract design and benefits
Base salary, bonus guarantees, retirement contributions, paid leave, health and disability coverage, malpractice protection and continuing education support all contribute to the package. A signing bonus may require repayment if you leave early. Read the conditions, not just the headline amount.
How to compare two radiologist job offers
Consider two entirely hypothetical offers; these are examples, not reported market rates.
| Component | Offer A | Offer B |
| Guaranteed base | $525,000 | $495,000 |
| Conditional bonus | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Employer retirement contribution | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Maximum illustrated package | $565,000 | $570,000 |
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Offer B appears larger only if its bonus is actually earned. Ask about historical achievement of productivity targets, guaranteed periods, and whether retirement contributions are subject to vesting. Next, calculate guaranteed annual compensation per expected working hour for each. Finally, assess how call, leave, and contract exit terms differ. The best financial comparison is a consistent, written breakdown, not a promised maximum.
Before accepting a contract, ask for a sample incentive calculation, explicit shift expectations, malpractice and tail terms, paid-time-off provisions, partnership terms where relevant, and the date of the next compensation review. For legal or tax implications, use appropriately qualified professionals rather than treating a general salary article as individualized advice.
Training requirements and career outlook
A typical U.S. route involves approximately four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, one qualifying clinical year, and four years of diagnostic radiology residency: about 13 years in total. A fellowship can add training. The American Board of Radiology outlines the clinical-year and residency requirements for its diagnostic certification pathway; alternative and interventional pathways have their own details.
Long training changes the financial equation. Tuition, student debt, residency earnings, delayed saving, ing and later attending compensation should all factor into career planning. The BLS projects radiologist employment to grow about 3% from 2025 to 2035, from approximately 28,700 to 29,600 positions. That is an employment projection, not a promise of higher salaries or a guarantee of openings in every city.
Artificial intelligence is affecting imaging workflows, but claims about a precise future salary increase or decrease would be speculative. Evaluate current employer expectations, clinical quality requirements,s and actual contract terms instead of basing a career decision on technology predictions.
Frequently asked questions
What Will The Average Radiologist Salary Be In 2026?
Back in Doximity’s 2026 report, the average pay for 2025 tipped at $609,684. Then the May 2025 mean wage from BLS is $381,530. Neither is wrong with respect to its own different samples and definitions.
What is the median yearly pay?
#6: BLS claims May 2025 = $420860. Not to be confused with Doximity average compensation: A median means half the needed wage observations are higher and half lower.
How much does a radiologist earn per hour?
BLS puts it at a $183.43 mean and a median of a whopping $202.34 an hour; Doximity’s annual average divided over 2,080 amounts to about $293.12, but that number is merely a hypothetical equivalent as an hourly rate with no basis of measure applied.
What do you make starting as a radiologist?
Average radiologist starting offers $500k, AMN’s 2025 recruitment review. It gauges recruitment offers (and the amount of associated sign-on bonuses and compensation), and when it comes to newly qualified docs, some get more than others.
Do interventional radiologists earn more?
Doximity reported $634,658 compared with $609,684 for pure-play radiology in its overall category assignments. Neither does the difference identify all employers nor give a precise comparison with an exclusively diagnostic sample.
What is the state with the highest pay for radiologists?
As such, the response varies based on the measure (e.g. Check same year BLS radiologist estimates, then cross-check regional offers & living costs rather than following a lone state ranking with zero proper methodology underlying it.
Find out how radiologists can earn $700,000 a year.
While some standalone packages can pay over national averages, $700,000 is not a projected or routine salary. Make sure you check if any claimed number is guaranteed, contingent, or from ownership splits.
Is Being In Private Practice Always More Profitable?
No universal rule applies. Distributions have to be balanced against buy-ins, expenses/benefits/workload risk. The employed contract might offer a different tradeoff for compensation and obligations.
What is the difference between a radiologist and a radiologic technologist?
The interpreting physician is the radiologist; the technologist typically operates imaging equipment, including acquiring studies. The data on their training and wages pertain to different professions.
When Do You Qualify?
The standard education pathway to diagnostic radiology consists of approximately 13 years of undergraduate and medical school, as well as clinical training and residency. Some additional fellowships can widen this road.
