Nuclear Medicine Technologists in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$111,243
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$51,137
31.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$98,812
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$162,380
Kept after tax
$111,243
Worth in national money
$98,812
State rank
1
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- California is one of the better-paying states for nuclear medicine technologists. The middle earner takes $162,380, which ranks 1 of 49 states with published figures. That is about 60.19% above the national middle.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in California. It ranks 27 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $162,380 the take-home is $111,243. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $98,812 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $160,110, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- California ranks 1 of 49 states publishing a median for nuclear medicine technologists, at $162,380 — about 60.19% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Within California, nuclear medicine technologists ranks 27 of 492 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $111,243 for nuclear medicine technologists, from $162,380. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $98,812. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $160,110 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: Nuclear Medicine Technologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $122,760 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $162,380 |
| Top tenth earn over | $200,990 |
| This salary | $162,380 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in California | $111,243 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $122,253 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$26,995 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $146,273 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$38,379 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of nuclear medicine technologists in California earn under $162,380 and half over. The published range runs $122,760 at the tenth percentile to $200,990 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind California's $111,243, worked from $162,380. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 27 of 492.
- One number stands for prices across all of California, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $98,812, the adjusted value of that $162,380 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 27 of 492 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for nuclear medicine technologists in California, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $122,760 to $200,990; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The California take-home of $111,243, on $162,380 for work ranking 27 of 492 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 27 of 492 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for California, so $98,812 — the adjusted value of that $162,380 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 27 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $122,760 and the top tenth $200,990, so most people doing this work in California sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in California run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $98,812 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and California's own levy, $111,243 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($122,760 to $200,990) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to California rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $98,812 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $111,243 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.