Radiologic Technologists and Technicians in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$86,951
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$34,309
28.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$77,234
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
$121,260
Kept after tax
$86,951
Worth in national money
$77,234
State rank
1
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- California is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $121,260, which ranks 1 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 51.37% above the national middle.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 492 occupations California reports, this job comes in at 89 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $121,260 the take-home is $86,951. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $77,234 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is lower, $117,950, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- California ranks 1 of 51 states publishing a median for radiologic technologists and technicians, at $121,260 — about 51.37% 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.
- Radiologic technologists and technicians ranks 89 of 492 occupations by median in California, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $86,951 for radiologic technologists and technicians, from $121,260. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $77,234. ⚠️ 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 $117,950 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $70,210 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $121,260 |
| Top tenth earn over | $165,460 |
| This salary | $121,260 |
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 | $86,951 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $94,136 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$19,639 |
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 | $111,047 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$27,127 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in California earn less than $121,260. The published range is $70,210 up to $165,460, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $86,951 take-home in California comes from $121,260. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 89 of 492.
- Two cautions on $77,234, the adjusted value of that $121,260 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of California. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 89 of 492 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for radiologic technologists and technicians in California the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $70,210 to $165,460. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $86,951, from $121,260, assumes a single California filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 89 of 492 locally, and the state ranks 1 of 51 for it.
- This $77,234 adjusted figure, worked from $121,260, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 89 of 492 in the state. The occupation ranks 89 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $70,210 at the bottom tenth to $165,460 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $77,234 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; California then takes its own share, leaving $86,951.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($70,210) and the ninetieth ($165,460) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
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 $77,234 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 $86,951 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.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.