- The BLS includes PET technologists with all nuclear medicine technologists in its salary figures. The average salary for PET technologists and other nuclear medicine technologists as of May 2009 was $32.91 per hour, or $68,450 per year. Those in the 25th to 75th percentile of the salary scale earned $57,640 to $79,630 per year.
- Florida had the largest concentration of nuclear medicine technologists by state in 2009. The average salary for PET technologists and other nuclear medicine techs in that state was $65,360 per year. Florida also had the top three metropolitan areas for nuclear medicine technologists per capita. Their average salary in Punta Gorda was $70,590 per year, in the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice area $64,910, and in Ocala $60,000.
- The highest-paying state for nuclear medicine technologists in 2009 was California, where the average salary was $41.63 per hour, or $86,590 per year. The top five highest-paying metro areas were all in California. Nuclear medicine technologists in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara region had an average salary of $45.59 per hour, or $94,830 per year. Those in the Oakland-Fremont-Hayward region were earning $94,220 on average, in the
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City region $93,380, in the
Sacramento-Arden Arcade-Roseville region$92,950 and in the
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine region $92,530. - California was not the only state where nuclear medicine technologists earned significantly higher pay than the nationwide average. In New Jersey, PET technologists and other nuclear medicine techs had an average salary of $80,520 per year, in Maryland $79,500, in Washington $79,340 and in Nevada $78,590.
- The largest number of nuclear medicine technologists work in general medical and surgical hospitals, earning $67,750 on average per year as of 2009. The highest-paying opportunity is with doctors' offices, where the average annual salary for nuclear medicine techs was $71,070.
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