Is Radiology a Good Career in 2026?
Diagnosing disease and guiding treatment through medical imaging technology.
Based on 113 approved physician salary reports + BLS employment projections
SalaryDr Career Intelligence
Based on 113 approved physician salary reports + BLS employment projections
Score Breakdown
Demand score powered by BLS Employment Projections (2024-2034): 2.7% projected growth (slower than average)
What the scores mean
Median $480K with IR pushing well above $600K -- the diagnostic-to-interventional gap is widening every year.
High among subspecialists who feel intellectually challenged; lower among nighthawk generalists grinding volume.
BLS projects 6% growth, but subspecialty demand is growing 2-3x faster than general diagnostic positions.
Over 80% would choose again, one of the highest rates -- the AI scare actually clarified the specialty's value.
Diagnostic radiology offers the best schedule-to-pay ratio in medicine; IR trades some of that for procedural income.
Five-year residency (or 4+1 for IR) with $480K+ median makes the per-training-year ROI among the best in medicine.
AI was supposed to eliminate radiologists by 2025 -- instead, it made subspecialty expertise more valuable by automating the commodity reads that commoditized the field in the first place.
Teleradiology has dissolved geographic barriers: a neuroradiologist in Montana can read for three academic centers simultaneously, but the same technology lets Indian radiologists compete for overnight reads at 1/3 the cost.
Interventional radiology now commands a 40-60% premium over diagnostic peers, making it effectively a different specialty financially despite sharing a residency pipeline.
Radiology Compensation & Earnings
Radiology Compensation
$585,000
$520,000 – $650,000(P25–P75)
Radiology Salary Progression
From medical school to senior attending — based on 113 approved salary reports
39 submissions
2 submissions
38 submissions
61 submissions
14 submissions
+12% salary growth from early career ($525,000) to mid-career ($590,000)
Best States for Radiologists (After Tax)
Teleradiology means the highest-paying job may not require relocating -- but on-site subspecialists still command a 15-20% premium over remote readers.
| State | Median Salary | After-Tax Income | Demand Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $1,200,000(4) | $1,200,000 | Very High(2,160 jobs) |
| Nebraska | $1,200,000(2) | $1,135,200 | Low(160 jobs) |
| Minnesota | $1,205,000(3) | $1,106,190 | Low(450 jobs) |
| Wisconsin | $850,000(2) | $790,500 | Moderate(690 jobs) |
| Michigan | $800,000(2) | $766,000 | Low(340 jobs) |
Estimate Your Take-Home
Based on median Radiology salary of $585K/yr
Select a state to see your estimated take-home pay
Take-Home Pay by State
How much a Radiology physician actually keeps after federal, state, and FICA taxes
Highest Take-Home States
Lowest Take-Home States
Tax impact: A Radiology physician keeps $321,346 more per year in Alaska vs. Maryland — a 54.9% difference on gross income of $585,000.
Assumes single filer, standard deduction, W-2 employment. State rates from Tax Foundation 2025. Gross salaries from BLS OEWS May 2024. FICA includes Social Security (6.2% up to $168,600) and Medicare (1.45% + 0.9% above $200K). Actual take-home varies with deductions, filing status, and local taxes.
How does your compensation compare?
Benchmark yourself against 113 approved radiology salary reports — add yours in 2 minutes and see your percentile instantly.
Career Lifestyle
Career Reality: By the Numbers
Real data from 113 Radiology physician reports — not job board estimates.
What Physicians Actually Say
Themes across 21 written answers from Radiology physicians.
About the Career (7 answers)
Procedural Work
14%1 answer mention this
Compensation
14%1 answer mention this
About the Lifestyle (14 answers)
Call Impact
64%9 answers mention this
Predictable Schedule
14%2 answers mention this
Family Time
7%1 answer mention this
Exercise & Hobbies
7%1 answer mention this
Job Market & Future Outlook
Job Market Outlook
BLS Employment Projections (2024-2034) for Radiology
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024-2034. Includes wage/salary and self-employed physicians.
AI & Automation Impact
Radiology has more FDA-cleared AI devices than all other specialties combined. Interventional radiologists are insulated; diagnostic-only radiologists doing routine reads face the most exposure.
How Hard Is It to Match Into Radiology?
Radiology is a competitive specialty with a 86.4% match rate for U.S. MD seniors. There were 0.76 applicants per position (899 applicants for 1,186 spots). Matched applicants had significantly higher Step 2 CK scores (256 vs 241). Students scoring >260 matched at 95%, compared to 68% for those scoring 231-240.
Match Rate by Step 2 CK Score
What Differentiates Matched Applicants
| Metric | Matched | Unmatched |
|---|---|---|
| Step 2 CK | 256 | 241 |
| Research Experiences | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| Publications | 12 | 8 |
| AOA Members | 20% | 5% |
| Programs Ranked | 14 | 6 |
Data from Charting Outcomes in the Match, National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), 2024. U.S. MD seniors. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Radiology after the AI panic: why the specialty is thriving for those who adapted
The AI narrative of 2016-2022 created a paradox: medical student interest dipped, residency competitiveness briefly softened, and then the job market tightened dramatically as demand outpaced the smaller graduating classes. Today's radiology market rewards those who entered during the "scare" with some of the strongest starting offers in a decade -- $450K-$550K for fellowship-trained diagnostic subspecialists.
But the AI threat contained a real signal underneath the hype. Plain film reads and basic cross-sectional interpretation are being augmented faster than any other clinical task. The radiologists thriving in 2025 aren't reading more studies -- they're reading harder ones, integrating clinically with care teams, and performing procedures. The reading-room-only generalist model is genuinely under pressure.
Interventional radiology has emerged as a separate career trajectory with surgical-level compensation ($550K-$700K) and procedure-based practice models. IR residency positions remain among the most competitive in medicine, but the payoff is a specialty that combines procedural income, lifestyle flexibility relative to surgery, and near-complete insulation from AI displacement.
Training & Getting Started
6 years of post-medical-school training, with subspecialty fellowship options
Subspecialty Fellowships
Physicians Also Consider
Explore Radiology
Take the Next Step in Your Radiology Career
Real, physician-reported compensation data. Know your market value before your next contract negotiation.
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Career Score methodology: salarydr.com/methodology
According to SalaryDr Career Intelligence data from 113 approved reports by Radiologists (as of October 2026), the Physician Career Score for Radiology is 67/100. Median total compensation is $585,000, career satisfaction is 3.9/5, and 89% would choose the specialty again. The BLS reports 28,200 practicing Radiologists nationally with 2.7% projected growth (2024-2034).