What radiation therapists earn, and a figure BLS does not publish for this occupation
A radiation therapist earned a median of $105,310 a year in May 2025, or $50.63 an hour, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which profiles this occupation on its own page under SOC code 29-1124. That figure is worth measuring against something broader: BLS's own glossary on the same page puts the median annual wage across every occupation it tracks at $50,980 for the same period, so radiation therapists earn just over double that economy-wide number.
Where this page differs from most other BLS occupation profiles this site has covered is what it does not include: a 10th-to-90th percentile wage range. Pages for veterinarians and MRI technologists, for example, both give that spread directly. The radiation therapist page gives only the single median figure, plus the industry breakdown below; BLS does not explain the omission on the page itself.
Pay by industry setting, and what BLS does not say about where therapists work
BLS breaks out May 2025 wages across three industry categories for radiation therapists. Outpatient care centers paid the highest median, at $127,680. Offices of physicians paid $110,610, and hospitals, the setting BLS lists first in its own Work Environment description, paid the least of the three, at $104,260, a difference of $23,420 between the highest- and lowest-paying settings.
BLS's Work Environment section for this occupation names the same three settings, hospitals, offices of physicians, and outpatient centers, as the places radiation therapists work, but unlike its pages for veterinarians or MRI technologists, it does not give a percentage breakdown of how the workforce is actually split across them. That means the industry wage table above shows what each setting pays, but not how many radiation therapists work in the highest-paying one versus the others; this site cannot state a workforce-weighted average without that missing figure.
How radiation therapist pay compares to two occupations on the same BLS page
BLS lists radiation therapists alongside eight related occupations in a Similar Occupations comparison table on the same page. Two are especially close in scope, since both work in radiation oncology or nuclear medicine rather than general diagnostic imaging. Medical dosimetrists, who calculate and plan radiation treatment doses, had the highest median of any occupation in that table at $147,470, about $42,160 above the radiation therapist figure, but BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for that role, one credential tier above the associate's degree BLS lists for radiation therapists. Nuclear medicine technologists, who also use radioactive materials in patient care but for diagnostic imaging rather than treatment, had a median of $101,370, within $3,940 of the radiation therapist figure, at the same associate's-degree entry level.
Two other occupations in that same comparison table sit well below the radiation therapist median at the identical associate's-degree entry level: cardiovascular technologists and technicians at $74,310, and respiratory therapists at $82,280 in the May 2025 comparison table. The linked respiratory therapy guide now reports an $82,280 May 2025 median and lists an associate degree as the typical entry credential. BLS does not explain on this page why occupations requiring the same typical degree land at such different pay levels; specialized cancer-treatment training is one possible contributor, but the wage tables do not isolate its effect.
Job outlook, and how people enter the field
BLS projects 3% employment growth for radiation therapists from 2025 to 2035, classified as about as fast as the average for all occupations, adding an estimated 500 jobs to a 2025 workforce of 17,400. About 700 openings are projected each year on average over the decade; BLS attributes many of those to the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force entirely, such as to retire, rather than to newly created positions.
BLS states that radiation therapists typically need an associate's or bachelor's degree in radiation therapy, and that most states require licensure or certification, often including a national certification exam, without naming the certifying body. Independently of BLS, that certification is administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), the same organization this site has confirmed administers the MRI technologist credential. ARRT's primary pathway into its radiation therapy certification requires an associate's degree or higher, completion of an ARRT-approved radiation therapy education program, and passing separate education, ethics, and examination requirements.