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Radiation Therapist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of radiation therapists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$105,310
Hourly
$50.63
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Radiation Therapists provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiation oncologist according to established practices and standards. The median pay is $105,310 a year ($50.63 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is an associate's degree (50% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$105,310
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
17,070
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
50% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Radiation Therapists

SalaryRadiation Therapist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

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The work

What radiation therapists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Position patients for treatment with accuracy, according to prescription.
  2. Administer prescribed doses of radiation to specific body parts, using radiation therapy equipment according to established practices and standards.
  3. Follow principles of radiation protection for patient, self, and others.
  4. Review prescription, diagnosis, patient chart, and identification.
  5. Conduct most treatment sessions independently, in accordance with the long-term treatment plan and under the general direction of the patient's physician.
  6. Enter data into computer and set controls to operate or adjust equipment or regulate dosage.
  7. Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation.
  8. Observe and reassure patients during treatment and report unusual reactions to physician or turn equipment off if unexpected adverse reactions occur.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreCritical ThinkingcoreSocial PerceptivenessOperations MonitoringCoordinationService OrientationSpeakingMonitoring

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry, Physics, Mathematics, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software radiation therapists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Epic SystemsMedical softwareHot technology
  • eClinicalWorks EHR softwareMedical softwareHot technology
  • Beam analysis softwareMedical software
  • Dose unit calculation softwareMedical software
  • Electronic medical record EMR softwareMedical software
  • Image processing softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Lifeline Software RadCalcMedical software
  • Nucletron planning systemsMedical software
  • Patient management softwareMedical software
  • Procedure scheduling softwareMedical software
  • Radiation dose calculation softwareMedical software
  • Radiation therapy equipment softwareMedical software

Also called: Computed Tomography Simulation Therapist (CT Simulation Therapist), Dosimetrist, Radiation Therapist (RT), Radiation Therapy Technologist (RTT), Registered Radiation Therapist, Staff Radiation Therapist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).