Medical Dosimetrist Salary in 2026: Benchmarks for Hiring Leaders

Summary: the short answer

The median annual wage for medical dosimetrists was $147,470 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10% earned more than $185,450, and dosimetrists in outpatient care centers had a median of $174,400. The profession is small, with about 3,500 jobs, and about 200 openings a year. If your range sits near the national median, you may be behind the settings you compete with.

What does a medical dosimetrist earn in 2026?

Dosimetry is one of the few specialist roles where the federal data is solid. BLS publishes a dedicated profile for medical dosimetrists, and the May 2025 numbers give you a clear starting point.

• Median annual wage: $147,470, or $70.90 an hour.
• Lowest 10%: less than $111,670.
• Highest 10%: more than $185,450.

Pay also varies by setting. The May 2025 medians in the top industries were:

• Outpatient care centers: $174,400
• Offices of physicians: $148,190
• Hospitals (state, local and private): $147,010

That spread matters. If you are a hospital department competing with a freestanding outpatient center down the road, the candidate may be weighing a meaningfully higher number.

Why is the medical dosimetrist salary benchmark only a starting point?

A national median tells you where the middle is. It does not tell you what it takes to move a dosimetrist who is happy where they are.

Three things push real offers above the median:

• Experience with your systems. A CMD who already knows your treatment planning system and your delivery techniques can be productive in weeks instead of months.
• Special techniques. Experience with SBRT, SRS, brachytherapy or adaptive planning narrows the pool further.
• Remote and hybrid options. These change who you can recruit, and what the candidate will trade for them.

Our suggestion: use the BLS median as your floor for discussion, then test your range against current postings in your region and in the settings you compete with.

How small is the medical dosimetrist workforce?

Small enough that every resignation is felt.

BLS counted about 3,500 medical dosimetrist jobs in 2025. Employment is projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 200 openings a year on average. Many of those openings come from people retiring or leaving the field, not from new positions.

Where do dosimetrists work? BLS reports that 58% work in hospitals, 27% in offices of physicians and 3% in outpatient care centers.

What does the vacancy data say?

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) runs a staffing survey of radiation therapy and dosimetry. Its 2026 survey estimated that 6.8% of budgeted dosimetry positions were unfilled, down from 9.6% in 2024. The average facility budgeted 2.8 dosimetrist FTEs.

That is real progress. But think about what it means for one department. With fewer than three dosimetrists on the budget, a single open seat can be a third of your planning capacity.

One caution: the 2026 survey had a 2.4% response rate, so treat it as a directional signal rather than a precise count.

Is the shortage expected to get worse?

The American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) has projected that it will. Writing in ASTRO's member magazine in 2024, AAMD leaders cited the 2020 AAMD Medical Dosimetry Workforce Study, which projected an annual shortage of 50 dosimetrists by 2035, up from an undersupply of 10 a year in 2021. They also noted that the peak rate of dosimetrist retirement is expected between 2025 and 2030.

Why is the pipeline so narrow?

Becoming a dosimetrist now takes a formal route. AAMD notes that on-the-job training was eliminated as a path to certification in 2017. Candidates now need a bachelor's degree and must complete a medical dosimetry program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) to sit for the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB) exam.

As of AAMD's 2024 article, there were 17 JRCERT-accredited dosimetry programs, and their enrollment is limited by available clinical sites.

For employers, that has two practical effects:

• You cannot quickly "grow your own" from your therapist team without a formal program.
• Hosting students as a clinical site is one of the few levers a department has to strengthen its future pipeline.

Should you offer remote or hybrid dosimetry?

Remote work is now part of the market. AAMD reported a 6% increase in fully remote medical dosimetrists in its 2023 salary survey compared with 2021.

Remote planning can widen your candidate pool well beyond your metro area. It can also make a role easier to fill in rural or high-cost markets.

The tradeoffs are real, though. Before you decide, ask:

• Which planning tasks truly need someone on site?
• How will remote staff stay connected with physicians, physicists and therapists?
• Do your systems and security policies support remote access?

AAMD's guidance is that each department should decide this collaboratively based on its own workflow. A clear, honest answer in the job description saves everyone time.

How should you build a dosimetrist offer?

Start with the number, but do not stop there. The package usually decides it.

• Base pay benchmarked against BLS and against your actual competitors' settings.
• Schedule including any remote or hybrid days.
• Team depth. Candidates ask how many dosimetrists share the workload and how coverage works.
• Technology. The planning system, the delivery platforms and any adaptive or special-procedure work.
• Continuing education. CMDs must complete continuing education to keep their credential, so CE support is practical.

Then run your own numbers. What does a delayed treatment start, outsourced planning, or overtime for your current team cost each month the seat is empty? You know that figure better than anyone. Compare it with the cost of moving your range up to where the market is.

Why don't job postings reach most dosimetrists?

Most experienced CMDs are working, and many are not looking. A posting reaches the few who are active, and they often have several options.

The dosimetrists you most want are usually the passive ones. Reaching them takes direct, confidential outreach that leads with specifics: the systems, the case mix, the schedule and the range.

That is how we approach medical dosimetrist recruiting (opens in a new tab) at Engaged Headhunters, drawing on 17 years of recruiting hard-to-fill specialists. For a look at the same method in another scarce specialty, see our guide for practices hiring a physical therapist recruiter (opens in a new tab).

What does a specialist search cost?

Search fees in our industry are usually a percentage of first-year salary. At Engaged Headhunters, that generally falls in the 15 to 30% range, depending on the scarcity of the specialty, the difficulty of the search and the level of the role.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median medical dosimetrist salary?

BLS reported a median annual wage of $147,470 for medical dosimetrists in May 2025. The highest 10% earned more than $185,450.

Which settings pay medical dosimetrists the most?

Among the top industries BLS tracks, outpatient care centers had the highest May 2025 median at $174,400, followed by offices of physicians at $148,190 and hospitals at $147,010.

How many medical dosimetrists are there?

BLS counted about 3,500 medical dosimetrist jobs in 2025, with about 200 openings projected each year through 2035.

Is there a shortage of medical dosimetrists?

ASRT's 2026 survey estimated 6.8% of budgeted dosimetry positions were unfilled, down from 9.6% in 2024. AAMD's workforce study projects the annual shortfall will grow to 50 dosimetrists by 2035.

Can a medical dosimetrist work remotely?

Many do. AAMD reported a 6% increase in fully remote dosimetrists in 2023 compared with 2021. Whether it works for your department depends on your systems, workflow and team.

Talk to us about your opening

If this seat is open and the market is thin, book a short consult and we will map the search without posting the role publicly.

Book a consult with James (opens in a new tab)

Sources

1. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Dosimetrists (May 2025 wages: $147,470 median, $70.90/hr, lowest 10% under $111,670, highest 10% over $185,450; industry medians $174,400 / $148,190 / $147,010; 3,500 jobs; 5% growth 2025 to 2035; about 200 openings a year; 58% / 27% / 3% by setting): https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-dosimetrists.htm (opens in a new tab)
2. ASRT news, "Radiation Therapy Staffing and Workplace Survey Shows Decrease in 2026 Vacancy Rates", April 24, 2026 (6.8% vs 9.6%; 2.8 FTE; 2.4% response rate): https://www.asrt.org/main/news-publications/news/article/2026/04/24/asrt-radiation-therapy-staffing-and-workplace-survey-shows-decrease-in-2026-vacancy-rates (opens in a new tab)
3. ASRT Radiation Therapy Staffing and Workplace Survey 2026 (PDF): https://www.asrt.org/docs/default-source/research/staffing-surveys/radiation-therapy-staffing-and-workplace-survey-2026.pdf (opens in a new tab)
4. ASTROnews Summer 2024, "The State of Medical Dosimetry" by AAMD leaders (2020 AAMD Workforce Study: annual shortage of 50 by 2035 vs 10 a year in 2021; retirement peak 2025 to 2030; OJT route eliminated 2017; 17 JRCERT programs; 6% increase in fully remote dosimetrists, 2023 vs 2021 AAMD Salary Survey): https://www.astro.org/news-and-publications/astronews/2024/summer-astronews/features/state-of-medical-dosimetry (opens in a new tab)