Radiation Therapist Salary in 2026: What It Takes to Fill the Seat

Summary: the short answer

The median annual wage for radiation therapists was $105,310 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top 10% earned more than $156,710, and therapists in outpatient care centers had a median of $127,680. Vacancy is easing but still high: ASRT's 2026 survey estimated 11.4% of budgeted therapist positions were unfilled. If your posting has been live for weeks with few qualified applicants, your range and your reach are the two places to look first.

What does a radiation therapist earn in 2026?

Here is the federal benchmark, from the BLS profile for radiation therapists, using May 2025 data.

• Median annual wage: $105,310, or $50.63 an hour.
• Lowest 10%: less than $80,560.
• Highest 10%: more than $156,710.

Setting makes a real difference. The May 2025 medians in the top industries were:

• Outpatient care centers: $127,680
• Offices of physicians: $110,610
• Hospitals (state, local and private): $104,260

So if you are hiring for a physician-owned radiation oncology practice, the candidate you want may be comparing you with an outpatient center that pays well above the national median.

Why is your radiation therapist posting not getting applicants?

If you have posted the role, paid for the boards and asked your team for referrals, and the right people still are not applying, you are not doing anything wrong. The math is just tight.

How big is the radiation therapist workforce?

BLS counted about 17,400 radiation therapist jobs in 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 700 openings a year on average, mostly from people retiring or changing careers.

Where do they work? BLS reports 60% in hospitals, 28% in offices of physicians and 5% in outpatient care centers.

That is a small pool spread across every cancer center and practice in the country. In most markets, the number of experienced, licensed therapists within commuting distance of your clinic is limited, and most of them are already working.

What does the vacancy data say?

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) surveys radiation therapy departments every two years. Its 2026 survey found:

• An estimated 11.4% of budgeted radiation therapist positions were unfilled, down from 13.6% in 2024.
• It was the first decline in the therapist vacancy rate since 2014.
• The average facility budgeted 8.1 therapist FTEs.

Region matters too. Combining therapy and dosimetry, the highest unfilled rate was in the Middle Atlantic region at 15.9%, and the lowest was in New England at 6.0%.

A caution: the 2026 survey had a 2.4% response rate. Treat it as a strong signal of direction, not a precise count for your market.

What it means for you: with about eight therapists on a typical budget, one open seat is a noticeable share of your treatment capacity. Your team feels it on the schedule long before leadership sees it in a report.

What makes a radiation therapist say yes?

Pay gets the conversation started. The rest of the job usually closes it.

What do candidates ask about?

• Schedule. Radiation therapy is usually planned in advance, and BLS notes most therapists keep a regular, full-time schedule. Predictable hours are a selling point; extended or split shifts need to be explained up front.
• Equipment and techniques. The linear accelerators you run, image guidance and any SBRT or special procedures.
• Team and leadership. How many therapists share the load, who they report to, and how the team works with dosimetry and physics.
• Growth. Some therapists want a path to lead therapist or to dosimetry. BLS notes that with more education and certification, therapists may become medical dosimetrists.
• Licensing support. Most states require radiation therapists to be licensed or certified, so help with a state license transfer matters for relocating candidates.

Should you raise the range or improve the package?

Often both, but start by finding out where you stand. Compare your range with the BLS medians for your setting and with current postings from your nearest competitors.

Then bring your leadership one number you already have: what does an empty therapist seat cost you each month in delayed starts, overtime or temporary coverage? We will not guess at that figure. You know it better than anyone, and it is usually the most persuasive part of the conversation.

How do you fix a range that does not match the market?

This comes up more than you would think. The range on the careers page says one thing, the job board says another, and an internal posting says a third.

Candidates notice. Before you widen your search, line up three things:

• One consistent pay range everywhere the role appears.
• A clear statement of the schedule and any call.
• The two or three things that make your clinic a better place to work than the one down the road.

That small cleanup can make every other part of the search work better.

Why do passive candidates need a different approach?

The radiation therapists you most want are usually the ones who are not looking. They are treating patients all day and are not refreshing job boards.

Reaching them takes direct, confidential outreach that respects their current job and leads with real specifics. A good search partner works as an extension of your team: you keep ownership of interviews and team fit, and the partner handles finding and engaging the people who would never see your posting.

That is how we run radiation therapist recruiting (opens in a new tab) at Engaged Headhunters, built on 17 years of recruiting hard-to-fill specialists. If you want to see the same approach in another specialty, our guide for practices hiring a physical therapist recruiter (opens in a new tab) walks through it.

What does a specialist search cost?

Search fees are typically 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.

When you compare firms, ask how they reach passive candidates, how often they report progress and how they protect your own staff from being recruited away.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median radiation therapist salary?

BLS reported a median annual wage of $105,310 for radiation therapists in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $80,560 and the highest 10% earned more than $156,710.

Where do radiation therapists earn the most?

Among the top industries BLS tracks, outpatient care centers had the highest May 2025 median at $127,680, followed by offices of physicians at $110,610 and hospitals at $104,260.

Is there a radiation therapist shortage?

ASRT's 2026 survey estimated that 11.4% of budgeted radiation therapist positions were unfilled. That is down from 13.6% in 2024, but still high enough that many departments feel it.

Do radiation therapists need a state license?

BLS reports that most states require radiation therapists to be licensed or certified, often including a national certification exam. Requirements vary by state.

How can a small practice compete with large hospitals for therapists?

Lead with what you do differently: schedule, team size, leadership access and pay that reflects your setting. BLS data shows offices of physicians already pay a higher median than hospitals, so a practice can often compete on more than culture alone.

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, Radiation Therapists (May 2025 wages: $105,310 median, $50.63/hr, lowest 10% under $80,560, highest 10% over $156,710; industry medians $127,680 / $110,610 / $104,260; 17,400 jobs; 3% growth 2025 to 2035; about 700 openings a year; 60% / 28% / 5% by setting; licensing; regular schedules; path to dosimetry): https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiation-therapists.htm (opens in a new tab)
2. ASRT news, April 24, 2026 (11.4% vs 13.6%; 8.1 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 (first decline since 2014; Middle Atlantic 15.9%, New England 6.0% combined): https://www.asrt.org/docs/default-source/research/staffing-surveys/radiation-therapy-staffing-and-workplace-survey-2026.pdf (opens in a new tab)