2026 US Radiology Job Market Report

radboard.io

Annual Industry Report · March 2026

4,333 job postings analyzed. 82.4% don't mention AI — despite 873+ FDA-cleared algorithms.

4,333

Active job listings analyzed

18

Platforms & job boards

82.4%

of postings don't mention AI tools

Data sourced from ACR Career Center, RSNA, AuntMinnie, PracticeLink, Radworking, NEJM CareerCenter, SIR, LinkedIn, and 10 additional platforms · Collection period: Q1 2026

01

Overview

Key Findings

Six headline statistics from 4,333 active radiology job listings — the most comprehensive real-time job posting dataset in the industry.

1

82.4% of radiology job postings don't mention AI tools

873+ FDA-cleared algorithms exist. 90% of hospitals claim some AI deployment. Yet 4 out of 5 job postings contain no AI mention at all. Private Equity firms are the lone outlier at 29.9% — no other employer type exceeds 15.5%.

2

Private Equity firms post 49.3% remote positions — hospital systems post 12.8%

Private equity has structurally reorganized radiology around distributed, remote-capable models. Hospital systems remain predominantly on-site. This is not a scheduling preference — it is a different operating model.

3

$108K max salary gap between independent practices and hospital systems

Independent practices average $746K max compensation vs. $638K at hospital systems. Based on employer-stated ranges in 2,066 of 4,333 listings — the subset that disclosed compensation data.

4

Private Equity: 63.1% partnership track. Independent: 68.2%.

The career ownership gap between practice types is stark. Private equity and independent practices both offer partnership — but the nature of "equity" differs structurally. For radiologists seeking true ownership, independent practice remains the most direct path.

5

Overnight roles pay $45K less than day positions

636 listings explicitly advertise overnight or night shift coverage (~15% of total). Median disclosed salary for overnight roles is $455K vs. $500K for day-only positions. Night shifts carry a salary discount, not a premium.

6

Florida leads the nation with 379 open positions

FL alone represents 8.8% of all US radiology openings, more than TX (276) and CA (227) combined. FL and TX also rank in the top salary states, making them the strongest demand-compensation overlap in the current market.

02

Market Overview

Supply, Demand & Who's Hiring

4,333

Active listings

18 platforms aggregated

~41K

Practicing radiologists in the US

ACR estimate, 2024

130

Average days to fill a radiology position

AAPPR 2024 benchmark

Who is posting these 4,333 jobs?

Hospital System

1,138 jobs

26.4%

Independent

1,046 jobs

24.3%

Private Equity

870 jobs

20.2%

Academic

611 jobs

14.2%

Recruiters

369 jobs

8.6%

Government

52 · 1.2%

Source: RadBoard job listings database, March 2026

Market Signal

Independent practices + Private Equity firms together account for 44.5% of all open positions — nearly equal to hospitals and academic centers combined. Private-sector radiology is now the dominant hiring force.

03

Geography

Where the Jobs Are

Top 10 States by Job Volume

FL

379

TX

276

CA

227

PA

219

OH

191

NY

190

IL

183

IN

151

NC

118

AZ

110

Top 10 States by Avg Max Salary

SD

$859K

MT

$850K

TN

$793K

NC

$792K

AK

$781K

TX

$777K

FL

$761K

IN

$748K

GA

$740K

MN

$722K

Double Opportunity

Florida and Texas appear in both lists — top 2 by job volume and top salary states. High-demand markets are also bidding up compensation to attract candidates.

Best Sign-On Bonus States (median)

SD $150K HI $120K OH $100K NJ $100K IL $100K AZ $100K TX $100K CO $100K KY $100K AL $100K

13.5% of all listings include a sign-on bonus · Avg: $75K · Max: $350K

04

Compensation

Salary by Employer Type

$672K

Average max salary — all types

Median: $650K · n=2,066 listings

$108K

Independent vs. hospital system gap

$746K vs. $638K avg max

$217K

Independent vs. academic gap

$746K vs. $528K avg max

Average Max Salary by Employer Type

Min salary also tracked: Independent ($489K avg min) vs. Hospital ($477K avg min)

The Trade-off

Academic centers offer prestige, research access, and PSLF loan forgiveness eligibility. The data says that comes at a $217K annual cost in max compensation relative to independent practice.

05

Compensation

Salary by Subspecialty

Avg Max Salary by Subspecialty

Breast Imaging

$744K

MSK

$720K

Cardiovascular

$717K

Women's Imaging

$700K

Body / Abdominal

$698K

IR

$688K

Neuroradiology

$674K

Nuclear Medicine

$665K

General

$664K

Salary range overall: $31K – $2.0M

Open Positions by Subspecialty

General Radiology

1,333

Body / Abdominal

628

IR

566

Neuroradiology

490

Breast Imaging

488

Emergency Rad

460

MSK

350

Mammography

283

Nuclear Medicine

236

Body + chest openings = 801 — the two largest CT-intensive subspecialties

The Sweet Spot

Breast imaging ranks #1 in pay ($744K) and has 488 open positions — the highest-compensated subspecialty with substantial demand. MSK ranks #2 in pay and has lower competition than body radiology.

06

Compensation

How Employers Structure Pay

Salary is not the only story. How compensation is structured — fixed salary, production bonus, or pure RVU-based — differs significantly by employer type and shapes how a radiologist's actual earnings respond to volume.

63%

of listings specify a compensation model

2,715 of 4,306 jobs

23%

include a production or incentive component

salary+incentive or hybrid structures

4%

are pure production / RVU-based

eat-what-you-kill or straight RVU models

Compensation Model by Employer Type

Salary only

Salary + incentive / hybrid

Production / RVU

Not specified

Independent

33%

41%

16%

n=205

PE-Backed

25%

60%

n=102

Hospital System

32%

n=287

Academic

32%

14%

n=135

Staffing

15%

14%

n=145

Based on 1,000-job sample stratified by employer type. ~37% of listings do not specify a compensation model.

The Structural Split

PE-backed groups have standardized on salary + production incentive — 60% of their postings use this model, the highest of any employer type. Independent practices lead in pure production models (16%). Academic centers are almost entirely fixed salary: only 1% offer production-based pay. The employer type you join determines whether your earnings are volume-sensitive — not just the base number.

07

Compensation

$/wRVU Rates — Where Disclosed

Only 145 of 4,306 active listings (3.4%) explicitly state a dollar-per-wRVU rate. This reflects employer disclosure behavior, not a data gap — most practices do not publish RVU rates in job postings. The data that is disclosed tells a consistent story.

$44

Median $/wRVU across all disclosing employers

Mean: $49.82 · n=145 listings · Q1 2026

145

listings disclose $/wRVU rate

3.4% of all active postings

16,250

median annual wRVU target disclosed

n=53 listings with volume data

78

median daily wRVU target

n=38 listings with daily data

Median $/wRVU by Employer Type

Academic

$60.00

n=4

Staffing

$54.16

n=22

Independent

$43.50

n=82

Hospital System

$41.73

n=15

PE-Backed

$35.00

n=16

Source: RadBoard API, Q1 2026. Only listings with explicit $/wRVU field included.

Reading the Data

PE-backed groups offer the lowest median $/wRVU ($35) despite paying the highest sign-on bonuses ($91.6K) — consistent with a model that front-loads recruitment costs while capping long-term production upside. Independent practices, where the most RVU-based jobs exist (16% of postings), cluster around $43.50. Academic and staffing rates are highest on this metric, though both have small sample sizes.

Data Limitation

$/wRVU data covers 3.4% of listings (n=145). Most employers do not publish RVU rates in job postings — this is a disclosure rate limitation, not a coverage gap. Annual wRVU target data is sparser still (n=53). Use as directional benchmarks, not market-wide medians.

08

Deep Dive

The $108K Gap

Independent practices pay more. They also offer equity. The data makes the career case clearly — but the trade-offs are real.

$746K

Independent

avg max salary

68.2% offer partnership

$108K

The Gap

per year, on average

$540K over 5 years

$638K

Hospital System

avg max salary

N/A partnership track

Partnership Track: The Full Picture

Employer Type	Avg Max Salary	Partnership Track	Remote %
Independent	$746K	68.2%	—
Recruiters	$760K	—	29.8%
Private Equity	$702K	63.1%	49.3%
Hospital System	$638K	N/A	12.8%
Academic	$528K	N/A	9.2%
Government	$381K	N/A	0%

Note on Recruiters

Recruiters post the highest average max salary at $760K — above independent practices. This reflects the premium paid for temporary coverage and the absence of partnership, benefits, or long-term commitments in most contracts.

09

Remote Work

The Teleradiology Shift

25.6%

of all listings are remote

1,101 of 4,333 positions

49.3%

Private Equity positions are remote

vs. 12.8% at hospital systems

3.9x

Private Equity remote rate vs. hospitals

The structural divide

Remote Posting Rate by Employer Type

Private Equity

49.3%

Independent

30.6%

Recruiters

29.8%

Academic

14%

Hospital System

12.8%

Structural Shift

Private Equity radiology groups have effectively built distributed workforce models — nearly half their open positions require no physical presence. Hospital systems remain predominantly on-site. This divergence reflects fundamentally different operating models, not just scheduling preferences.

Market Context

The global teleradiology market was $12.6B in 2023 and is projected to reach $60.2B by 2030 (CAGR 25.3%). The RadBoard data reflects this structural shift in employer hiring behavior — 1 in 4 US radiology jobs is now fully remote-capable.

10

Ownership & Career

Partnership Track

35.6% of all radiology job listings offer a partnership track. But that number masks a near-total split between practice types.

68.2%

Independent practices offer partnership

1,046 listings — the largest private-sector segment. Partnership track at independent groups is the norm, not the exception. For radiologists seeking practice ownership, independent practice remains the most direct path.

63.1%

Private Equity firms offer partnership

870 listings. Private Equity groups match independent practices almost exactly on partnership availability — but the nature of "partnership" at a Private Equity entity is structurally different from ownership at an independent group.

35.6%

Overall partnership rate

1,533 of 4,333 jobs

11

Technology

AI Adoption in the Job Market

No AI mention

Mentions AI (17.6%)

The AI Mention Gap

82.4% of job postings don't mention AI tools

873+ FDA-cleared algorithms exist in radiology. 90% of hospitals claim some AI deployment. Yet only 757 of 4,333 job postings — 1 in 6 — reference any AI or PACS technology. The gap between vendor marketing and employer requirements has not closed.

AI Mention Rate by Employer Type

Private Equity

29.9%

Academic

15.5%

Hospital System

14.9%

Recruiters

6.2%

Most Mentioned PACS Systems

156

PACS (generic)

61

Sectra

32

Visage

31

Intelerad

30

Philips

29

Agfa

29

Fuji Synapse

Dictation & AI Reporting Tools

~75

PowerScribe / Nuance

Voice dictation

111

Rad AI

AI-assisted reporting

The Hype vs. Reality Gap

Only 9% of job postings name a specific PACS system. AI tools are mentioned even less. The gap between vendor marketing and employer requirements — as measured by actual job postings — remains enormous.

12

Work Structure

Schedule & Overnight Work

Radiology is shift work. How employers structure those shifts — and what overnight coverage actually costs — is what the data shows.

Schedule Pattern Distribution (1,000 postings with explicit schedule)

Monday–Friday

~400

~40%

7 on / 7 off

~78

~8%

7 on / 14 off

~44

~4%

4-day week

~22

~2%

1 wk on / 2 off

~15

~77% of postings do not specify a schedule pattern

636

Overnight / night shift roles (~15% of total)

Median disclosed salary: $455K vs. $500K for day-only roles

$45K

Overnight salary discount vs. day roles

$455K median vs. $500K median (salary_min, n=104 night / n=505 day)

Overnight Salary Discount

Overnight roles pay $45K less at the median than standard day positions — $455K vs. $500K (salary_min, n=104 overnight / n=505 day roles). Night shifts are compensated at a discount, not a premium. The market is paying less for less desirable hours.

13

Benefits

Loan Forgiveness Eligibility

~10% of listings explicitly mention loan forgiveness — but the distribution is anything but uniform.

~10%

of listings mention loan forgiveness

Primarily PSLF-eligible employers

~0%

Private Equity listings with PSLF

PE groups do not qualify

$217K

Academic vs. independent salary gap

The cost of PSLF eligibility

Loan Forgiveness Mention Rate by Employer Type

Government / VA

~33%

6 / 18

Hospital System

~20%

101 / 494

Academic

~17%

44 / 266

Independent Practice

~7%

35 / 536

Recruiters

~2% · 5 / 232

Private Equity

0% · 0 / 338

The PSLF Trade-off

Academic and government positions offer PSLF eligibility — potentially forgiving $200K–$400K in residual debt after 10 years of qualifying payments. The RadBoard data puts the salary cost of that choice at $217K/year vs. independent practice. The math is individual — but it's a live variable in the market, not a legacy benefit.

14

Incentives

Sign-On Bonuses & Benefits

13.5%

of listings include a sign-on bonus

581 of 4,333 positions

$75K

Average sign-on bonus

Median: $75K · Max: $350K

9.8 wks

Average vacation per year

Median: 10 wks · Range: 1–17

Sign-On Bonus by Employer Type (avg)

Private Equity

$91.6K

Hospital System

$79.9K

Independent

$71.7K

Recruiters

$59.5K

Academic

$50.3K

Context: Industry Benchmarks

Source	Metric	Value
Doximity 2025	Average radiologist salary (survey)	$571,749
Medscape 2025	Average radiologist salary (survey)	$526,000
AMN Healthcare 2024	Starting salary (new graduates)	$495,000
RadBoard 2026	Avg max salary from job postings	$672,000
SullivanCotter 2024	Performance bonus (avg)	$124,500
RadBoard 2026	Sign-on bonus (avg, where listed)	$75,000

Note: RadBoard figures represent employer-stated max salary in job postings. Survey-based figures (Doximity, Medscape) reflect physician self-reported total compensation. Different methodologies, complementary signals.

15

Transparency

Methodology

Data Collection

4,333 active job listings were collected from 18 radiology job platforms in Q1 2026 using automated aggregation via the RadBoard API.

Platforms included:

ACR Career Center17.3%

AuntMinnie17.9%

RSNA16.6%

Radworking10.3%

PracticeLink9.5%

NEJM CareerCenter6%

SIR5.5%

LinkedIn+others

Data Coverage

Field	Coverage	n
Salary (max/min)	48%	2,066
Call intensity	54.7%	2,354
Subspecialty	61–100%	2,631–4,333
Sign-on bonus	13.5%	581
Vacation (weeks)	18.4%	794
Remote/teleradiology	~100%	4,333

Important Notes

Salary figures represent employer-stated compensation ranges in job postings. These differ from physician self-reported compensation surveys (Doximity, Medscape) and represent asking prices, not realized income.

Ownership type classification (independent, Private Equity, hospital system, academic) was derived from posting content and employer name matching. Some ambiguous listings may be misclassified.

AI tool mentions were identified via keyword matching against a curated list of radiology AI vendor names and product terms. Generic "AI" references without vendor specificity were counted separately.

Call intensity was classified using keyword heuristics (e.g., "no call," "light call," "overnight call," "24/7 coverage") against free-text job description fields. 45.3% of listings did not contain classifiable call data.

Duplicate listings (same position posted on multiple platforms) were deduplicated where matching employer + location + subspecialty + salary could be confirmed. Some duplication may persist.

What This Report Measures

This report measures employer demand signals — what practices are actively recruiting for, at what price, and with what structure. It is distinct from supply-side surveys and retrospective hiring data. The RadBoard methodology captures the market in near real-time.

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18

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Active listings right now

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For radiologists searching

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