Surgical assistants saw the highest jump in pay among healthcare tech positions, while psychiatric aides had the largest growth in employed positions, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
The bureau gathered employment data for healthcare assistant and technician positions in 2025, including the number of people employed in that position in the U.S., annual mean wage and hourly wage. The data was released May 13. Becker’s collected data on the annual mean wage and number of employed techs in 22 positions to compare changes between 2024 and 2025.
Thirteen positions saw a drop in the number of employed staff, with medical dosimetrists seeing the greatest decrease at 29%.
Physical therapist assistants and aides were the only position to see a pay cut between 2024 and 2025.
Here are the 22 technician and assistant positions by annual wage and the number of employed staff:
| Specialty | 2025 annual mean pay | % change in pay vs. 2024 | 2025 number employed | % change in employed vs. 2024 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians | $76,940 | 14.4% | 62,960 | -2.7% |
| Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians | $67,350 | 8.8% | 332,940 | -5.2% |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | $97,240 | 8.8% | 90,160 | 0.2% |
| Emergency medical technicians | $46,830 | 13.3% | 180,510 | -0.3% |
| Health technologists and technicians, all other | $58,710 | 6.4% | 182,610 | 7% |
| Healthcare social workers | $71,790 | 17.1% | 187,630 | -2.9% |
| Home health and personal care aides | $36,120 | 3.5% | 4,305,810 | -1% |
| Magnetic resonance imaging technologists | $96,120 | 9% | 43,390 | -1.6% |
| Medical assistants | $46,120 | 4.3% | 817,870 | 0.8% |
| Medical dosimetrists | $148,500 | 7.5% | 3,410 | -29% |
| Nuclear medicine technologists | $105,160 | 8.4% | 17,080 | -14.6% |
| Occupational therapy assistants and aides | $68,640 | 3.9% | 55,600 | 13% |
| Ophthalmic medical technicians | $47,060 | 6.8% | 71,010 | -9.9% |
| Orthotists and prosthetists | $83,740 | 6.9% | 9,390 | -7% |
| Pharmacy technicians | $46,620 | 7.3% | 471,680 | -3.8% |
| Phlebotomists | $45,520 | 4.3% | 143,540 | 2.7% |
| Physical therapist assistants and aides | $59,040 | -1.7% | 160,580 | 2.2% |
| Psychiatric aides | $45,690 | 9.9% | 35,520 | -7.7% |
| Psychiatric technicians | $46,610 | 9.4% | 156,960 | 8.6% |
| Radiologic technologists and technicians | $83,840 | 8% | 230,490 | 1.1% |
| Surgical assistants | $72,710 | 20.6% | 22,270 | -12% |
| Surgical technologists | $68,710 | 9.4% | 117,460 | 1.6% |
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