Radiologists working less-desirable hours appear to get paid $45,000 less annually than those working day positions, according to a new analysis by RadBoard.
The firm analyzed 4,333 radiology job listings from the first quarter of 2026 for its 2026 U.S. Radiology Job Market Report. While 77% of postings did not specify a schedule pattern, those that did disclosed salary ranges that fell short of standard daytime position salaries hovering around $500,000, according to the analysis.
"Night shifts are compensated at a discount, not a premium," RadBoard said in the report. "The market is paying less for less desirable hours."
Using data sourced from multiple job board platforms including AuntMinnie, the report measured employer-type demand signals based on job listing details such as salary, sign-on bonuses, and partnership.
"Private equity has structurally reorganized radiology around distributed, remote-capable models," the report stated. "Private equity groups match independent practices almost exactly on partnership availability -- but the nature of the partnership at a private equity entity is structurally different from ownership at an independent group. For radiologists seeking practice ownership, independent practice remains the most direct path."
"Private equity has structurally reorganized radiology around distributed, remote-capable models."
Nearly half (49.3%) of the open positions at a private equity (PE) radiology group require no physical presence, according to the analysis. In contrast, remote work was presented in only 12.8% of hospital system radiology listings.
The analysis also highlights physician self-reported compensation of $571,749 in 2025 in contrast to RadBoard's 2026 analysis estimating an average maximum radiologist salary of $672,000. Authors emphasized that the salary figures found represent asking prices, not realized income.
In job listings, recruiters posted the highest average maximum salary at $760,000, above independent practices salaries that averaged $746,000 per year. This reflects the premium paid for temporary coverage and the absence of partnership, benefits, or long-term commitments in most contracts, according to RadBoard.
| RadBoard 2026 U.S. Radiology Job Market Report highlights (an analysis of 4,333 radiology job listings posted in Q1 2026) | ||||
| Employer type / highest to lowest # job listings | Avg annual salary | Partnership potential, % mention | Avg sign-on bonus | Loan forgiveness, % mention |
| Hospital system / 1,138 | $638,000 | N/A | $79,900 | ~20% |
| Independent / 1,046 | $760,000 | 68.2% | $71,700 | ~7% |
| Private equity / 870 | $702,000 | 63.1% | $91,600 | 0%, not eligible |
| Academic / 611 | $528,000 | N/A | $50,300 | ~17% |
| Recruiter / 369 | $760,000 | -- | $59,500 | ~2% |
| Government / 52 | $381,000 | N/A | ~33% | |
Hospital system radiologist jobs appeared to max out at $638,000 per year, with academic radiology averaging about $528,000 per year, the analysis found.
Tendency to offer sign-on bonuses was ranked by ownership type. The report noted that private-equity–owned radiology groups offered the highest sign-on bonuses, followed by hospital systems, independently owned practices, recruiters, and academic centers.
Loan forgiveness is a live variable in the market, not a legacy benefit, the report stated.
The analysis also provided a partial look at compensation per work relative value units ($/wRVU) by employer type. While the authors cautioned that the sample size was small (just 145 listings), in those that disclosed wRVU rate information, the numbers showed academic the highest at $60 and PE-backed the lowest at $35.
PE-backed groups have standardized on a salary-plus-production incentive model as seen in 60% of their job postings, RadBoard noted. Independent practices lead in pure production models. According to the analysis, academic centers are almost entirely fixed-salary, with only 1% offering production-based pay.
One of the report's findings was that despite reports that 90% of hospitals have deployed some form of AI tools and a majority of tools available are for radiology, most job listings (82.4%) contain no AI mention at all. RadBoard called it the "hype versus reality gap."
Other factors tracked included most-reported PACS systems, average vacation per year, states with the most radiologist openings.
For its report, RadBoard said it used data gathered from job listings at AuntMinnie, the ACR Career Center, RSNA, PracticeLink, Radworking, NEJM Career Center, Society of Interventional Radiology, LinkedIn, and 10 additional platforms.
Read the full report here.
