There’s a shortage of physicians across the United States, and the problem is hitting radiology especially hard. While radiologist employment is expected to increase over the next few years, demand for these specialized physicians is also booming, leading to potential gaps in patient access to care. We’re taking a closer look at the radiologist job outlook for 2025 and beyond, diving deep into the factors causing the imbalance between supply and demand of these crucial healthcare professionals.
Job Outlook for a Radiologist
Employment for radiologists is projected to grow between 2023 and 2033—according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), radiologist employment is expected to increase by 4% in that timeframe, with 1,200 new jobs added. This follows the trend for all physicians, as the BLS also projects overall physician employment to grow by 4% between 2023 and 2033.
But while employment growth is looking solid for radiologists, the demand for these medical professionals is outpacing new jobs. In fact, projections made by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) show there will be a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. But what does this mean for radiologists? The AAMC categorizes radiology under “other specialties” and predicts a combined specialty shortfall of 19,500 doctors by 2036.
Hottest States for Radiologist Jobs
These five states had the highest employment of radiologists in 2023, according to the BLS:
- Massachusetts
- California
- New Jersey
- New York
- Texas
What’s causing the radiologist shortage?
There are a few factors that are exacerbating the radiologist shortage, such as an aging patient and doctor population, an increased need for more complex medical imaging, more insured patients, and a steady flow of new radiologists that isn’t increasing to meet demand.
First, the Baby Boomer generation is beginning to reach older ages at a quick rate. As more people enter their elder years, they oftentimes require more comprehensive healthcare (which includes medical imaging), increasing demand for radiologists. On the flip side, many radiologists are Baby Boomers themselves, meaning they are retiring which reduces the number of active radiologists.
Medicine has also made some incredible advances in the past few decades in general, increasing detection rates of illness and disease and upping survival rates among patients. When disease or illness is detected, medical imaging is oftentimes more necessary, leading to higher demand for these services.
More people across the United States carry health insurance than 20 years ago, which makes obtaining medical imaging more accessible, placing immense strain on those who provide these crucial healthcare services.
Finally, the number of radiologists exiting educational programs has stayed relatively constant despite the increased demand for medical services, limiting the supply of radiologists.
What can solve the radiologist shortage?
One of the simplest ways the United States can begin to combat the radiologist shortage is by training more radiologists, which can be achieved by increasing residency spots at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. With more radiologists working in the field, the issue of supply and demand could be curbed.
But the American College of Radiology says this is a short-term answer to a deeper problem, and while it would be effective, it’s also critical for current radiologists and other healthcare professionals to only order medical imaging when it’s absolutely necessary. With less patients waiting for imaging, demand goes down, leaving radiologists with more time to spend on the patients who need medical imaging the most.
How can locum tenens providers help curb the radiologist shortage?
Locum tenens providers are travel healthcare professionals who take long- or short-term temporary assignments at short-staffed healthcare facilities. Locum tenens radiologists can help fill in the gaps in the rural or urban healthcare facilities that are dealing with an acute lack of radiologists, ensuring that the patients who come for care are not turned away or placed on long waiting lists.
While locum tenens radiologists are not a long-term answer to the growing radiologist shortage, they can act as a temporary stopgap that strengthens continuity of patient care at facilities across the United States. And if residencies are expanded, more radiologists might choose to take on the locum tenens lifestyle, increasing the number of temporary radiologists willing to travel across the country to provide critical care.
Top States for Locum Tenens Radiology Jobs in 2025
We’ve looked at our listing data, and found five states that appear to have an increased demand for locum tenens radiologists in late 2024 and early 2025:
- Ohio
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
Remember, this isn’t a comprehensive list of all of the jobs Wellhart has available, in fact, we have open locum tenens radiologist jobs in many of the 50 states. These are the states we’ve seen increased interest from in recent months.
Find Your Next Locum Tenens Radiologist Job with Wellhart
Are you a locum tenens radiologist looking for your next assignment? Thinking of breaking into the travel locum tenens lifestyle for the first time? Check out our open jobs and reach out to a recruiter today!