BMET / HTM Salary Survey — Full Dataset Analysis
United States, Canada & Mexico · 799 self-reported entries · Jan 2, 2024 – Sep 18, 2026
Source: the BMET Galaxy salary survey (bmetgalaxy.com/salary-survey), full export dated 2026-09-27. All pay is hourly in local currency (US$, CA$, MX$). Salaried entries are converted at annual ÷ 2,080 hours. On-call pay is analyzed separately and is not in base rates.
Total entries: 799 — United States 716 · Canada 52 · Mexico 31.
1. Method & data cleaning
- Every one of the 799 rows was reviewed. Nothing was dropped for being inconvenient; only 5 US rows were excluded as clear data-entry errors (rates of $0.60, $1.00, $8.00, $11.50 and $307.69/hr — including a “Manager” in “Karachi, Alaska”). That leaves 711 US, 52 Canada and 31 Mexico entries in the numbers below.
- Job titles were grouped (e.g., “BMET IV” and self-employed BMET → Lead BMET; Imaging service engineer → Imaging FSE; assorted field service engineer titles → Other FSE). “Third Party” and “Third-Party” were merged; “Field Service” as an employer type is shown as its own category.
- Mexico: 15 entries have rates of MX$16/hr or less, which is below Mexico’s legal minimum wage even as an annual figure — they are almost certainly monthly pay typed into an annual/hourly field. Those were multiplied by 12 (“adjusted”); raw figures are shown too. A few Mexico states were also fixed by city (e.g., Tuxtla → Chiapas, Salamanca → Guanajuato).
- Medians are used as the headline number because pay data is skewed. Cost-of-living indices: MERIC (US, 2025), a provincial index compiled from StatCan/CMHC/Numbeo (Canada). FX for comparisons is approximate: 1 CAD ≈ US$0.73 and US$1 ≈ MX$17.5 (assumptions, not live rates).
2. Country overview
| Country | n used | Median | Mean | Middle 50% (P25–P75) | Annual equiv. (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 711 | $35.16 | $37.58 | $30.00–$42.67 | $73,133 |
| Canada | 52 | CA$43.51 | CA$43.23 | CA$38.25–CA$49.00 | CA$90,500 |
| Mexico (adjusted) | 31 | MX$57.72 | MX$80.91 | MX$40.38–MX$108.81 | MX$120,058 |
| Mexico (raw, uncorrected) | 31 | MX$28.85 | MX$42.56 | MX$6.73–MX$57.69 | — |
Employer mix in the US sample: In-House 56%, Third Party 30%, Field Service 9%, Manufacturer 5%.
3. United States
Pay by job title
| Title | n | P25 | Median | P75 | Annual equiv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | 10 | $15.92 | $19.98 | $21.75 | $41,558 |
| BMET 1 | 184 | $25.00 | $28.00 | $31.84 | $58,240 |
| BMET 2 | 186 | $30.52 | $34.00 | $37.00 | $70,720 |
| BMET 3 | 100 | $35.59 | $39.21 | $45.00 | $81,560 |
| Lead BMET | 33 | $36.06 | $40.00 | $45.00 | $83,200 |
| Clinical Engineer | 14 | $28.59 | $34.19 | $42.88 | $71,105 |
| Other FSE | 41 | $32.58 | $37.00 | $43.00 | $76,960 |
| Lab FSE | 12 | $29.52 | $37.31 | $45.12 | $77,605 |
| Imaging FSE | 73 | $38.00 | $43.00 | $48.38 | $89,440 |
| Supervisor | 13 | $49.04 | $62.00 | $68.76 | $128,960 |
| Manager | 28 | $48.06 | $55.66 | $66.59 | $115,762 |
| Director | 10 | $67.00 | $72.32 | $75.75 | $150,420 |
Supervisor, Director, Clinical Engineer and Lab FSE have small samples (10–14 each) — treat as directional.
Negotiation cheat sheet: percentiles for the core BMET ladder
| Title | P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMET 1 | $22.00 | $25.00 | $28.00 | $31.84 | $36.04 |
| BMET 2 | $28.00 | $30.52 | $34.00 | $37.00 | $43.00 |
| BMET 3 | $32.94 | $35.59 | $39.21 | $45.00 | $52.20 |
| Lead BMET | $32.78 | $36.06 | $40.00 | $45.00 | $51.91 |
| Imaging FSE | $33.04 | $38.00 | $43.00 | $48.38 | $54.78 |
If you’re at the P25 for your title, you’re paid less than 75% of respondents in the same role; the P75–P90 range is what well-paid peers in your title report. Step from BMET 1 → 2 → 3 is worth roughly +$6/hr and +$5/hr at the median.
Pay by years of experience (all technicians and FSEs)
| Years | n | Median | Annual equiv. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | 121 | $30.00 | $62,400 |
| 2–3 | 149 | $31.25 | $65,000 |
| 4–5 | 104 | $34.00 | $70,720 |
| 6–8 | 99 | $37.50 | $78,000 |
| 9–12 | 74 | $40.00 | $83,200 |
| 13–20 | 52 | $40.59 | $84,417 |
| 21+ | 30 | $44.50 | $92,560 |
Holding title, state and employer type constant (regression on 617 tech/FSE entries, R² ≈ 0.58), each early year of experience is worth about +2% and the curve flattens: roughly +10% at 5 years, +19% at 10, +25% at 15 and +29% at 20 years versus a new hire. Title level matters more than raw years — BMET 1 pay barely moves with tenure, so getting promoted to BMET 2/3 is the bigger lever than waiting.
Employer type
| Title | In-House | Third Party | Manufacturer | Field Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMET 1 | $29.69 (n=111) | $27.50 (n=59) | n<5 | $26.00 (n=12) |
| BMET 2 | $34.00 (n=124) | $33.16 (n=52) | n<5 | $36.25 (n=8) |
| BMET 3 | $40.00 (n=66) | $37.38 (n=33) | n<5 | n<5 |
| Imaging FSE | $46.25 (n=28) | $38.46 (n=19) | $44.19 (n=19) | $43.00 (n=7) |
Controlling for title, experience and state, third-party employers pay about 4–5% less than in-house, manufacturers about 5% more. The gap is largest for Imaging FSEs: in-house $46.25 vs third party $38.46 at the median.
Best-paying states (technicians & FSEs, n ≥ 8)
| Rank | State | n | Median | COL index | Real-value index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 8 | $53.50 | 123.4 | 43.4 |
| 2 | Oregon | 14 | $42.19 | 110.0 | 38.4 |
| 3 | California | 46 | $39.75 | 144.7 | 27.5 |
| 4 | New York | 18 | $39.41 | 123.4 | 31.9 |
| 5 | Washington | 34 | $37.75 | 113.6 | 33.2 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 10 | $37.73 | 92.9 | 40.6 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 22 | $37.34 | 97.6 | 38.3 |
| 8 | Virginia | 11 | $37.00 | 100.5 | 36.8 |
| 9 | Colorado | 15 | $36.00 | 102.7 | 35.1 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 9 | $35.57 | 95.3 | 37.3 |
Lowest medians: Alabama $24.88 (n=12); Tennessee $25.03 (n=11); Louisiana $26.75 (n=12); Oklahoma $30.00 (n=9); South Carolina $30.50 (n=13); Georgia $30.50 (n=21).
Alaska’s figure rests on 8 entries, almost all Fairbanks. Statewide medians also blend job levels, so see the adjusted ranking next.
State pay premium after controlling for title, experience and employer
A state can look rich just because its respondents are more senior. This regression estimates each state’s pay premium versus the “all other states” baseline for the same title, years of experience and employer type (states with ≥10 tech/FSE entries):
| State | Premium vs baseline |
|---|---|
| California | +27.6% |
| Oregon | +20.7% |
| Washington | +16.9% |
| Colorado | +14.4% |
| New York | +11.2% |
| Wisconsin | +5.5% |
| Illinois | +3.8% |
| Michigan | +3.7% |
| Massachusetts | +1.3% |
| Missouri | -0.3% |
| Texas | -0.9% |
| Pennsylvania | -3.7% |
| Virginia | -4.1% |
| Georgia | -4.2% |
| Florida | -4.5% |
| Ohio | -5.3% |
| South Carolina | -5.5% |
| North Carolina | -6.3% |
| Indiana | -9.2% |
| Alabama | -16.8% |
| Tennessee | -16.9% |
| Louisiana | -20.4% |
The West Coast plus Colorado and New York pay meaningfully more for the same job; Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama pay roughly 17–20% less. The Southeast and Indiana also sit below the baseline.
Cost-of-living-adjusted (“real value”) ranking
Median pay ÷ state cost-of-living index × 100 (technicians & FSEs, n ≥ 8). Higher means the paycheck stretches further.
| Rank | State | n | Median | COL | Real value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 8 | $53.50 | 123.4 | 43.4 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 10 | $37.73 | 92.9 | 40.6 |
| 3 | Missouri | 16 | $35.25 | 89.0 | 39.6 |
| 4 | Oregon | 14 | $42.19 | 110.0 | 38.4 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 22 | $37.34 | 97.6 | 38.3 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 9 | $35.57 | 95.3 | 37.3 |
| 7 | Ohio | 33 | $35.06 | 94.9 | 36.9 |
| 8 | Virginia | 11 | $37.00 | 100.5 | 36.8 |
| 9 | Michigan | 33 | $33.88 | 92.3 | 36.7 |
| 10 | Kansas | 8 | $31.77 | 86.7 | 36.6 |
Worst real value: Massachusetts (21.9); California (27.5); Tennessee (27.8); Alabama (28.0); Louisiana (28.6); Florida (31.2). California is third on nominal pay but falls to second-worst on real value, and Massachusetts is mid-pack on pay but last once its cost of living is applied; Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio look much better.
Best states by title (n ≥ 4)
BMET 1 — top: New York $40.00 (n=7); California $36.03 (n=16); New Jersey $35.98 (n=4); Washington $35.10 (n=10) · bottom: Alabama $22.50 (n=7); Tennessee $21.31 (n=4)
BMET 2 — top: Oregon $44.62 (n=8); Washington $43.00 (n=9); California $39.50 (n=11); New York $36.00 (n=6) · bottom: Ohio $29.00 (n=9); Louisiana $26.00 (n=6)
BMET 3 — top: Alaska $62.00 (n=5); California $48.50 (n=7); Texas $42.61 (n=10); Missouri $40.33 (n=5) · bottom: North Carolina $34.92 (n=4); Florida $33.00 (n=5)
Imaging FSE — top: Michigan $48.38 (n=7); Texas $46.50 (n=9); Wisconsin $46.48 (n=4); Pennsylvania $45.00 (n=4) · bottom: Washington $42.08 (n=6); North Carolina $36.02 (n=5)
Cities
Highest-paying cities (technicians & FSEs, n ≥ 4): Fairbanks, Alaska $62.00 (n=5); Raleigh, North Carolina $44.00 (n=4); Cincinnati, Ohio $42.94 (n=6); Los Angeles, California $42.00 (n=7); Portland, Oregon $41.62 (n=10); Sacramento, California $41.50 (n=6); Morristown, New Jersey $40.78 (n=4); Ann Arbor, Michigan $40.28 (n=6); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $38.70 (n=6).
Lowest: Birmingham, Alabama $22.00 (n=5); San Antonio, Texas $26.83 (n=12); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $29.80 (n=4); Atlanta, Georgia $29.92 (n=8); Tulsa, Oklahoma $30.00 (n=7); Akron, Ohio $30.52 (n=4).
BMET 2 only (n ≥ 3, apples-to-apples): Portland, Oregon $44.62 (n=6); Seattle, Washington $42.00 (n=5); Albuquerque, New Mexico $36.75 (n=4); Madison, Wisconsin $36.75 (n=3); Detroit, Michigan $35.00 (n=3); Houston, Texas $34.00 (n=8); Boston, Massachusetts $34.00 (n=3); Chicago, Illinois $34.00 (n=3); Dallas, Texas $33.88 (n=4); Columbus, Ohio $29.38 (n=4); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $29.36 (n=3); Tulsa, Oklahoma $28.41 (n=3).
Pay trend, 2024 → 2026 (median by submission year)
| Title | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2024→2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMET 1 | $26.68 (n=66) | $28.75 (n=40) | $30.00 (n=78) | +12.5% |
| BMET 2 | $32.88 (n=72) | $32.50 (n=31) | $35.00 (n=83) | +6.4% |
| BMET 3 | $38.33 (n=35) | $36.93 (n=17) | $42.85 (n=48) | +11.8% |
| Lead BMET | $37.07 (n=13) | $40.00 (n=3) | $44.00 (n=17) | +18.7% |
| Imaging FSE | $44.00 (n=21) | $38.48 (n=7) | $44.19 (n=45) | +0.4% |
All US entries: 2024 $34.85 → 2025 $33.00 → 2026 $36.88. BMET 1 and BMET 3 medians are up about 12% from 2024 to 2026 and BMET 2 about 6%.
2025 has only 112 US entries (vs. 281 in 2024 and 318 in 2026), and different people submit each year, so this is a sample-based indicator, not a formal wage-growth measure.
Management ladder
| Title | n | Median | Annual equiv. | Median yrs exp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervisor | 13 | $62.00 | $128,960 | 15 |
| Manager | 28 | $55.66 | $115,762 | 16 |
| Director | 10 | $72.32 | $150,420 | 34 |
Small samples; “Supervisor” medians are lifted by several Fairbanks, AK entries ($79–$84/hr).
On-call pay
Of 545 US respondents who answered the on-call question, 327 (60%) are paid for on-call and 218 are not. Among those paid (excluding 11 entries above $30/hr, likely errors or salary-style entries), the median is $3.00/hr (middle 50%: $2.50–$5.00). It is $3.00 for BMET 1, 2 and 3 alike and $3.50 for Imaging FSEs. In-house techs are paid for on-call slightly more often than third-party (66% vs 60%).
4. Canada
n = 52. Median CA$43.51 (≈ US$31.76); middle 50%: CA$38.25–CA$49.00.
| Title | n | Canada median | In USD (≈) | US median | Canada (USD) vs US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMET 1 | 10 | CA$34.33 | US$25.06 | $28.00 | -11% |
| BMET 2 | 15 | CA$44.70 | US$32.63 | $34.00 | -4% |
| BMET 3 | 4 | CA$48.93 | US$35.72 | $39.21 | -9% |
| Province | n | Median (CA$) | COL index | Real value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | 4 | CA$50.50 | 118 | 42.8 |
| Alberta | 10 | CA$48.67 | 98 | 49.7 |
| Manitoba | 6 | CA$45.70 | 92 | 49.7 |
| Ontario | 22 | CA$42.25 | 108 | 39.1 |
| Nova Scotia | 5 | CA$39.00 | 93 | 41.9 |
| Quebec | 3 | CA$29.00 | 88 | 33.0 |
Provinces with n<3 omitted (PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador: 1 each). British Columbia has just 4 entries. Alberta and Manitoba lead on real value; BC’s housing costs erode its high pay; Ontario has the biggest sample (22) and is mid-pack.
Canadian technician pay is higher in Canadian dollars but, at approximate exchange rates, about 4–11% lower than US medians in US dollars for BMET 1–3 before cost-of-living differences.
5. Mexico
n = 31 (Ingeniero Biomédico = 15). After correcting 15 likely monthly-as-annual entries, the median is MX$57.72/hr (≈ MX$120,058/yr, roughly US$3.30/hr); the middle 50% is MX$40.38–MX$108.81. Uncorrected, the median would be only MX$28.85.
| State (n ≥ 2) | n | Median (MX$/hr, adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| Guanajuato | 4 | MX$132.00 |
| Yucatán | 3 | MX$92.31 |
| San Luis Potosí | 3 | MX$77.88 |
| Jalisco | 2 | MX$72.31 |
| Ciudad de México | 6 | MX$51.95 |
| Chiapas | 3 | MX$46.20 |
| Estado de México | 3 | MX$37.50 |
Highest single entries (Ingeniero Biomédico, salaried): Chihuahua MX$86.54/hr (MX$180k/yr), Monterrey MX$80.77 (MX$168k), Tepic MX$72.12 (MX$150k). Guanajuato’s high median comes mostly from entries that were corrected from monthly figures, so treat it with extra caution.
Mexico is by far the smallest and messiest sample; most states have 1–3 entries, so no state ranking or cost-of-living adjustment is reliable. Treat this section as a rough range, not a benchmark.
6. Cross-country snapshot (US dollars, approximate)
| Metric | United States | Canada | Mexico (adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median hourly, all roles | $35.16 | US$31.76 | US$3.30 |
| Median annual equivalent | $73,133 | US$66,065 | US$6,860 |
| Entries | 711 | 52 | 31 |
Assumes 1 CAD ≈ US$0.73 and US$1 ≈ MX$17.5; update if exchange rates have moved.
7. Key takeaways
- The typical US HTM professional in this survey earns about $35/hr (~$73k/yr). The BMET ladder is roughly $28 → $34 → $39 at the median for BMET 1 → 2 → 3, with Imaging FSEs at $43 and Lead BMETs at $40.
- Promotion beats waiting: title level explains more pay than years of experience, though experience still adds ~10% by year 5 and ~19% by year 10.
- Where you work matters a lot: for the same title and experience, California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and New York pay ~11–28% above baseline; Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama pay ~17–20% below.
- Cost of living reverses the story: California and Massachusetts are the worst places for real purchasing power; Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska (Fairbanks) look strong.
- Employer matters: third-party pays ~4–5% less than in-house for comparable work; OEM/manufacturer roles pay ~5% more. About 60% of respondents get on-call pay, typically $3/hr.
- Median pay has risen — about +12% for BMET 1 and 3 and +6% for BMET 2 between 2024 and 2026 submissions (directional).
- Canada pays more in CA$ but somewhat less in US$; Alberta and Manitoba are the best real-value provinces. Mexico data is too thin and error-prone for firm conclusions.
8. Caveats
- Self-reported and voluntary: respondents may skew toward people who follow BMET Galaxy, and nothing is verified.
- Sample sizes shrink quickly below the country/title level; anything with n<10 is directional.
- Cost-of-living indices come from different sources and vintages in each country; FX rates are approximations.
- Rates for salaried respondents assume 2,080 hours/year; overtime, bonuses, benefits and on-call are excluded from base pay.