Installation & Repair
NDT Technicians
SOC 49-9069
Inspect materials and structures for defects without destroying them.
The job
Median pay
$69k
$51k to $84k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.5% projected
Openings a year
1k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary cert
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
18/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
42nd pct
More exposed than 42% of occupations · modeled estimate
Future-proof
55/100
Key skills
- Ultrasonic testing
- X-ray inspection
- Certification
- Detail
- Precision
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,460 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $80k |
| Tennessee | 1,150 | 0.4 | 5.8× | $82k |
| Texas | 580 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Florida | 410 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $59k |
| Ohio | 410 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $80k |
| Pennsylvania | 380 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $34k |
| North Carolina | 360 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $61k |
| Washington | 340 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $98k |
| New Jersey | 300 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $81k |
| Oklahoma | 230 | 0.1 | 2.2× | $61k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 210 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $65k |
| Iowa | 200 | 0.1 | 2.1× | $46k |
| Michigan | 190 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $66k |
| Georgia | 180 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Hawaii | 180 | 0.3 | 4.7× | $89k |
| Wisconsin | 175 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $70k~ |
| Kansas | 170 | 0.1 | 2.0× | $77k |
| Connecticut | 160 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $76k |
| Indiana | 140 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Virginia | 140 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $82k |
| Alabama | 130 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $64k |
| Arkansas | 130 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $61k |
| Maryland | 130 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $65k |
| Illinois | 120 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $51k |
| Maine | 120 | 0.2 | 3.1× | $53k |
| Oregon | 112 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $68k~ |
| Minnesota | 110 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $57k |
| Utah | 105 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $55k~ |
| New Mexico | 100 | 0.1 | 1.9× | $78k |
| Nevada | 96 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $70k~ |
| Colorado | 90 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $71k |
| Delaware | 90 | 0.2 | 3.1× | $82k |
| Alaska | 80 | 0.2 | 4.1× | $114k |
| Kentucky | 80 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $66k |
| Louisiana | 80 | 0.0 | 0.7× | $82k |
| Massachusetts | 70 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $62k |
| Nebraska | 70 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $59k~ |
| South Carolina | 70 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $57k |
| Idaho | 61 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $66k~ |
| Arizona | 60 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $77k |
| West Virginia | 55 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $58k~ |
| Wyoming | 50 | 0.2 | 3.0× | $62k |
| New Hampshire | 43 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $72k~ |
| Montana | 37 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $68k~ |
| North Dakota | 35 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $72k~ |
| South Dakota | 31 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $68k~ |
| Mississippi | 30 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $70k |
| Missouri | 30 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $81k |
| Rhode Island | 25 | 0.0 | 0.8× | $70k~ |
| Washington DC | 17 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $83k~ |
| Vermont | 17 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $69k~ |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA450 jobs · $61k median
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN260 jobs · $48k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ260 jobs · $80k median
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA210 jobs · $72k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD200 jobs · $74k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA180 jobs · $67k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA170 jobs · $99k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX140 jobs
Explore the rankings
Explore NDT Technicians interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.