How Much Does an MRI Tech Make in Arkansas in 2026?

A typical MRI Tech in Arkansas earns about $37.88 per hour ($78,780 per year), per the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $6,565 a month, calculated from the annual figure. On a weekly basis, pay comes to about $1,515. These figures reflect what a typical MRI Tech earns across the state.

That pay runs about 17% below the national figure of $95,480 a year ($45.91 an hour). Arkansas ranks 47th out of 51 states tracked for this occupation. Lower pay in Arkansas tends to track the state's lower cost of living compared with higher-cost states. Around 380 MRI Techs work across the state, a modest workforce for the profession.

Entry-level positions in Arkansas typically offer around $29.76 an hour ($61,910 a year) for MRI Techs just starting out. That is the starting range for people new to the field. Pay tends to move up toward the typical $37.88 an hour figure within a few years of experience. Most techs see steady gains as they build hands-on scanning experience.

Experienced MRI Techs in Arkansas often earn upwards of $39.93 an hour, the range for the more seasoned three-quarters of the workforce. The top 10% of earners make over $46.91 an hour ($97,570 a year). That leaves a spread of $35,660 between entry-level and top pay in the state. Setting, years of experience, and the city where a tech works all tend to separate the two ends of that range.

Arkansas MRI Tech pay has climbed steadily over the past decade, from $50,700 in 2015 to $78,780 in 2025. That is a gain of $28,080, a rise of 55% over ten years. The increase has been fairly consistent year over year, with only a small dip in 2024 before pay moved higher again in 2025. Pay in 2025 sits well above where it stood a decade earlier.

Nationally, MRI Tech pay rose 41% over the same ten years, so Arkansas's 55% increase outpaced the national rise. For someone starting an MRI Tech career in Arkansas now, that history shows pay has moved up substantially over time, though past gains do not guarantee future increases. The trend points to steady improvement rather than stagnation.

Pay runs highest in northwest Arkansas, where Springdale, Rogers, and Fayetteville each report $81,120 a year ($39.00 an hour), figures that reflect each city's full metro area. That is about 3% above the statewide figure. These three cities post identical numbers because they share the same metro area for wage-reporting purposes. Techs working in that corner of the state see the highest pay in Arkansas.

Jonesboro reports the lowest pay in the state, at $79,510 a year ($38.23 an hour), a spread of $1,610 from the top city. Conway carries the largest MRI Tech workforce among Arkansas cities, with 150 employed at $79,840 a year ($38.39 an hour). Pay differences across Arkansas cities are fairly narrow compared with the gap between entry-level and top earners statewide. Local cost of living helps explain why pay varies across cities.

Arkansas pay lags most of its neighbors. Texas pays MRI Techs 23% more ($96,780 a year), and Oklahoma pays 11% more ($87,480 a year). Missouri runs 5% higher, while Tennessee is about even with Arkansas. Louisiana and Mississippi pay less, at 2% and 9% below Arkansas respectively. MRI Tech licensure earned in Arkansas can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring state, though requirements vary.

MRI Techs in Arkansas typically earn $78,780 a year ($37.88 an hour), up 55% over the past decade. That growth has outpaced the national rise over the same period. Readers weighing a move into the field, or a move within it, should check Arkansas's state licensing or registry requirements and review city-level pages for local pay figures before deciding where to work.