The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance says a newly released national employment analysis it commissioned shows that the medical imaging technology sector employs 2,510 people in Washington state, ranking it ninth among states nationwide.

The organization, a Washington, D.C.-based division of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, released the results of the study, which was conducted by Boston-based economic consulting firm Charles River Associates, last month.

"This study reaffirms that the medical imaging technology industry is critical to the health of both the people of Washington and the local economy," says Gail Rodriguez, executive director of MITA.

The employment impact analysis, based on 2011 data, involved a survey of the seven largest medical imaging companies operating in the United States, which represents 75 percent of industry sales.

In addition to national and state-level medical imaging technology industry employment data, the analysis presents the aggregated employment for all medical imaging modalities, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear imaging, ultrasound and x-ray, focusing on a subset of the value chain that is devoted to manufacturing, selling and servicing medical imaging technology.

Washington was the only Pacific Northwest state to appear among the top 20 medical imaging industry employers.

Pennsylvania topped the list with 7,050 workers statewide, followed by Wisconsin, 6,920 workers; California, 4,190; Texas, 3,380; Florida, 2,980; Illinois, 2,780; Ohio, 2,760; and New Jersey, 2,690. Massachusetts, with 2,470 workers, rounded out the top 10.