Ultrasound technicians or sonographers operate machinery that uses sound waves to produce images of the human body for the diagnosis of medical conditions and diseases. In Illinois, technicians received average annual salaries of $69,900 per year as of May 2009, explains the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wages in Illinois exceeded the national U.S. average of $63,640 by nearly 10 percent. Most employers in Illinois prefer to hire ultrasound technicians who have a degree or certificate from a school approved by the Commission on the Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, of which seven existed in the state as of February 2011.
Chicago Area
Salaries for ultrasound technicians in the greater Chicago area were 5 percent to 8 percent above the Illinois average as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sonographers who worked in Lake County made an average of $75,200 per year, making them the highest paid in the state. Those in Chicago, Joliet and Naperville received an average of $73,600 annually. The Chicagoland area served as home to five of the state's seven CAAHEP-approved sonography colleges. These schools were Triton in River Grove, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University in Chicago, College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and Harper College in Palentine.
Central Illinois
In the cities of central Illinois, salaries for ultrasound technicians ranged from 4 percent to 6 percent below the statewide average as of May 2009, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest-paying city in the region was Peoria, where sonographers made an average of $66,550 annually. Ultrasound technicians in Urbana and Champaign earned slightly less at $66,370 per year. The capital area of Springfield served as the lowest-paying city for sonographers in the region with yearly salaries that averaged $65,690.
Other Metropolitan Areas
Rockford featured the highest average annual salaries for sonographers among the metropolitan areas outside of Chicago and central Illinois as of May 2009, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ultrasound technicians in the city made an average of $67,390 per year, about 4 percent below the statewide average. In the area of Illinois considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, salaries averaged $60,820. St. Louis served as home to a CAAHEP-accredited sonography program at St Louis Community College. Moline had the lowest average annual salaries for ultrasound technicians among all of the major metropolitan areas statewide at $58,420.
Rural Areas
Wages for sonographers in the rural areas of Illinois fell below the statewide average salaries by 11 percent to 22 percent as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rural salaries for ultrasound technicians were highest in east central Illinois at $62,300 per year, while those in west central Illinois made an average of $56,310 annually. Southern Illinois featured the lowest wages for sonographers out of all areas in the state at a yearly average of $54,440. The area served as home to two CAAHEP-accredited sonography schools: John A. Logan College in Carterville and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
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