Diagnostic medical sonographers use sophisticated equipment that transmits ultrasonic sound waves into the body to show an image of internal organs or other body structures. This form of imaging does not use radiation and is considered safer than X-rays or other diagnostic imaging procedures. Sonographers are skilled technicians, and the demand for medical sonographers is expected to grow at an above average rate through 2018.
Wages and Salary
The average salary for a medical sonographer is $30.60 per hour, or $63,640 per year. The middle 50 percent of all sonographers earn between $25.53 and $35.77 per hour, or between $53,110 and $74,400 per year average. The lowest paid 10 percent of sonographers earn less than $21.15 per hour or $43,990 per year, and the highest paid 10 percent earn over $41.32 per hour, or $85,950 per year.
Industries
The largest number of medical sonographers work in general and surgical hospitals. Hospitals employ over 31,000 medical sonographers in the United States, with an average hourly pay of $30.66 or $63,770 per year. Doctor's offices employ the second highest number of sonographers at just over 13,000 people, and they pay them an average hourly wage of $30.68, or $63,820 annually. Temporary employment services pay medical sonographers the highest amount of any industry, with an average of $32.70 per hour or $68,020 annually.
By State
Florida employs the largest number of medical sonographers, at 4,730, and it also has the highest concentration of sonographers of any state, at 0.643 per 1,000 workers. Florida sonographers earn an average of $26.94 per hour, or $56,030 per year. Connecticut has the next highest concentration, but their sonographers earn significantly more at the average rate of $35.41 per hour or $73,660 per year. Sonographers earn the highest wages in Massachusetts, averaging $37.72 per hour or $78,460 per year. Oregon and Colorado sonographers are the next highest paid in the United States, earning slightly less than their Massachusetts colleagues.
Metropolitan Areas
New Haven, Connecticut, employs the highest concentration of medical sonographers of any metropolitan areas, at 1.388 sonographers per 1,000 workers. The average wage in New Haven is $36.06 per hour or $75,000 per year. The highest paying metropolitan area for medical sonographers is Santa Cruz - Watsonville California, where sonographers earn on average $46.89 per hour or $97,530 per year. The San Jose, California and Worcester, Massachusetts metropolitan areas pay the next highest wages.
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