Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Salary: $122,183 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 86,460 diagnostic medical sonographers nationally earn a mean of $122,183. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.2% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers: what the data shows
Common questions about diagnostic medical sonographers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a diagnostic medical sonographers?
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-2032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 86,460 workers.
What does a diagnostic medical sonographers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a diagnostic medical sonographers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $89,340 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $122,183 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $59,823 |
| 25th percentile | $88,378 |
| Median (50th) | $124,124 |
| 75th percentile | $158,997 |
| 90th percentile | $178,513 |
What education do you need?
For Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Physics, Medicine and Dentistry. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is diagnostic medical sonographers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.2% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 23.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 51.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 86,460.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do diagnostic medical sonographerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 100,980 | 18.6% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 99,070 | 18.2% |
| Cross-industry | 86,460 | 15.9% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 83,870 | 15.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 78,860 | 14.5% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 33,140 | 6.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Diagnostic Medical Sonographers workforce.
Employment Over Time
86,460 Workforce in 2023
The Diagnostic Medical Sonographers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$122,183 Average Wage
In 2023, Diagnostic Medical Sonographers earned an average of $122,183.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Salary distribution for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Employment Growth Projections
4.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
44,526 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 23.1%
54,799 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 51.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 4.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-2.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 9,240 employees, $118,950 avg wage
- NY: 7,080 employees, $100,210 avg wage
- FL: 6,560 employees, $82,590 avg wage
- TX: 6,110 employees, $85,030 avg wage
- IL: 3,500 employees, $94,850 avg wage
- PA: 3,250 employees, $81,860 avg wage
- NJ: 3,160 employees, $101,140 avg wage
- MI: 3,090 employees, $78,660 avg wage
- NC: 3,070 employees, $84,690 avg wage
- OH: 3,010 employees, $81,960 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 7,140 employees, $104,880 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,470 employees, $104,140 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,450 employees, $98,580 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,110 employees, $86,810 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,720 employees, $90,750 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,620 employees, $86,710 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,620 employees, $100,940 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,540 employees, $91,200 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,540 employees, $110,510 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 1,430 employees, $79,180 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in 2023 was 86,460 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Mathematics.
Common majors for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Diagnostic Medical Sonographers workers.
Education level distribution for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Skills
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring.
Required skills for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Physics, Medicine and Dentistry, Administrative.
Knowledge areas required for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers include Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
Daily Activities
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
About
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
The average yearly wage for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers was $122,183 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-2032 - Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers reports an average salary of $122,183, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 86,460 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 4.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.