How Much Does a Sonographer Make in the United States in 2026?

Hospitals and imaging clinics rely on Sonographers to produce the images physicians use to diagnose and monitor patients. The job pays well. A Sonographer, also called an ultrasound technician or ultrasound tech, typically earns $46.44 per hour, or $96,590 a year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025).

That figure covers a wide range. Pay depends on the state, the type of facility, years of scanning experience, and the registry credentials a tech holds. About 90,160 Sonographers work in the United States. It is a small profession next to nursing, but one found in nearly every hospital and clinic.

A typical Sonographer earns $46.44 per hour. Over a full-time year that comes to $96,590. Broken down from that annual figure, monthly pay runs about $8,049 and weekly pay about $1,858. Real paychecks vary with overtime, on-call hours, and how many weeks a person works.

Entry-level positions typically offer around $32.60 per hour, or $67,820 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $62.20 per hour, or $129,370. The gap between those two ends is $61,550. Closing it comes down to years scanned and where the job sits.

New Sonographers start near the bottom of the range. Entry-level positions typically offer around $32.60 per hour, which is $67,820 a year. After a few years of scanning, pay commonly reaches about $38.67 per hour, or $80,430. From there it climbs toward the typical $96,590.

Experienced Sonographers earn upwards of $51.41 per hour, or $106,930 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $62.20 per hour, or $129,370. Reaching that group usually takes a decade of scanning, more than one registry credential, and a job in a high-paying state or a well-funded outpatient practice.

Pay has risen steadily for a decade. Sonographers typically earned $68,970 a year in 2015, and typical pay reached $96,590 in 2025. That is a gain of $27,620, or 40%. The most recent year alone added $7,250, or 8.1%.

The pace picked up. Typical pay gained $5,350 between 2015 and 2019, then $18,850 between 2021 and 2025. Demand for these workers rose faster than programs could train them, and wages followed. National figures move slowly, and a local market can run well ahead of or behind them.

Where you work is often the single biggest factor. California pays Sonographers the most at $128,530 a year, or $61.79 per hour, followed by Hawaii at $124,430, Washington at $121,340, Oregon at $120,220, and the District of Columbia at $112,020. Metro figures run higher still: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara reaches $173,150, or $83.25 per hour, Vallejo $171,170, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom $163,220, Santa Rosa-Petaluma $161,570, and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont $160,270.

Pay runs lowest in Alabama at $68,180 a year, with Mississippi at $76,520 and West Virginia at $76,820. That leaves $60,350 between the highest-paying and lowest-paying states. The largest workforces sit in California with 10,110 Sonographers, Texas with 6,960 at $92,580, and New York with 6,880 at $103,920. High-paying states also carry high housing costs, so a bigger number does not always mean more money left over. Every state appears in the table below.

Most Sonographers work in hospitals. General medical and surgical hospitals employ 52,050 of them at $46.77 per hour, or $97,280 a year. Offices of physicians come next with 18,930 Sonographers at $45.78 per hour, or $95,220. Those two settings hold roughly four out of five jobs in the field.

Outpatient care centers pay the most among common settings, $61.51 per hour, or $127,940 a year, which runs 32% above the national figure for the field. Medical and diagnostic laboratories sit at the other end, paying $42.11 per hour, or $87,580. The table below lists every setting.

Hospitals run scanning around the clock, and the schedule shows up in pay. Shift differentials for nights, weekends, and holidays are common in hospital settings, as is on-call pay for Sonographers who cover after-hours studies. The amounts vary by employer and are set locally, so the posted hourly rate may not reflect what the job actually pays.

ARDMS registry credentials are the standard in this field. Employers commonly require registry status, and hiring managers look for RDMS, RDCS, and RVT. Only a few states license Sonographers, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Oregon among them, so check with your own state board before planning around a license.

Specialty matters too. Cardiac sonography, also called echocardiography, and vascular sonography commonly pay more than general abdominal or obstetric work, and each carries its own registry credential. Sonographers who take assignments through employment services and temporary help agencies, about 1,650 and 1,190 workers, typically earn $48.52 per hour, or $100,920 a year.

Sonography already sits above most entry imaging work. A Radiologic Technologist typically earns $80,110 a year against $96,590 for a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, a gap of $16,480. An MRI Technologist typically earns $95,480, about $1,110 below sonography. An accredited (CAAHEP) associate degree commonly takes about two years, and certificate programs run 12 to 18 months for those who already have a health background.

MRI work is a post-primary certification earned after an imaging credential, so the years spent scanning count toward it. People commonly study part time while working, and some employers offer tuition help. Clinical hours are substantial in any accredited program, so scheduling matters as much as tuition.

Sonographers typically earn $96,590 a year, up from $68,970 in 2015, a rise of 40%. BLS projects steady growth through 2035. Two practical steps: check your state's salary page for local figures, since the spread between states runs past $60,000. Then confirm the training and licensing requirements where you live before enrolling in a program.