How Much Does a Sonographer Make in Iowa in 2026?

A typical Sonographer in Iowa earns about $41.58 per hour, or $86,480 per year, per the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $7,207 a month. On a weekly basis, pay comes to about $1,663, based on the annual figure.

That is 10% below the national figure of $96,590 a year, which places Iowa 33rd among the 51 states and territories tracked. Roughly 740 Sonographers work across Iowa, giving a sense of the size of the field in the state. Pay below the national figure often lines up with a lower cost of living.

Entry-level positions in Iowa typically offer around $34.85 an hour, or about $72,480 a year, according to the May 2025 wage data. That is the starting range for Sonographers who are newer to the field. Pay tends to move toward the state's typical figure of $86,480 a year within the first several years on the job.

Experienced Sonographers in Iowa often earn upwards of $46.91 an hour, or about $97,570 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $49.02 an hour, or $101,970 a year. The gap between entry-level and top pay runs about $29,490, a spread that tends to reflect differences in work setting, years of experience, and city.

Iowa Sonographer pay rose from $61,460 in 2015 to $86,480 in 2025, a gain of $25,020. That amounts to a 41% increase over the decade, according to the wage data. The rise wasn't a straight line: pay dipped slightly in 2020 before climbing again in the years that followed.

Nationally, Sonographer pay rose 40% over the same decade, so Iowa's 41% increase kept pace with the country as a whole. For someone starting now, this history shows pay has moved up over time, though it offers no guarantee about future years. Typical pay in Iowa now stands at $86,480 a year, up significantly from where it started in 2015.

Pay runs highest in Des Moines, where Sonographers typically earn $87,080 a year ($41.87 an hour), about 1% above the state figure. West Des Moines matches that same figure, since it falls in the same metro area. Iowa City follows closely at $86,940 a year, and Cedar Rapids sits right at the state typical figure of $86,480.

At the other end, Cedar Falls pays the least among Iowa's metro areas, with a typical wage of $80,620 a year, putting the spread between the highest- and lowest-paying cities at $6,460. Des Moines also has the largest Sonographer workforce among Iowa cities, with 170 employed there. These figures cover full metro areas, and differences generally track each area's cost of living.

Iowa pays less than every neighboring state except Nebraska and South Dakota. Minnesota leads the region at $102,850 a year, 19% above Iowa, and Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri all pay 16% to 18% more. Nebraska runs 4% lower at $82,670, and South Dakota is 7% lower at $80,820. Sonographers moving between states can often transfer or endorse their license into a neighboring state rather than starting the credentialing process over.

Typical Sonographer pay in Iowa now stands at $86,480 a year ($41.58 an hour), up 41% over the past decade. That puts Iowa's pay below the national figure but roughly in line with its cost of living. For specific requirements, the state licensing or registry page outlines what's needed to work as a Sonographer in Iowa, and city pages cover local pay figures for places like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.