How Much Does a Sonographer Make in Montana in 2026?

A typical Diagnostic Medical Sonographer in Montana earns about $48.56 per hour, or $101,000 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). Calculated from that annual figure, pay works out to roughly $8,417 a month and $1,942 a week. These figures describe the person in the middle of the pay range, not the highest or lowest earner. Montana's 230 working Sonographers see pay settle around this point most often.

That pay sits 5% above the national figure of $96,590 a year for the same role, according to the same May 2025 data. Montana ranks 16th out of 51 states and territories for Sonographer pay, placing it in the upper third nationally. Nationwide, 90,160 Sonographers work in the field, compared with Montana's 230, underscoring how much smaller Montana's population and workforce are than the country as a whole.

Entry-level positions in Montana typically offer around $38.82 an hour, or about $80,750 a year, for Sonographers just starting out. Some newer entrants land closer to $40.77 an hour, or $84,800 a year, depending on setting and location. Pay tends to move toward the state's typical figure of $101,000 a year within the first several years on the job. Hospitals and larger clinics in bigger cities often move new hires up this range faster than small rural practices.

Experienced Sonographers in Montana often earn upwards of $53.22 an hour, or about $110,700 a year, once they've built a track record. The top 10% of earners make over $121,260 a year, or $58.30 an hour, typically in specialized imaging roles or higher-paying cities. The gap between entry-level and top pay comes to $40,510 a year. Setting, years of experience, and city all factor into where an individual sonographer lands within that range.

Montana Sonographer pay has climbed steadily over the past decade, rising from $69,350 in 2015 to $101,000 in 2025. That's a gain of $31,650, or 46%, over ten years. The increase wasn't perfectly even; pay dipped slightly in 2020 before resuming its climb, then jumped notably between 2023 and 2024. By 2025, typical pay had settled at its highest point in the ten-year record.

Nationally, Sonographer pay rose 40% over the same decade, so Montana's 46% climb outpaced the country as a whole. For someone starting out now, this history shows pay in the field has moved upward over time, though it offers no guarantee of future increases. Montana's recent gains suggest the state has kept pace with, and slightly exceeded, national trends for this profession.

Bozeman pays Sonographers the most in Montana, with typical pay around $121,260 a year ($58.30 an hour), which is 20% above the state figure. Billings follows at $107,340 a year ($51.61 an hour), still above the national figure but below Bozeman's. Both figures cover each city's full metro area rather than just the city limits.

Billings is the lowest-paying of Montana's two reported metro areas, with typical pay of $107,340 a year, putting the spread between Montana's highest- and lowest-paying cities at $13,920. Billings also has the state's largest Sonographer workforce, with 50 employed there compared with 30 in Bozeman. Bozeman's higher pay likely reflects its higher cost of living, which tends to push wages up to match local expenses.

Montana's typical Sonographer pay of $101,000 a year runs close to Wyoming's $100,650, essentially even, and just above Idaho's $99,920. It sits well above North Dakota's $84,340 and South Dakota's $80,820, each more than 15% lower than Montana's figure. Sonographers considering a move across state lines should note that licensure or registry credentials can often be transferred or endorsed between neighboring states, easing a relocation.

Sonographers in Montana typically earn $101,000 a year, a figure that has climbed 46% over the past decade and now sits above both the national pay level and every neighboring state except Wyoming. Anyone weighing a move to or within Montana should check the state licensing or registry board for current requirements, and review city-specific pages for Bozeman and Billings to compare local pay before deciding where to work.