How Much Does a Sonographer Make in South Dakota in 2026?

A typical Sonographer in South Dakota earns about $38.85 per hour ($80,820 per year), per the latest government wage data (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that comes to roughly $6,735 a month and $1,554 a week. These figures represent typical pay across the state, covering Sonographers at various experience levels and work settings.

That South Dakota figure runs 16% below the national typical pay of $96,590 a year, placing the state 46th out of 51 states ranked. Lower pay here often tracks lower living costs compared with higher-cost states. About 370 Sonographers work across South Dakota, a modest workforce size compared with larger, more populous states.

Entry-level positions in South Dakota typically offer around $24.57 an hour, or about $51,100 a year, for Sonographers just starting out. Pay generally moves toward the state's typical figure of $80,820 a year within the first several years on the job. New graduates and those early in their careers can expect wages toward the lower end of the range while building experience and clinical skills.

Experienced Sonographers in South Dakota often earn upwards of $42.86 an hour, or about $89,150 a year, with the top 10% making over $47.16 an hour, or $98,090 a year. That leaves a spread of $46,990 between entry-level and top-tier pay. Setting, years of experience, and which city a Sonographer works in all factor into where someone lands within that range.

South Dakota Sonographer pay climbed from $60,600 in 2015 to $80,820 in 2025, a gain of $20,220 over the decade. That's a rise of 33% in ten years. The increase came steadily, with pay dipping slightly in 2016 and 2021 before continuing upward through 2025.

Nationally, Sonographer pay rose 40% over the same ten years, a faster climb than South Dakota's. Pay for the profession has moved up in both cases, though there's no guarantee that trend continues at the same pace. Someone starting as a Sonographer in South Dakota today enters a field where wages have generally trended higher over time.

The only South Dakota city with separate wage data is Sioux Falls, where Sonographers earn $80,600 a year, or $38.75 an hour, figures that cover the full metro area rather than just the city itself. That's almost identical to the statewide figure of $80,820, since Sioux Falls essentially sets the pace for the whole state. Sioux Falls also has the largest Sonographer workforce in South Dakota, with 250 of the state's 370 Sonographers working there.

Because South Dakota's tracked wage data centers on this one metro area, pay for Sonographers appears fairly uniform across the state rather than split between a clear high and low city. A lower cost of living across much of South Dakota compared with larger metro areas elsewhere often goes hand in hand with lower wages. Sonographers moving within the state are less likely to see large swings in pay tied to location alone.

Every neighboring state pays Sonographers more than South Dakota does. Minnesota leads at $102,850 a year (27% higher), followed by Montana at $101,000 (25%) and Wyoming at $100,650 (25%). Iowa ($86,480, 7% higher), North Dakota ($84,340, 4% higher), and Nebraska ($82,670, 2% higher) come closest to South Dakota's pay. Sonographer licensure earned in one state can often be transferred or endorsed into a nearby state.

South Dakota Sonographers typically earn $80,820 a year today, up 33% from a decade ago. That upward trend reflects a field where pay has generally moved higher over time, even though the state trails the national figure. Readers considering this career should check South Dakota's licensing and registry requirements before applying, and review city-level pages for local pay figures, since Sioux Falls currently offers the state's most complete local data.