How Much Does An Ultrasound Tech Make? Insights Into Ultrasound Tech Salary

A pelvic ultrasound has become an essential part of the diagnosis and treatment of the malaises that threaten pelvic health, especially among women.

Do you know that salary is a top factor when people choose a career path? Well, the worldwide American employment site Indeed Inc. says it is. That fact suggests anyone interested in becoming a diagnostic medical sonographer asks this question at some point in their career discernment: How much does an ultrasound tech make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), ultrasound technicians make an average of $84,470 per annum as of May 2023. But that figure varies widely in different states and cities. It also varies by factors such as education, experience level, specialty, and type of employer.

We’ll break down for you how these factors determine how much an ultrasound tech makes in a bit. However, you should know first what an ultrasound tech does, which is what they are paid for in the first place. 

What Does an Ultrasound Technician Do?

Ultrasound technicians, also called ultrasound techs, ultrasound technologists, or diagnostic medical sonographers are allied health professionals who operate diagnostic ultrasound machines to create images of internal body organs and make medical assessments.

Using the ultrasound images and assessment records, both sonographers and medics can:

• Detect abnormalities and disease in body organs.
• Guide clinicians and surgeons in interventional procedures.
• Monitor fetal growth and health.

Along with taking images of body organs and creating ultrasound reports, ultrasound technicians also perform these related tasks:

• Checking a patient’s previous exams to create his/her profile.
• Maintaining diagnostic ultrasound equipment.
• Preparing the ultrasound room for the imaging procedure.
• Explaining the ultrasound procedure to the patient to prepare them for it and answering any questions from the patient.
• Getting the patient physically ready for the ultrasound procedure.
• Performing ultrasound imaging, while paying attention to quality and thorough coverage of the targeted body organs and tissues.
• Analyzing the images and creating a summary report of the findings, including any abnormalities.
• Updating patient records with the results of the ultrasound procedure.

Today, the demand for ultrasound technicians is at an all-time high for the following factors:

• The existence of an aging population with heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions that require ultrasound diagnostic procedures.
• An increased usage of sonography in fetal growth, health, and development monitoring among pregnant women.
• An overall increment in the use of ultrasound imaging machines for medical screening and diagnosis.

By conclusive judgment, you’d expected that the growing need for ultrasound technicians impacts ultrasound tech salaries. 

So, exactly how much does an ultrasound tech make, and what factors create variations in the salaries of ultrasound technologists? Let’s focus on answering those questions.

How Much Does an Ultrasound Tech Make?

If you ask medical professionals and sonographers, they will tell you there are generally three types of pelvic ultrasound, categorized by the probing or scanning mode.

An ultrasound technologist salary depends on many factors, which we will discuss shortly. 

From the latest BLS data in May 2023, the national median hourly salary for an ultrasound technician is $40.61, translating to the $84,470 annual median.

For a quick comparison, that figure is much higher than the average wage of an ultrasound sonographer in the UK. According to the country’s National Careers Service, ultrasound technicians earn an average wage of $49,054 to $55,766) (£44,000-£50,000).

Back in the US, compared to other occupations with related education requirements, like magnetic resonance imaging technologists, radiation therapists, and respiratory therapists, the median salary of an ultrasound sonographer is on the higher side. 

Here’s a quick comparison of the median salaries in these occupations as recorded by the BLS in May 2023.

The median figure can go up or down, depending on several factors discussed in the next section.

Factors That Determine an Ultrasound Tech’s Salary

As with every other occupation, how much an ultrasound tech makes depends on many factors, including education and certification, experience, geographical location, specialty, and type of employer.

Education and Certification

You don’t have to be certified to be an ultrasound sonographer in the US. Instead, the typical requirement to start a career as an ultrasound sonographer is an Associate’s Degree, and in some cases, a Postsecondary Certificate. 

However, the reality on the ground shows that most employees prefer ultrasound technicians with certification.

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) is the main body offering certification for sonographers. Nonetheless, sonographers can also seek certification with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or Cardiovascular Credentialing International.

Certified ultrasound technicians have better chances for higher-paying jobs, as well as those in the following categories:

• Those who attend accredited sonography schools and programs.
• Those with higher education and training, like a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. (Master’s degree holders have higher chances for managerial and supervisory jobs, which pay much more).
• Those trained in multiple concentrations, such as cardiac, vascular, and OB/GYN ultrasonography.

Experience

A beginner ultrasound sonographer will not make the same amount as one with accumulated work experience.

From the BLS records, there’s a significant difference in the salary of an entry-level ultrasonographer and one with years of experience.

The median salary for entry-level ultrasound technicians is $63,680 ($30.61/hr), while those with accumulated experience have a median wage of $116,300 ($55.91/hr).

Consider that ultrasound sonographers with accumulated work experience can also take up managerial roles with better salaries.

Geographical Location

You will earn a higher salary working as an ultrasound technologist in California than in Texas. 

While the two states have the highest employment levels for ultrasound technicians respectively, California has a median annual wage of $122,670 ($58.97/hr). The ultrasound tech salary Texas is $81,200 ($39.04/hr).

Note: Real-time median salary calculation tools like the one by Indeed Inc. may show higher values for Texas compared to California. But bear in mind that their calculation relies on the number and value of salaries reported to the employment site and not a national survey as the BLS does. 

Also, while California has the highest employment level and median wage, the state with the second-highest median salary of $111,690 ($53,70/hr) is Hawaii with only 280 ultrasound sonographers.

That goes to say that an ultrasound technologist salary varies with geographical location but does not necessarily depend on the employment level of the area.

Specialty

Industry indicators show that being certified in an ultrasound specialty that’s in high demand gives you a greater advantage for recruitment and a higher salary. 

While general abdominal sonographers have an advantage in the job market because it’s the most popular use of ultrasound, other ultrasound technician specialties are also rising in demand. They include:

• Cardiovascular sonography: Due to the rise in heart disease cases.
• Vascular sonography: For assessing conditions such as peripheral artery disease, stroke, and aneurysms. 
• Musculoskeletal sonography: Because of a rising demand for its use in sport-related injuries.
• OB/GYN sonography: Due to increased uptake of women’s reproductive health assessment and for monitoring fetal health and development.

Certification in these specialties will raise an ultrasound technologist’s chances for employment and a higher wage. Instead, those in lesser demand, like breast sonography, may not.

Type of Employer

Ultrasound technologists can find work in a range of settings. Some of these settings have better wages due to factors like patient population and the quality of service.

Overall, outpatient centers have the highest level of employment and median annual wage, while educational institutions for medical diagnostic sonography training have the lowest median wages.

Here’s a summary of who pays more and who less to ultrasound technologists.

From the ongoing, it is clear that ultrasound technologists receive a fairly high salary. But what is the future job outlook for ultrasound techs?

Job Outlook and New Prospects

Demand for ultrasound technicians will continue to grow, given the driving factors mentioned earlier. 

The BLS predicts a 10% growth in diagnostic medical sonographer employment levels in the decade running from 2022 to 2032. That is an overall faster growth rate than the average for all other careers.

In job openings, the employment growth translates to about 9,600 ultrasound technician and cardiovascular technologist job openings, arising mainly from retirement and career changes.

And with such growth, the wages of ultrasound technicians can only go up.

As for ultrasound technologist employment opportunities, all types of hospitals put together will offer the most job opportunities, followed by physician offices and medical and diagnostic labs.

New prospects are also defining how much an ultrasound tech makes. 

For example, ultrasound technologists can now become travel sonographers, working on short-term assignments at different locations. Their assignments see them sit in for staff on leave or assist in understaffed healthcare facilities.

Because of the flexible nature of their assignments, a travel ultrasound tech salary can be on the higher side, ranging from an annual median of $65,167 for entry-level ultrasound technologists and $104,552 for experienced ones, according to salary.com.

A travel ultrasound tech salary can also go up with benefits related to the assignment, including travel and housing allowances, plus other bonuses.

Summing It Up!

How much does an ultrasound tech make? A fairly good wage that ranges around a median annual salary of $84,470. Still, that figure can go up or down for individual ultrasound technologists depending on factors like education, experience level, geographical location, specialty, and type of employer.

If you want a higher ultrasound technologist salary, get certification with the relevant bodies, advance your education to Bachelor’s or Master’s levels, take more specialty training, go for better-paying employers, or move to better-paying states. 

And if you like it, become a travel sonographer!

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023-Diagnostic Medical Sonographers.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians.
• All Allied Health Schools: Medical Sonographer Salary Guide.
• Indeed: Factors to Consider When Making Your Choice of Career.
• All Allied Health Schools: The Importance of Accreditation for Allied Health Schools and Programs.
• NIH: What Does “Allied Health” Mean?
• Cleveland Clinic: Ultrasound Technician/Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.
• UK National Careers Service: Sonographer.
• Health Carousel Nursing & Allied Health: Is Sonography Job Demand on the Rise?
• Indeed: Ultrasonographer salary in Texas.
• Salary.com: Travel Ultrasound Tech Salary in the United States.