What Is the Yearly Salary of a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer?

Sonography is a medical procedure, diagnostic in nature, which uses sound waves to produce a visual image. The visual image can be of specific organs or to check the blood flow inside the body to make sure there is not a blood clot. The salary of a diagnostic medical sonographer depends on the city, gender of the employee, state, years of experience, and types of certification, education, skill, employer type and size.

Gender Salary Differences

• On average, a female sonographer makes more than $26 per hour; while a male sonographer makes more than $27 per hour.

Years of Experience

• A sonographer with less than one year of experience makes approximately $21 per hour, while an employee with one to four years of experience makes approximately $24 per hour. If a sonographer has five to nine years experience, he makes more than $28 per hour. If the experience is 10 to 19 years, the hourly wage is approximately $32 per hour. More than 20 years of experience, and the salary is closer to $31 per hour.

Salary Differences by City

• Dallas pays the highest salary amount at approximately $30 per hour. Springfield, Mo., pays approximately $27 per hour. The lowest salary is in Orlando at approximately $24 per hour.

Salary Differences by State

• California pays the highest salary at more than $31 per hour. North Carolina salary pays approximately $26 per hour. The lowest salary is in Ohio at approximately $24 per hour.

Education

• With an associate degree in science, the average salary is close to $26 per hour. A bachelor of science yields an average salary of approximately $30 per hour.

Skill

• The OB/GYN sonographer makes approximately $30 per hour, whereas a sonographer hired to work in a radiology department makes approximately $27 per hour.

Employer Type, Size and Setting

• Hospital employees make an average salary of $26 per hour. Private practice and self-employed sonographers make a salary averaging $27 per hour. A college or university pays approximately $23 per hour. A company with one to 199 employees pays the sonographer approximately $27 to $28 per hour. Companies with two hundred to 1,999 employees pay the sonographer approximately $30 per hour. A general hospital pays a salary at approximately $26 per hour and an ambulatory surgery center pays a salary of approximately $29 per hour.