Ultrasound Technician Salary Range

In 2002, the lowest 10 percent of ultrasound technicians earned less than $35,800, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest 10 percent earned more than $66,680. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) reports higher numbers for the bottom and top five percent: $39,212 and $84,545, respectively.

Salary.com reports that the current median expected ultrasound technician salary is $51,382, while ASRT estimates that it's $56,158. In 2002, the median was $48,660, according to the BLS.

Ultrasound tech salaries also vary by work setting. For example, the 2002 median annual salary for those working in doctor offices was $50,390, according to the BLS, and $47,530 for those in hospitals. ASRT reports that the mean salary in hospitals (not-for-profit) is $73,888 and $53,604 in physician offices.

Starting Ultrasound Technician Salaries
Recent surveys by the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers suggest that starting hourly wages for ultrasound technicians are $15 to $18 per hour.

Certification and Ultrasound Technician Salaries
Certification or registration with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (ARDMS) and continuing education will increase ultrasound tech salary. According to ASRT, the mean ultrasound technician salary for sonographers with a bachelor degree is more than $61,000.

Career Description
Ultrasound technicians or sonographers use transducers and high-frequency sound to image a patient's internal organs, tissues, and blood flow for the purpose of diagnosis. Most ultrasound technicians work in hospitals, physician offices, clinics, and diagnostic imaging centers. Career opportunities in sonography also are available in education, research, and corporate sales and marketing.

Some ultrasound technicians specialize in obstetric and gynecologic sonography, abdominal sonography, diagnostic cardiac sonography (heart), vascular technology (hemodynamics, blood flow), neurosonology (brain and spinal cord), and ophthalmic biometry (eye). Bachelor degrees are generally required for specialization

Educational Requirements
Most ultrasound technicians enter the field with an associate degree from a community or technical college, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), qualifying them for registration by the American Registry of Diagnostic Sonographers. ARDMS-registration is not mandatory in any state, but can increase one's employment opportunities and earning potential.

Ultrasound technicians receive training in sonographic physics and instrumentation, gray scale and color-flow Doppler sonography, human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology and ethics, and the basics of obstetric and gynecologic sonography.

Use our technician salary calculator to review ultrasound technician salaries in your region.