Career Summary for Sonography
Ultrasound technicians use sound waves to develop a picture of what is taking place inside a patient's body. For example, ultrasounds can be used to examine the brain, the heart, the organs of the digestive system, male and female reproductive systems and more. The use of ultrasound allows doctors to get valuable diagnostic information in a manner that is minimally intrusive to the patient.
Job prospects over the next decade for ultrasound sonographers should be excellent, with faster than average job growth anticipated for people with these skills. Most ultrasound tech jobs are found within hospitals, but an increasing number of such jobs will start to emerge within the offices of physicians and medical laboratories.
There is no licensing required to obtain a job in this field. However, formal education is generally required by employers. Training ranges from 1 year programs designed to get you into working positions as rapidly as possible, to 2 and even 4 year programs that include more comprehensive training. For more information on ultrasound training, please see our list of schools offering ultrasound programs on the left.
Sonography Schools and Careers
Metro Area Employment Data for Sonography
Employment info for Sonography, by major US metro area (2006 data). The Popularity Index shows how common jobs for Sonography are in the area. An Index of 1.0 means the area has an average number of people in the job compared to its population. A higher index indicates proportionally more jobs.
| State | Metro Area | Jobs | Mean Salary | Popularity Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Birmingham | 250 | $46,960 | 1.65 |
| Alabama | Mobile | 70 | $48,800 | 1.42 |
| Alabama | Montgomery | 60 | $50,150 | 1.25 |
| Alaska | Anchorage | 30 | $76,260 | 0.65 |
| Arizona | Phoenix | 470 | $62,790 | 0.83 |
| Arizona | Tucson | 130 | $66,340 | 1.22 |
| Arkansas | Fayetteville | 30 | $47,800 | 0.59 |
| California | Fresno | 140 | $63,700 | 1.45 |
| California | Los Angeles | 1,010 | $60,430 | 0.8 |
| California | Modesto | 60 | $64,420 | 1.21 |
| California | Oakland | 140 | $84,040 | 0.44 |
| California | Oxnard | 60 | $59,880 | 0.67 |
| California | Riverside | 290 | $66,590 | 0.73 |
| California | Sacramento | 190 | $72,680 | 0.69 |
| California | San Diego | 250 | $69,870 | 0.62 |
| California | San Francisco | 180 | $72,360 | 0.61 |
| California | San Jose | 230 | $81,530 | 0.84 |
| California | Santa Ana | 240 | $65,430 | 0.51 |
| California | Santa Rosa | 40 | $74,810 | 0.7 |
| California | Stockton | 40 | $70,410 | 0.65 |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs | 60 | $67,070 | 0.83 |
| Colorado | Fort Collins | 40 | $58,110 | 1.2 |
| Connecticut | Bridgeport | 110 | $67,700 | 0.84 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | 190 | $75,660 | 1.14 |
| Connecticut | New Haven | 160 | $64,270 | 1.97 |
| Connecticut | Norwich | 80 | $57,910 | 2.33 |
| Connecticut | Waterbury | 50 | $70,550 | 2.65 |
| Delaware | Wilmington | 260 | $51,040 | 2.64 |
| District of Columbia | Washington | 490 | $61,200 | 0.69 |
| Florida | Cape Coral | 140 | $55,450 | 2.21 |
| Florida | Deltona | 70 | $52,210 | 1.51 |
| Florida | Fort Lauderdale | 380 | $55,350 | 1.7 |
| Florida | Gainesville | 40 | $52,360 | 1.25 |
| Florida | Jacksonville | 280 | $50,510 | 1.56 |
| Florida | Lakeland | 100 | $50,400 | 1.7 |
| Florida | Miami | 610 | $54,650 | 2.08 |
| Florida | Ocala | 30 | $48,300 | 1.16 |
| Florida | Orlando | 400 | $48,650 | 1.26 |
| Florida | Palm Bay | 110 | $54,390 | 1.9 |
| Florida | Pensacola | 130 | $45,260 | 2.9 |
| Florida | Port St Lucie | 70 | $57,470 | 2.03 |
| Florida | Punta Gorda | 30 | $54,460 | 2.81 |
| Florida | Sarasota | 160 | $49,780 | 1.87 |
| Florida | Sebastian | 90 | $56,830 | 7.41 |
| Florida | Tallahassee | 50 | $51,930 | 1.09 |
| Florida | Tampa | 540 | $58,100 | 1.45 |
| Florida | West Palm Beach | 410 | $55,040 | 2.47 |
| Georgia | Atlanta | 800 | $56,770 | 1.11 |
| Georgia | Augusta | 60 | $53,000 | 0.99 |
| Georgia | Savannah | 50 | $48,730 | 1.22 |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | 80 | $66,780 | 0.63 |
| Idaho | Boise | 80 | $59,500 | 1.11 |
| Illinois | Chicago | 980 | $56,670 | 0.85 |
| Illinois | Peoria | 110 | $62,490 | 2.27 |
| Illinois | Springfield | 50 | $57,060 | 1.71 |
| Illinois | Waukegan | 130 | $64,900 | 1.2 |
| Indiana | Evansville | 80 | $49,150 | 1.58 |
| Indiana | Fort Wayne | 100 | $47,980 | 1.61 |
| Indiana | Gary | 70 | $63,600 | 0.86 |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | 260 | $57,340 | 0.97 |
| Indiana | South Bend | 50 | $54,260 | 1.29 |
| Iowa | Cedar Rapids | 40 | $52,220 | 1.09 |
| Iowa | Davenport | 100 | $50,650 | 1.87 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 120 | $52,290 | 1.29 |
| Kansas | Topeka | 50 | $50,840 | 1.67 |
| Kansas | Wichita | 110 | $57,900 | 1.36 |
| Kentucky | Lexington | 80 | $52,260 | 1.17 |
| Kentucky | Louisville | 180 | $51,110 | 1.01 |
| Louisiana | Alexandria | 50 | $46,310 | 3.19 |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge | 110 | $53,640 | 1.04 |
| Louisiana | Lafayette | 80 | $44,570 | 2.15 |
| Louisiana | Monroe | 60 | $57,450 | 3 |
| Louisiana | New Orleans | 160 | $54,570 | 1.2 |
| Maryland | Baltimore | 580 | $60,710 | 1.49 |
| Maryland | Bethesda | 240 | $69,100 | 1.42 |
| Massachusetts | Boston | 630 | $65,390 | 1.24 |
| Massachusetts | Lynn | 100 | $65,220 | 3.91 |
| Massachusetts | Springfield | 80 | $61,840 | 0.91 |
| Michigan | Detroit | 300 | $55,450 | 1.41 |
| Michigan | Flint | 110 | $49,150 | 2.83 |
| Michigan | Grand Rapids | 100 | $57,780 | 0.87 |
| Michigan | Kalamazoo | 60 | $55,880 | 1.53 |
| Michigan | Lansing | 60 | $48,860 | 1.13 |
| Michigan | Muskegon | 60 | $59,350 | 3.84 |
| Michigan | Warren | 440 | $56,850 | 1.21 |
| Minnesota | Duluth | 40 | $61,320 | 1.09 |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | 560 | $63,830 | 1.02 |
| Mississippi | Gulfport | 30 | $52,180 | 1.15 |
| Mississippi | Hattiesburg | 50 | $46,500 | 3.27 |
| Mississippi | Jackson | 110 | $54,070 | 1.48 |
| Missouri | Kansas City | 380 | $65,160 | 1.25 |
| Missouri | St Louis | 440 | $59,790 | 1.11 |
| Montana | Billings | 50 | $57,030 | 2.22 |
| Nevada | Las Vegas | 150 | $58,510 | 0.54 |
| New Hampshire | Manchester | 40 | $59,110 | 1.44 |
| New Hampshire | Nashua | 60 | $68,630 | 1.58 |
| New Jersey | Atlantic City | 60 | $66,460 | 1.54 |
| New Jersey | Camden | 200 | $61,320 | 1.22 |
| New Jersey | Edison | 310 | $60,990 | 0.99 |
| New Jersey | Newark | 570 | $56,060 | 1.86 |
| New Jersey | Trenton | 70 | $63,760 | 1.05 |
| New Mexico | Albuquerque | 110 | $56,940 | 0.99 |
| New York | Albany | 190 | $53,850 | 1.45 |
| New York | Buffalo | 200 | $52,400 | 1.26 |
| New York | Nassau | 580 | $59,820 | 1.56 |
| New York | New York | 2,140 | $61,060 | 1.41 |
| New York | Poughkeepsie | 160 | $67,170 | 2.29 |
| New York | Rochester | 240 | $57,990 | 1.63 |
| New York | Syracuse | 140 | $56,510 | 1.5 |
| New York | Utica | 80 | $54,780 | 2.22 |
| North Carolina | Asheville | 120 | $53,650 | 2.44 |
| North Carolina | Charlotte | 260 | $61,030 | 1.06 |
| North Carolina | Durham | 70 | $55,920 | 0.98 |
| North Carolina | Fayetteville | 30 | $58,870 | 0.91 |
| North Carolina | Greensboro | 210 | $58,870 | 1.93 |
| North Carolina | Greenville | 40 | $54,380 | 2.38 |
| North Carolina | Raleigh | 180 | $55,450 | 1.25 |
| North Carolina | Wilmington | 60 | $49,810 | 1.58 |
| North Carolina | Winston Salem | 120 | $57,330 | 1.99 |
| Ohio | Akron | 160 | $57,750 | 1.61 |
| Ohio | Canton | 80 | $48,770 | 1.57 |
| Ohio | Cincinnati | 330 | $59,600 | 1.04 |
| Ohio | Cleveland | 380 | $50,160 | 1.16 |
| Ohio | Columbus | 190 | $67,250 | 0.7 |
| Ohio | Dayton | 220 | $60,640 | 1.82 |
| Ohio | Toledo | 110 | $52,030 | 1.15 |
| Ohio | Youngstown | 110 | $51,330 | 1.6 |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | 250 | $56,870 | 1.49 |
| Oklahoma | Tulsa | 100 | $56,090 | 0.81 |
| Oregon | Medford | 40 | $63,590 | 1.83 |
| Oregon | Portland | 170 | $69,480 | 0.56 |
| Oregon | Salem | 30 | $72,880 | 0.74 |
| Pennsylvania | Allentown | 180 | $55,830 | 1.83 |
| Pennsylvania | Erie | 30 | $50,890 | 0.84 |
| Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | 130 | $48,990 | 1.51 |
| Pennsylvania | Lancaster | 50 | $56,010 | 0.73 |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 700 | $56,140 | 1.21 |
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | 630 | $47,180 | 1.84 |
| Pennsylvania | Scranton | 80 | $60,990 | 1.07 |
| Pennsylvania | York | 30 | $51,520 | 0.58 |
| Rhode Island | Providence | 210 | $63,690 | 1.26 |
| South Carolina | Charleston | 160 | $50,040 | 1.94 |
| South Carolina | Columbia | 120 | $53,080 | 1.19 |
| South Carolina | Spartanburg | 30 | $56,660 | 0.94 |
| Tennessee | Chattanooga | 160 | $51,080 | 2.38 |
| Tennessee | Johnson City | 50 | $51,820 | 2.65 |
| Tennessee | Knoxville | 200 | $49,080 | 2.08 |
| Tennessee | Memphis | 270 | $51,690 | 1.48 |
| Tennessee | Nashville | 240 | $55,570 | 1.07 |
| Texas | Austin | 110 | $59,470 | 0.51 |
| Texas | Beaumont | 30 | $53,960 | 0.67 |
| Texas | Brownsville | 40 | $79,780 | 1.17 |
| Texas | Corpus Christi | 50 | $61,100 | 1.04 |
| Texas | Dallas | 590 | $61,690 | 0.96 |
| Texas | El Paso | 50 | $54,180 | 0.71 |
| Texas | Fort Worth | 220 | $64,060 | 0.91 |
| Texas | Houston | 610 | $56,260 | 0.84 |
| Texas | Killeen | 40 | $57,670 | 1.28 |
| Texas | Lubbock | 90 | $55,660 | 2.85 |
| Texas | Mcallen | 40 | $61,770 | 0.66 |
| Texas | San Antonio | 200 | $58,700 | 0.85 |
| Texas | Tyler | 30 | $58,280 | 1.21 |
| Utah | Provo | 80 | $59,970 | 1.76 |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | 100 | $55,720 | 0.56 |
| Virginia | Lynchburg | 40 | $55,930 | 1.5 |
| Virginia | Richmond | 170 | $59,690 | 0.93 |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach | 220 | $54,750 | 0.96 |
| Washington | Olympia | 50 | $62,560 | 1.95 |
| Washington | Seattle | 430 | $71,030 | 1.06 |
| Washington | Spokane | 90 | $60,330 | 1.51 |
| Washington | Tacoma | 150 | $68,120 | 1.97 |
| Washington | Yakima | 30 | $56,520 | 1.37 |
| West Virginia | Charleston | 90 | $48,180 | 2.18 |
| West Virginia | Huntington | 40 | $56,270 | 1.25 |
| Wisconsin | Appleton | 30 | $66,890 | 0.97 |
| Wisconsin | Green Bay | 40 | $62,840 | 0.84 |
| Wisconsin | La Crosse | 70 | $67,680 | 3.78 |
| Wisconsin | Madison | 70 | $63,380 | 0.73 |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee | 330 | $73,260 | 1.28 |
Our sonography schools and career data is © Copyright 2004-2008 Moving Traffic, Inc, of CityTownInfo.com.
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