Comparing Nationwide Employment Growth to Sonographers
Employment growth in the United States has been slow after the recession. A lot of occupations are suffering from a decrease in employment rates and salary, but sonographers are not one of them. Diagnostic medical sonographers are one of the fastest growing occupations, because of good employment predictions. The labor force is composed of people who are older than 15 and younger than 65 years of age. Millions of Americans are part of the labor force, but millions are also unemployed.
Nationwide employment
As of May 2013, there were more than 132 million Americans employed. However, the labor force is actually much larger than that, composed of more than 155 million Americans. That means that over 23 million people living in the US are unemployed. Diagnostic medical sonographers make up a small percentage of this labor force, with just 58,250 employed during that period. Despite the small percentage that sonographers make, they actually have a great projected rate of employment – 46 percent – compared to the 11 percent for all occupations.
Nationwide employment
As of May 2013, there were more than 132 million Americans employed. However, the labor force is actually much larger than that, composed of more than 155 million Americans. That means that over 23 million people living in the US are unemployed. Diagnostic medical sonographers make up a small percentage of this labor force, with just 58,250 employed during that period. Despite the small percentage that sonographers make, they actually have a great projected rate of employment – 46 percent – compared to the 11 percent for all occupations.
Sonographer salary in 2014
The latest release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is about the May 2013 employment state in the US. The mean annual salary for all occupations was at $46, 440, with a mean hourly wage of $22.33. Median wage is actually a little lower, at $16.87. Median wage is the 50th percentile, meaning that sonographers in the middle range are earning that much on average. Compared to the salary reports for all occupations, sonographers earn much more. The average annual salary for sonographers in May 2013 was $67,170, from an hourly wage $32.39. Median salary is just a little bit below that, with a median annual wage of $66,410 from a medial hourly wage of $31.93. These are much better rates when you compare them to other similar occupations, such as cardiac technologists, and other occupations in general. |
Location and salary
Location also affects how much a sonographer earns. There are states that pay sonographers more than others, primarily because of the demand for sonographers and sonogram procedures vary per area in the US. The highest paying states for sonographers are California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Rhode Island. These states pay sonographers around $80,000 annually on average. More details on highest paid sonographers can be found through the link.
Despite the good overall outlook for sonographers, certain specialties earn more than others. Periodically, the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS) conducts surveys regarding salary, specialty, and overall job satisfaction. According to the most recent survey, the highest paying specialty is neurosonography. Half of the neurosonographers who were part of the survey earned more than $80,000 annually. Similarly, majority of cardiac sonographers earned $80,000 annually as well. Other specialties in the top five were cardiac fetal, vascular, and adult cardiac sonography.
Finding your niche is one of the most difficult things about entering the world of sonography. Certain specialties earn more than others, but being a sonographer is more than just earn a lot of money. Sonographers need to train very hard in order to find the specialty that they will do best at – regardless of how much you earn.
Location also affects how much a sonographer earns. There are states that pay sonographers more than others, primarily because of the demand for sonographers and sonogram procedures vary per area in the US. The highest paying states for sonographers are California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Rhode Island. These states pay sonographers around $80,000 annually on average. More details on highest paid sonographers can be found through the link.
- California - $86,550
- Oregon - $83,830
- Washington - $80,820
- Alaska - $80,400
- Rhode Island - $78,750
Despite the good overall outlook for sonographers, certain specialties earn more than others. Periodically, the Society for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS) conducts surveys regarding salary, specialty, and overall job satisfaction. According to the most recent survey, the highest paying specialty is neurosonography. Half of the neurosonographers who were part of the survey earned more than $80,000 annually. Similarly, majority of cardiac sonographers earned $80,000 annually as well. Other specialties in the top five were cardiac fetal, vascular, and adult cardiac sonography.
Finding your niche is one of the most difficult things about entering the world of sonography. Certain specialties earn more than others, but being a sonographer is more than just earn a lot of money. Sonographers need to train very hard in order to find the specialty that they will do best at – regardless of how much you earn.