The Best Paying Cities in the US for Sonographers
Sonographers are among the best paid medical careers in health care. Though they earn significantly less than medical doctors, compared to other medical technicians and allied health workers who have similar occupations, sonographers have higher salary and even better employment opportunities. The United States, with an estimated 2014 population of 318 million, is constantly in demand for health care workers and procedures, which adds to the upward trends that sonography is facing today.
The salary question
The employment rate in the United States by mid-2013 is 132.5 million; out of that statistic, exactly 58,250 sonographers were employed. They were earning mean hourly wages of $32.29, amounting to average sonography salary of $67,170 per annum. However, there are many things that can affect a sonographer’s salary, from geographic location to specialty. With that said, a common question that is asked by people considering sonography as a career is what type of sonography pays the best. |
There are many sonography specialties that a person can choose from, such as general, cardiac, vascular, pediatric, pediatric cardiac, neurologic, and many more. Because some specialties are more in demand than others, they generally pay better than the average salary per annum. According the SDMS (Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography), the highest paying specialties are neurosonography and pediatric cardiac sonography, both earning more than $80,000 annually on average.
Best cities to work at
Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases updates on salary and employment in the United States. According to the 2013 reports, the highest paying states for sonographers are California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Rhode Island. On average, sonographers in California earn $86,550 – well above the nation’s average per annum for sonographers.
However, there are cities that pay even more, specifically the following:
These cities pay as much as $40,000 more than the average per annum salary of sonographers working in the United States, with the top four all located in the highest paying state (also the state with the highest level of employment) California. The pay scale in CA is the best in the country, which can be attributed to high demand because CA is also the United States’ most populous state (over 38 million Americans by 2014).
Best cities to work at
Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases updates on salary and employment in the United States. According to the 2013 reports, the highest paying states for sonographers are California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Rhode Island. On average, sonographers in California earn $86,550 – well above the nation’s average per annum for sonographers.
However, there are cities that pay even more, specifically the following:
- San Jose, CA - $107,150
- San Francisco, CA - $103,430
- Oakland, CA - $102,850
- Santa Rosa, CA - $95,810
- Norwich, CT - $95,420
These cities pay as much as $40,000 more than the average per annum salary of sonographers working in the United States, with the top four all located in the highest paying state (also the state with the highest level of employment) California. The pay scale in CA is the best in the country, which can be attributed to high demand because CA is also the United States’ most populous state (over 38 million Americans by 2014).