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Median pay
$89,340
Median annual pay for Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
Strong healthcare demand with a defined technical skillset and a notable current vacancy rate, while the training pipeline is relatively small.
Strong healthcare demand with a defined technical skillset and a notable current vacancy rate, while the training pipeline is relatively small.
The measurable baseline is $89,340 median pay, 13% projected employment change from 2024 to 2034, and about 5,800 annual openings. Those figures establish the national baseline; the occupation-specific evidence on this page is what makes the decision more useful than a generic profile.
The national median-pay figure in the current ChooseField dataset is $89,340. The 2024 self-employed share is 2.5%, which matters because self-employment can make outcomes less uniform across workers. A national median is a benchmark, not a personal forecast: experience, geography, employer type, specialty, credentials, and hours can move actual compensation materially.
BLS data in the ChooseField corpus put 2024 employment at 90,000 and projected 2034 employment at 101,700. That corresponds to 13% projected growth over the decade. BLS projects about 5,800 openings per year, including growth and replacement demand. This distinction matters when people ask whether a field is oversaturated: growth measures whether the occupation itself is getting larger, while annual openings also reflect people retiring, changing occupations, or leaving roles that must be refilled.
BLS lists the typical entry education as Associate's degree. Treat this entry path like an investment: compare the time and cost required to enter with the pay, annual openings, and alternatives available at a similar training level.
Current vacancy rate. The headline figure is 12.4%. Sonography vacancy rate in ASRT's 2025 staffing survey. Source: ASRT (2025).
Training pipeline. The headline figure is 5,501. Estimated sonography program enrollment in 2025. Source: ASRT (2025).
Sonography combines associate-degree entry with strong growth and a documented vacancy rate. The training pipeline is relatively small, which makes workforce supply relevant to the outlook.
This field is a stronger fit if the required education and licensure are acceptable and you value a labor market anchored in direct care or clinical services.
Before choosing Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, compare it with Radiologic Technologist, Registered Nurse, Dental Hygienist. The purpose is not to find a universal winner; it is to see how pay, training time, annual openings, work setting, and field-specific risks change when you move to an adjacent option.
Strong healthcare demand with a defined technical skillset and a notable current vacancy rate, while the training pipeline is relatively small. The measurable baseline is $89,340 median pay, 13% projected 2024–34 employment change, about 5,800 annual openings, and a typical entry path of Associate's degree.
The national median in the current ChooseField dataset is $89,340. Treat that as a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Compare Diagnostic Medical Sonographer with Radiologic Technologist, Registered Nurse on pay, training time, openings, working conditions, and occupation-specific evidence rather than relying on one score.
Sonography combines associate-degree entry with strong growth and a documented vacancy rate. The training pipeline is relatively small, which makes workforce supply relevant to the outlook.
National pay and employment projections come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other sources are linked on their cards.