Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

Median salary

$96,590

Average salary

$97,240

Employment

90,160

Projected growth

13% growth

Annual openings

5,800

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Do

Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians. Includes vascular technologists.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 2.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
English Languageimportance 4.1/5
Physicsimportance 3.7/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.6/5
Administrativeimportance 3.3/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.3/5
Psychologyimportance 3.2/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.9/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Physical Proximity4.8/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.8/5
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.7/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Radiation Therapists95% skill match
Prepress Technicians and Workers95% skill match
Respiratory Therapists93% skill match
Nuclear Medicine Technologists93% skill match
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic93% skill match
Upholsterers93% skill match
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic93% skill match
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Coordinationimportance 3.3/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Cooperation
Integrity
Empathy
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalHigh
InvestigativeMedium
SocialMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where diagnostic medical sonographers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).