Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 29-2032 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$96,595
$46.44/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Diagnostic Medical Sonographers salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$68K
P25$80K
P50$97K
P75$107K
P90$129K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.3% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 3.6% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.2-3.7% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $96,595 to $106,933 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Diagnostic Medical Sonographers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 8.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.6% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.1% down to 5.3%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 1.9 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings fell from 5.9% to 5.3% (down 147K), the sharpest monthly cooling this year, though still the second-tightest market.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.6% per year, the fastest of any major sector. Health benefit costs rose 6.0% nationally.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers is $96,595 per year ($46.44/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,434 and $106,933 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $129,376 per year. There are approximately 90,160 diagnostic medical sonographers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Produce ultrasonic recordings of internal organs for use by physicians. Includes vascular technologists.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+13.0%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
90K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
20% from new growth80% from people leaving the role
Mixed: openings come from both new growth and people exiting the role.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Associate's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
52K
$97,280
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
19K
$95,220
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories
NAICS 621500
10K
$87,580
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
4K
$127,940
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
2K
$100,920
Wage range across top 5 industries: $87,580 to $127,940 (46% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$32.60
$67,808
P25
$38.67
$80,434
P50MEDIAN
$46.44
$96,595
P75
$51.41
$106,933
P90
$62.20
$129,376
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.3%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings fell 147K to 1.35M in June, rate down from 5.9% to 5.3% -- the sector's biggest monthly cooling this year, though it remains the second-tightest market. Quits edged up to 1.9%; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average diagnostic medical sonographers salary?
The national median salary for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers is $96,595 per year ($46.44/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,434 and $106,933 annually.
How much do top-earning diagnostic medical sonographers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers is $129,376 per year ($62.20/hr). The 75th percentile is $106,933 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for diagnostic medical sonographers?
Entry-level Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (10th percentile) earn approximately $67,808 per year ($32.60/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,434 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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