Once you have determined that an ultrasound technician career is one that you may want to pursue, the first question that then comes to mind is how much money does the ultrasound technician make. That is a very real concern and fortunately you have happened upon a very lucrative career, given the required education, that exists today. Add to this a solid employment outlook with growing demand and the ultrasound technician career is very attractive.
The quick answer to the question of how much does and ultrasound technician make is that it depends on the industry you want to work in as an ultrasound technician and the geographic area where you plan to work. The difference in salary can be significant given these two variables.
Consider that there are over 42 different industry classifications that employ ultrasound technicians. The following chart lists a few of these industries and the average pay scale within each. You will want to note that this is a single variable in the salary equation. The second variable is where you live which we will consider after this first chart.
|
Annual Average Wage Across All Geographic Regions |
|||||||
|
Industry |
Average |
10th Percentile |
25th Percentile |
50th Percentile |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|
| Professional Scientific & Technical Services |
$58,400 |
$36,570 |
$44,060 |
$57,960 |
$73,430 |
$82,340 |
|
| Home Health Care Services |
$62,380 |
$51,960 |
$56,420 |
$62,630 |
$68,770 |
$73,990 |
|
| Private Hospitals |
$65,480 |
$45,960 |
$54,350 |
$64,920 |
$75,920 |
$89,030 |
|
| Administration & Support Waste Management Remediation Services |
$72,650 |
$51,910 |
$59,580 |
$70,670 |
$84,370 |
$99,430 |
|
| All Industries Combined |
$64,900 |
$44,900 |
$53,810 |
$64,380 |
$75,290 |
$88,490 |
|
As you can see from the chart there is a very large difference in how much money you can expect to make between different industries that employ ultrasound technicians. Of course each of these industries requires a different level of expertise as an ultrasound technician, as well as different specializations. These charts will help you understand the variety within the career as well as help you plan your continuing education in order to direct your career to the industry you most want to work within.
The following chart shows the difference between pay for several different geographic regions. For this chart we will use geographic data that is pulled from an average of all industries.
|
Annual Average Wage Across All Industries |
|||||||
|
Location |
Average |
10th Percentile |
25th Percentile |
50th Percentile |
75th Percentile |
90th Percentile |
|
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL |
$42,460 |
$34,390 |
37480 |
41590 |
46980 |
52390 |
|
| Jacksonville, FL |
$58,740 |
$43,190 |
$49,590 |
$58,610 |
$68,150 |
$75,190 |
|
| Gainesville, GA |
$64,970 |
$49,480 |
$55,270 |
$68,500 |
$76,150 |
$81,960 |
|
| Bend, OR |
$77,590 |
$67,200 |
$71,260 |
$77,860 |
$83,940 |
$91,850 |
|
| San Diego, CA |
$83,430 |
$65,670 |
$75,930 |
$84,670 |
$93,510 |
$104,560 |
|
| Average Across The US |
$64,900 |
$44,900 |
$53,810 |
$64,380 |
$75,290 |
$88,490 |
|
As you can see there is a significant difference in income dependent upon the geographic region in which you work. Of course this difference in pay also comes with a higher cost of living so you need to take into account that you may make less money in a different city or state, but the cost to live in that state may also be significantly less. The amount of money your are paid is only one of many factors that need to be considered as you plan your career. We have written extensively about the typical salary of an Ultrasound Technician and also about the starting salary one can expect when starting out in this profession.