Career
Diagnostic medical sonographers
Use ultrasound to see inside the body.
$96,590
Median pay
+13.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
6,000
Openings a year
Associate's degree
Typical education
2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.
- Decide which images to include, looking for differences between healthy and pathological areas.
- Operate ultrasound equipment to produce and record images of the motion, shape, and composition of blood, organs, tissues, or bodily masses, such as fluid accumulations.
- Observe and care for patients throughout examinations to ensure their safety and comfort.
- Provide sonogram and oral or written summary of technical findings to physician for use in medical diagnosis.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Observe screen during scan to ensure that image produced is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes, making adjustments to equipment as required.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
2 years of education after high school (associate's degree), for a median of $96,590 a year and 6,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Allied Health ProfessionsSee the degree →
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound TechnicianCIP 51.0910
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians$74,310 · +3.7%
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians$80,110 · +5.0%
- Neurodiagnostic Technologists
- Radiation Therapists$105,310 · +2.8%
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists$95,480 · +7.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.