Sonographers and radiographers work in similar capacities; they both use medical equipment to see inside the human body. Sonographers operate equipment that utilizes ultrasound technology to observe injury or illness, while radiographers--sometimes called X-ray technologists for short--look below the layers of the body for injury, tissue damage, cancerous growths and broken bones.
Job to Job
In 2009, diagnostic medical sonographers numbered 51,630 across the nation, earning a median salary of $63,010, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure represented a range including the lowest-paid sonographers who received $43,990 and the highest-paid in the field, earning $85,950. Radiographers outnumbered sonographers, with 213,560 employed in 2009, earning median salaries of $53,240. The range for radiographer salaries ran from $35,700 in the 10th percentile to $75,440 at the 90th percentile.
Hot Spots
The top-paying state for the sonography field in 2009 was Massachusetts, where sonographers received annual mean wages of $78,460. Oregon, paying $78,460, was close behind. Although Florida earned the spot as the country's largest per-capita employer of sonographers, its annual salary for the field of $56,030 was below the median. Massachusetts was also the top-paying state for radiographers, with an annual mean wage of $68,530 in the profession. Nevada came in second on the BLS list, paying $66,420. Radiographers employed in Hawaii earned $65,820. West Virginia was the country's largest per-capita employer in the field, but paid significantly below-average salaries of $41,400.
Industry Choices
Sonographers employed by temporary employment services earned the top industry salary of $68,020. Specialty hospitals also paid their sonographers an above-the-median salary of $67,070, followed by colleges and professional schools, paying $66,250. Schools were also the fifth-largest employer of sonographers. Radiographers securing employment in the scientific research and development industry earned the highest salaries, at $64,800, followed by those employed by consulting services, at $61,970. Specialty hospitals were the fifth-highest-paying industry for radiographers, at $58,320.
Field Prep
The paths to becoming a sonographer or radiographer are quite similar. Both fields require a period of post-secondary study, though no single degree is required. In each profession, the majority of candidates seek a two-year associate degree in their respective field, though shorter certificate and diploma programs and four-year bachelor's programs are available. For sonographers, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs accredits hundreds of options across the country. Prospective radiographers also have hundreds of school choices from institutions accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
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