Diagnostic Medical Sonographers · SOC 29-2032

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Diagnostic Medical Sonographerss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for diagnostic medical sonographers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 279 metro areas

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$173,150	500	0.4
2	Vallejo, CA	$171,170	140	0.9
3	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$163,220	610	0.6
4	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$161,570	90	0.4
5	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$160,270	1,300	0.5
6	Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$142,150	40	0.4
7	Modesto, CA	$141,210	200	1.0
8	Redding, CA	$133,340	40	0.5
9	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$132,490	100	0.5
10	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$130,210	140	0.5
11	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$129,960	1,190	0.6
12	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$129,630	720	0.5
13	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$128,420	690	0.6
14	Salem, OR	$127,680	110	0.6
15	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$125,750	140	0.4
16	Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$125,670	30	0.5
17	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$125,090	40	0.3
18	Chico, CA	$123,880	80	1.1
19	Urban Honolulu, HI	$123,070	160	0.4
20	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$121,340	50	0.5
21	Bozeman, MT	$121,260	30	0.5
22	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$119,430	3,550	0.6
23	Boulder, CO	$114,620	160	0.9
24	Bend, OR	$114,460	90	0.8
25	Vineland, NJ	$113,140	80	1.3

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Diagnostic Medical Sonographers overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.