Ultrasound Technician Job Outlook and Trends: Make Your Sonography Career a Reality

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of sonography jobs is expected to increase by 44 percent nationally. By comparison, total growth by 2020 for all job sectors in the U.S. is expected to be 14 percent according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Sonography also surpasses other related healthcare fields by 18 percent anticipated job growth as a result of its increasing popularity as a low-risk, non-invasive and powerful diagnostic tool.

As the large population of baby boomers continues to age and requires more medical care, sonography, both mobile and institution-based, is uniquely positioned to play a significant role in the diagnosis and treatment of many conditions. While hospitals still provide approximately 62 percent of ultrasound jobs, growth is expected to increase in outpatient facilities as ultrasound equipment continues to become more mobile and less expensive to acquire and operate. For those interested in Canadian opportunities, Statistics Canada likewise indicates good job prospects in this field.

Ultrasound Technician Employment by Industry

With ultrasound technician employment in excess of 33,000 jobs, however, hospitals will continue to be the dominant provider of sonography employment opportunities in the near future. This is followed by ambulatory health care services whose current ultrasound technician population is nearing 20,000. Smaller numbers are employed in industries ranging from educational services with 650 sonographer jobs to administrative and support services with 370. Employment in company management, enterprises, government and some professional, scientific and technical services is estimated at less than 300 total. Whether large or small, all industries for which data is available saw growth in sonography employment between 2009 and 2011 although the rate of growth varies.

Table of Employment by Industry

Industry	2009	2010	2011
Total number of ultrasound technicians employed in the year	51600	52960	54140
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	150	160	no data
Management of Companies and Enterprises	50	80	60
Administrative and Support Services	290	310	370
Educational Services	600	690	650
Ambulatory Health Care Services	19570	19420	19690
Hospitals	30910	32260	33330
Federal, State, and Local Government	30	40	40

We also provide you with sonographer employment data by industry from 1999 to 2011, check it now.

If you want to know in which industry ultrasound technicians get paid well, please read sonography salary affected by industry, or visit Salary Data by Industry for more details.

Sonography Technician Employment by Location

Location will continue to be a significant variable in terms of career opportunities for sonographers in future. California leads the way with total estimated employment in sonographer jobs of 5,320. Florida is next with 4,890 sonography positions while New York and Texas each employ around 3600 ultrasound technicians. The next highest state, Pennsylvania, has 2,550 comparable jobs. At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii has 150 sonographers, and Delaware, Vermont, Wyoming and North Dakota each employ fewer than 100.

Areas in and around New York City including parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as Long Island, White Plains and Wayne, NY, had by far the highest employment of any metropolitan area with a combined total of 5,850 currently employed in sonography. For the Los Angeles area including Long Beach and Santa Ana, CA, the comparable figure is 2,050. The Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach area of Florida have nearly as many ultrasound jobs at 1900 followed by the greater Philadelphia area at 1,640. The lowest number of sonographer jobs is in non-metropolitan areas of western Colorado and central Indiana as well as Barnstable, MA, Medford, OR, and Lancaster, PA.

Table of the Highest and Lowest Employment Regions

State for Sonographer Employment	2011	Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area for Sonographer Employment	2011
California	5320	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island NY-NJ-PA	3640
Florida	4890	New York-White Plains-Wayne NY-NJ Metropolitan Division	2210
New York	3600	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA	2050
Texas	3590	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach FL	1900
Pennsylvania	2550	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD	1640
Hawaii	150	West Colorado nonmetropolitan area	30
Delaware	90	Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area	30
Vermont	80	Barnstable Town MA	30
Wyoming	50	Medford OR	30
North Dakota	40	Lancaster PA	30

Do you know how the location affects ultrasound technician salaries? Read 4 Factors Affecting Sonography Salaries to find the answer. You can also visit sonographer salary data by state, or ultrasound salary data by area.

Refer to this section if you want to know the ultrasound technician employment data in other states and metropolitan areas.

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