The Missouri Economic Research and Development Center estimates that an increased need for ultrasound technologists in the state will create 111 new jobs from 2008 through 2018. Sometimes called sonographers, ultrasound technologists operate machinery that uses the power of sound waves to make images of the human body to diagnose medical conditions. To work as a sonographer, graduation from a postsecondary training program accredited by the Commission on Allied Health Educational Programs is generally necessary. As of March 2011, five programs in Missouri had this accreditation.
Statewide
Ultrasound techs in Missouri received an average of $61,140 per year as of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The salary for sonographers ranked as the 64th-highest paying occupation in the state. Missouri sonographers earned nearly 4 percent less than the U.S. nationwide average of $63,640. Overall, Missouri served as the 25th lowest-paying state for ultrasound techs nationwide. Salaries for sonographers in Missouri ranged from $44,750 per year or less for the lowest-paid 10th percentile to $79,330 per year or more for the highest-paid.
Northern Cities
Salaries for ultrasound technicians in Kansas City, Missouri, averaged $63,620 per year as of May 2009, reports the bureau. Sonographers in the city earned 4 percent above the Missouri average, making them the second-highest paid of those working in the state's major metropolitan areas. In Columbia, Missouri, ultrasound techs made an average of $58,650 annually and were the lowest-paid of those in major cities. Northern Missouri's major cities featured two CAAHEP-accredited programs in sonography at St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City and the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Central and Southern Cities
The portion of Missouri considered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to be in the greater Fayetteville, Arkansas area served as the highest paying metropolitan area for ultrasound techs statewide as of May 2009. Sonographers there received an average of $65,260 annually, roughly 7 percent above the Missouri average. In St. Louis, sonographers earned an average of $60,820 per year, while those in Springfield made an average of $59,800. The cities of central and southern Missouri served as home to two CAAHEP-accredited ultrasound programs at Cox Health Systems in Springfield and St. Louis Community College in St. Louis.
Rural Areas
In the rural areas of Central Missouri, sonographers made an average of $65,940 per year as of May 2009, according to the bureau's report. Ultrasound techs in this nonmetropolitan segment were the highest paid of any sonographers in the state. The community of Rolla in rural central Missouri also featured a CAAHEP-accredited sonography program at its Rolla Technical Center. In rural southeastern Missouri, ultrasound techs received an average of $58,380 annually. Salaries in the area were 5 percent below the Missouri average, the lowest of any place statewide.
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