Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in District of Columbia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$81,083
after federal, FICA and District of Columbia tax
Tax takes
$30,937
27.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$73,177
District of Columbia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in District of Columbia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$112,020
Kept after tax
$81,083
Worth in national money
$73,177
State rank
5
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- District of Columbia is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $112,020, which ranks 5 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 15.97% above the national middle.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in District of Columbia. It ranks 69 out of 390 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- District of Columbia is an expensive state, and the adjusted figure shows it. From $112,020 the take-home is $81,083; in national-average money that behaves like $73,177. The average comes to $114,040, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- District of Columbia ranks 5 of 51 states publishing a median for diagnostic medical sonographers, at $112,020 — about 15.97% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Within District of Columbia, diagnostic medical sonographers ranks 69 of 390 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Take-home for diagnostic medical sonographers in District of Columbia, on $112,020, is $81,083; deflated by the state's price level, $73,177. ⚠️ The deflator is statewide, so it understates the erosion in the state's metropolitan areas and overstates it outside them. At $114,040 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $93,590 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $112,020 |
| Top tenth earn over | $135,280 |
| This salary | $112,020 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in District of Columbia | $81,083 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $87,636 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$17,007 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $102,705 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$23,492 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 111 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of diagnostic medical sonographers in District of Columbia earn under $112,020 and half over. The published range runs $93,590 at the tenth percentile to $135,280 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind District of Columbia's $81,083, worked from $112,020. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 69 of 390.
- One number stands for prices across all of District of Columbia, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $73,177, the adjusted value of that $112,020 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 69 of 390 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for diagnostic medical sonographers in District of Columbia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $93,590 to $135,280; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The District of Columbia take-home of $81,083, on $112,020 for work ranking 69 of 390 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 69 of 390 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for District of Columbia, so $73,177 — the adjusted value of that $112,020 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 69 of 390 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $93,590 at the tenth percentile, $135,280 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $73,177 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; District of Columbia then takes its own share, leaving $81,083.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($93,590 to $135,280) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to District of Columbia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
District of Columbia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $73,177 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $81,083 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and District of Columbia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.