Specialties With High Starting Salaries. Radiologic technologists in some specialty areas enjoyed much higher starting salaries than the average of $46,500. Sonographers just starting in the field averaged about $56,000 per year in 2010; all sonographers reported an average salary of nearly $69,000.adiographers. Radiographers, also known as X-Ray technicians, are the most common type of radiologic technologist and are also the lowest-paid. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists reports that the average starting salary for a radiographer in the United States was just less than $44,500 in 2010.