SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Compile, process, and maintain medical records of hospital and clinic patients in a manner consistent with medical, administrative, ethical, legal, and regulatory requirements of the healthcare system. Classify medical and healthcare concepts, including diagnosis, procedures, medical services, and equipment, into the healthcare industry’s numerical coding system. Includes medical coders. Excludes “Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars” (29-9021) and “File Clerks” (43-4071).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 29-2072.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $37,000 | $3,083 | $712 | $17.79 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $43,490 | $3,624 | $836 | $20.91 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $51,140 | $4,262 | $983 | $24.59 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $64,820 | $5,402 | $1,247 | $31.17 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $81,150 | $6,762 | $1,561 | $39.01 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Medical Records Specialists is $51,140, which is about the same. Among the 71 occupations of the field Healthcare Practitioners and Technical, it ranks number 63 by median pay. With 194,720 jobs, it makes up about 13 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($56,790) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Medical Records Specialists pay by state
The highest median pay was in District of Columbia ($72,040), Rhode Island ($63,960) and Hawaii ($63,180). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($27,990), Guam ($38,470) and Mississippi ($41,500). The most jobs were in Florida (21,490), California (18,700) and Texas (17,210). The occupation is most concentrated in Alaska, where its share of all jobs is 2.6 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 270 | $72,040 | $80,250 | $34.63 |
| Rhode Island | 650 | $63,960 | $63,150 | $30.75 |
| Hawaii | 400 | $63,180 | $65,590 | $30.37 |
| Washington | 5,010 | $62,270 | $67,480 | $29.94 |
| California | 18,700 | $61,810 | $68,230 | $29.71 |
| New York | 9,080 | $61,720 | $67,200 | $29.67 |
| Minnesota | 3,150 | $61,530 | $63,570 | $29.58 |
| Alaska | 1,070 | $61,090 | $64,440 | $29.37 |
| Connecticut | 1,120 | $60,940 | $63,970 | $29.30 |
| Massachusetts | 3,500 | $60,350 | $61,560 | $29.02 |
| Wisconsin | 2,870 | $60,280 | $60,610 | $28.98 |
| Colorado | 1,780 | $59,020 | $61,810 | $28.37 |
| Oregon | 2,560 | $59,000 | $61,110 | $28.37 |
| Vermont | not published | $57,560 | $57,950 | $27.67 |
| New Mexico | 1,400 | $57,470 | $56,380 | $27.63 |
| Illinois | 5,740 | $56,440 | $57,160 | $27.14 |
| Delaware | 610 | $56,060 | $56,540 | $26.95 |
| South Carolina | 2,750 | $54,280 | $54,810 | $26.10 |
| Maryland | 2,440 | $54,220 | $57,930 | $26.07 |
| Wyoming | 280 | $54,210 | $57,620 | $26.06 |
| Idaho | 1,490 | $53,460 | $57,240 | $25.70 |
| Oklahoma | 2,480 | $53,460 | $54,240 | $25.70 |
| Virginia | 4,630 | $53,290 | $56,960 | $25.62 |
| Utah | 1,910 | $52,870 | $57,160 | $25.42 |
| Maine | 1,000 | $52,090 | $56,670 | $25.04 |
| Nebraska | 1,640 | $51,670 | $56,720 | $24.84 |
| South Dakota | 900 | $51,610 | $54,380 | $24.81 |
| Georgia | 5,930 | $51,550 | $56,830 | $24.78 |
| Ohio | 7,440 | $50,990 | $56,620 | $24.52 |
| Missouri | 3,890 | $50,750 | $55,950 | $24.40 |
| Iowa | 2,250 | $50,640 | $53,470 | $24.35 |
| Nevada | 2,350 | $50,300 | $55,730 | $24.19 |
| New Jersey | 4,450 | $50,240 | $54,490 | $24.16 |
| Montana | 820 | $50,190 | $52,720 | $24.13 |
| North Carolina | 6,760 | $49,620 | $55,510 | $23.86 |
| New Hampshire | 930 | $49,210 | $53,200 | $23.66 |
| Texas | 17,210 | $48,860 | $52,880 | $23.49 |
| Tennessee | 4,440 | $48,780 | $55,640 | $23.45 |
| Kentucky | 4,210 | $48,410 | $53,520 | $23.28 |
| Kansas | 2,030 | $48,160 | $52,860 | $23.15 |
| Michigan | 4,890 | $48,120 | $52,650 | $23.13 |
| Indiana | 5,860 | $47,670 | $53,370 | $22.92 |
| Arizona | 3,750 | $47,630 | $52,670 | $22.90 |
| West Virginia | 1,260 | $47,360 | $50,900 | $22.77 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,970 | $46,840 | $53,050 | $22.52 |
| North Dakota | 520 | $46,280 | $52,850 | $22.25 |
| Florida | 21,490 | $45,760 | $50,440 | $22.00 |
| Louisiana | 2,600 | $44,610 | $50,240 | $21.45 |
| Alabama | 2,330 | $43,810 | $45,710 | $21.06 |
| Arkansas | 1,920 | $41,740 | $45,880 | $20.07 |
| Mississippi | 2,310 | $41,500 | $44,380 | $19.95 |
| Guam | 70 | $38,470 | $41,010 | $18.49 |
| Puerto Rico | 1,850 | $27,990 | $34,060 | $13.46 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Recreational Therapists$61,960 a year
- Paramedics$60,600 a year
- Exercise Physiologists$59,460 a year
- Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other$50,290 a year
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians$47,380 a year
- Opticians, Dispensing$47,260 a year
Common questions
How much do Medical Records Specialists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $51,140 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,000 and the highest-paid 10% more than $81,150.
How many people work as Medical Records Specialists?
About 194,720 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.
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