Medical Billing and Coding Salary Guide

Are you looking for accurate medical billing and coding salary information?   Look no further!  The salary you are going to earn is very different depending on your level of experience, geographic location and level of education or certifications.  So how much is it exactly?

Individuals with a bachelor’s degree and specialized certification will certainly earn more, though that is not specifically required.  Some states, such as New Jersey and Colorado pay more as well.  Midwestern and Southern states, such as Georgia, Idaho, Alabama and Iowa tend to pay a bit less.

You must have these books if you are or planning to go in to Medical Billing and Coding

Cover	Name	Rating	Cost $
	Step-by-Step Medical Coding, 2015 Edition, 1e	4.4	95
	Billing & Coding Clear & Simple: A Medical Insurance Worktext	4.4	52
	Comprehensive Health Insurance Billing, Coding and Reimbursement	4.8	16
	Comprehensive Health Insurance Billing, Coding and Reimbursement	4.8	92
	Medical Billing and Coding For Dummies	4.1	12

When you compare the mean (or average) US salary versus that of the average medical billing and coding salary, you see that the US average is a bit more.  The median salaries (50% of people make more and 50% make less) are very similar.  Many individual employers may also offer incentives such as health benefits or a 401K plan that have not been factored into any of the statistics on this site.

 

 

	Mean (Average)	Minimum	Median	Maximum
US National Salary	$46,440	$18,190	$35,080	$88,330 (+)
Medical Billing and Coding Salary	$37,710	$22,700	$34,970	$57,320 (+)

Medical Billing Specialist Salary by State

 Medical Billing Specialist Careers are on the rise. The darker blue areas are States that offer higher wages to coders. The lighter blue areas offer lower salaries.

When choosing a location to seek employment based on income, it may not always be wise to go on the numbers at face value.

One of the biggest contributors to the fluctuation of salaries by region is the cost of living.  On the surface the yearly number may look smaller, but there are instances where the smaller amounts may get you “more”.

There are several factors to consider.  State (and even city or town) taxes can affect your salary.  Small towns don’t have the infrastructure of large cities.   Often times $30,000 per year in a small town can take you further than $40,000 in a large city.

You could expect similar quality of life making about half the money in Arkansas City, Kansas as compared to San Diego, California for example.

Commuting will also be a factor.  If you can work somewhere within a few minutes of your home you could save about 9% of your income.  ($3,074 annually based on the M.B.&C. national average income).

 

Medical Billing And Coding Salary Range

Medical records professionals can earn $22,693 at the entry level, which translates to  $10.91 an hour and $1,891 a month.  A higher end salary is $57,325 (and more) per year, or $27.56 (or more) per hour.  The difference depends on your experience or education, your geographic location and your industry or employer, etc.   The Average (Mean) Yearly Medical Billing and Coding Salary is $37,710, or $18.13 an hour.

 

Percentile Wage Estimates	10%	25%	(Median) 50%	75%	90%
Yearly Salary	$22,693	$27,518	$34,965	$45,261	$57,325
Hourly Wage	$10.91	$13.23	$16.81	$21.76	$27.56
Weekly Salary	$436	$529	$672	$870	$1,102
Monthly Salary	$1,891	$2,293	$2,913	$3,771	$4,776

 

Top 5 States for Health Records Tech Salary

State	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
New Jersey	1,910	0.5	0.37	$27.65	$57,520
California	16,560	1.13	0.83	$21.31	$44,330
Colorado	2,390	1.04	0.76	$21.09	$43,860
Connecticut	1,360	0.83	0.61	$20.50	$42,640
Alaska	590	1.81	1.33	$20.29	$42,190

 

Examples of Salaries from Other States

State	Hourly Rate	Weekly Salary	Monthly Salary	Yearly Salary
New York	$19.38	$775	$3,359	$40,310
Florida	$17.01	$680	$2,948	$35,381
Michigan	$17.59	$704	$3,048	$36,587
Ohio	$17.20	$688	$2,981	$35,776
Texas	$17.31	$692	$3,000	$36,005
Hawaii	$20.43	$817	$3,541	$42,494

 

Top Medical Coder Salary by Industry

Working for a Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing company will earn you the most money; you could make $52,850 a year, or $25.41 an hour.

Industry	Employment	% of Industry Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	40	0.01	$25.41	$52,850
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations	30	0.01	$23.49	$48,860
Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers	400	0.21	$23.02	$47,890
Grantmaking and Giving Services	130	0.1	$22.38	$46,550
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	5,300	0.26	$22.32	$46,430

 

Industries with the Highest Employment Levels

As with any occupation, certain industries within the field will need more employees than others.  You may have the best luck applying to a general hospital as a medical biller.

Industry	Employment	% of Industry Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	66,790	1.27	$19.28	$40,100
Offices of Physicians	39,750	1.64	$15.72	$32,700
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	12,850	0.78	$17.55	$36,510
Outpatient Care Centers	7,380	1.1	$17.55	$36,490
Home Health Care Services	5,720	0.47	$16.28	$33,870

 

Industries with the Highest Concentration of Employment

Industry	Employment	% of Industry Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Offices of Physicians	39,750	1.64	$15.72	$32,700
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	66,790	1.27	$19.28	$40,100
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	3,000	1.25	$19.35	$40,250
Outpatient Care Centers	7,380	1.1	$17.55	$36,490
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	1,990	0.82	$15.50	$32,250

 

Top Medical Coding and Billing Salary Metro Areas

As far as metropolitan areas go, Newark, New Jersey (NJ) tops the list. You could ear $60,150 annually or $28.92 per hour.  Oakland CA, Washington DC and New Haven CT make a good showing as well.  In any one of these cities you have the potential to earn more than the average national United States salary.

Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division	600	1	0	$28.92	$60,150
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ	30	1	0	$28.16	$58,560
Trenton-Ewing, NJ	70	0	0	$27.93	$58,090
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division	1080	1	1	$27.45	$57,100
Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metropolitan Division	360	0	0	$27.19	$56,560
Camden, NJ Metropolitan Division	310	1	0	$26.00	$54,070
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division	Estimates	Not	Released	$25.83	$53,730
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC–VA–MD-WV Metropolitan Division	1780	1	1	$24.48	$50,920
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	660	1	1	$24.35	$50,640
New Haven, CT	220	1	1	$23.82	$49,540

 

Highest Medical Billing Salaries in Non-Metro Areas

For Non-Metropolitan Areas, you can make $43,570 annually or $20.95 per hour in North Central Colorado.

Non-Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan	50	0.61	0.45	$20.95	$43,570
Western New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area	160	2.55	1.87	$20.40	$42,430
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area	40	1.18	0.86	$20.31	$42,250
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area	170	1.62	0	$20.20	$42,020
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area	80	1.99	1.46	$19.91	$41,420

 

Highest Levels of Employment

One of the considerations you will face when moving into a new medical coder career (or even a new location) is the amount of employment opportunities that will be available.  Will you be able to find a job fairly easily when you finish with your schooling or training? Will you have one if you have moved to a new area?  The following tables will help to give you an idea of the employment numbers across the country, and where they are the most concentrated.

By State

State	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Texas	16,670	1.53	1.12	$17.80	$37,020
California	16,560	1.13	0.83	$21.31	$44,330
Florida	9,680	1.3	0.95	$17.25	$35,880
New York	8,850	1.03	0.75	$19.77	$41,130
Illinois	8,100	1.42	1.04	$17.98	$37,390

 

By Metropolitan Area

Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL	4,870	1.31	0.96	$19.10	$39,730
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA	4,580	1.15	0.84	$20.41	$42,460
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX	4,540	1.65	1.21	$19.62	$40,810
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ	4,390	0.84	0.61	$22.17	$46,120
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ	3,490	1.96	1.44	$17.21	$35,800
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA	3,450	1.97	1.44	$21.03	$43,730
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX	2,860	1.33	0.98	$18.67	$38,840
Philadelphia, PA	2,830	1.54	1.13	$17.54	$36,490
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH	2,260	2.24	1.64	$19.34	$40,230
St. Louis, MO – IL	2,250	1.74	1.28	$18.63	$38,750

 

By Non-Metropolitan Area

Non-Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Kansas (Non-Metro)	680	1.76	1.29	$14.25	$29,640
Northeast Mississippi	470	2.17	1.59	$12.44	$25,880
East Central Pennsylvania	370	1.57	1.15	$16.26	$33,820
Eastern Texas	370	1.33http://codingandbillingsalary.com/wp-admin/post-new.php	0.97	$14.38	$29,910
Northwestern Texas	360	1.4	1.02	$14.98	$31,160

 

Highest Concentration of Jobs

 

By State

State	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Montana	1,190	2.72	2	$15.98	$33,240
South Dakota	1,020	2.52	1.85	$16.96	$35,280
Oklahoma	3,480	2.23	1.64	$15.84	$32,950
Arizona	5,390	2.18	1.6	$17.05	$35,460
Mississippi	2,140	1.97	1.45	$14.43	$30,020

 

By Metropolitan Area

Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
Morgantown, WV	260	4.19	3.07	$17.75	$36,920
Yuba City, CA	150	4.02	2.95	$16.24	$33,780
Fairbanks, AK	140	3.83	2.81	$22.61	$47,040
Missoula, MT	210	3.69	2.71	$14.00	$29,110
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	160	3.68	2.7	$15.99	$33,250
Rapid City, SD	220	3.62	2.65	$16.66	$34,650
Billings, MT	300	3.62	2.65	$17.98	$37,400
Lake Havasu City – Kingman, AZ	160http://codingandbillingsalary.com/wp-admin/post-new.php	3.54	2.59	$16.44	$34,200
Hot Springs, AR	120	3.47	2.55	$14.35	$29,850
Springfield, IL	340	3.28	2.41	$15.15	$31,500

 

By Non-Metropolitan Area

Non-Metropolitan Area	Employment	Employment per Thousand Jobs	Location Quotient	Hourly Mean Wage	Annual Mean Wage
North Arizona	320	4.97	3.65	$17.95	$37,340
Western Montana	240	3.55	2.6	$14.55	$30,270
North and West Central New Mexico	200	3.18	2.33	$17.48	$36,350
Southwestern New Mexico	80	2.86	2.09	$12.71	$26,440
Central Montana	100	2.58	1.89	$16.57	$34,470

 

Factors That May Affect Your Rate of Pay

• Education:  As I discussed already, more education means more money.  Moreover, the quality of that education can affect your salary as well.  Earning a degree from a top school in your field will have a better influence on your pay than a school known to be weak in your field. (Or better known for something else).
•  Certifications and Associations:  Certifications or even memberships in trade associations can help to earn you more $$.  The certifications may be required for some positions, while others may allow you to work towards them on the job.
• Years on the job (Experience):  The more you have the more you earn.  If a job requires 15 years of experience and you have 5 you can expect a salary lower than advertised if you get the job.
• Shift Differential:  If you find yourself being offered a job that works unconventional hours, you may be able to earn a bit more because of it.  Definitely worth some consideration.  This may include overtime or special projects.
• Past Performance:  Many employers base pay decisions partially on performance.  Achieving outstanding marks in performance reviews may push you over the threshold you have been hoping to achieve!

FAQ’s

What is a median salary?

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate–50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.  More about percentile wages.

How are these wages calculated?

Wage estimates were calculated by assuming “year round, full time” employment.  The weekly by multiplying the hourly $$$ x 40 (hours). The monthly by multiplying hourly $$$ x 173.3 (hours). The yearly by multiplying hourly $$$ x 2080 (hours).  Wages are displayed in USD $.

What is a location quotient?

The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.