The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $51,140 for medical records specialists as of May 2025.
The AAPC salary survey reports substantially higher figures for its credentialed members, including $71,130 for coders holding two credentials and $76,035 for those holding three or more. Both figures are accurate.
They measure different populations, and the gap between them is the single most useful thing to understand about medical billing and coding salary data.
Check Out Medical Billing and Coding Certification
Two clarifications before the figures, because both affect which numbers apply:
- This page covers medical coding, not software coding. A software developer’s compensation has no bearing on a medical coder’s, and the two fields share no wage data, classification, or credentialing structure.
- Medical billers and medical coders are compensated differently. Coding converts clinical documentation into ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS Level II codes. Billing pursues reimbursement on those codes. AAPC certifies them separately — CPC for coding, CPB for billing — and this page reports both.
At a glance
| Metric | Figure | Source |
| Median annual wage | $51,140 | BLS OOH, May 2025 |
| Mean annual wage | $56,790 | BLS OEWS |
| Lowest 10 percent | Under $37,000 | BLS OOH, May 2025 |
| Highest 10 percent | Over $81,150 | BLS OOH, May 2025 |
| Median hourly equivalent | $24.59 | Calculated at 2,080 hours |
| Two AAPC credentials | $71,130 | AAPC salary survey |
| Three or more credentials | $76,035 | AAPC salary survey |
| Highest-paying state | Delaware, $77,708 | AAPC 2023 salary report |
| Lowest-paying state | Mississippi, $50,393 | AAPC 2023 salary report |
| Employment, 2025 | 200,700 positions | BLS OOH |
| Projected growth, 2025–2035 | 8 percent | BLS OOH |
Figures verified Friday, August 28, 2026.
What is the average medical billing and coding salary?
The median medical billing and coding salary is $51,140 per year, or approximately $24.59 per hour, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025.
The mean sits higher at $56,790, indicating that upper-end earners pull the average above the midpoint.
BLS classifies this work under SOC 29-2072, “Medical Records Specialists.” No federal occupational category called “medical coder” exists.
The classification encompasses production coders, medical records technicians, health information clerks, and release-of-information specialists — a broader population than credentialed coders alone.
The full salary range, not just the median
Medical billing and coding salaries span from under $37,000 at the 10th percentile to over $81,150 at the 90th percentile — a spread of more than $44,000.
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly equivalent |
| 10th | Under $37,000 | Under $17.79 |
| 50th (median) | $51,140 | $24.59 |
| Mean | $56,790 | $27.30 |
| 90th | Over $81,150 | Over $39.01 |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025. Hourly figures calculated at 2,080 annual hours.
A single median figure conceals the entire risk profile. A candidate evaluating whether to retrain needs the 10th percentile as much as the 90th percentile, because early-career positions cluster toward the lower end.
Pages reporting only the midpoint present an incomplete basis for that decision.
Hourly wage conversions
The median hourly wage for medical billing and coding is approximately $24.59, calculated from the $51,140 annual median at 2,080 hours per year.
| Annual figure | Hourly equivalent | What it represents |
| $37,000 | $17.79 | 10th percentile |
| $45,000 | $21.63 | AAPC uncredentialed average |
| $51,140 | $24.59 | BLS median |
| $56,790 | $27.30 | BLS mean |
| $71,130 | $34.20 | AAPC two-credential average |
| $76,035 | $36.55 | AAPC three-plus credential average |
| $81,150 | $39.01 | 90th percentile |
Hourly conversions assume full-time employment at 2,080 hours. Part-time, per diem, and contract coding positions do not follow this conversion because contract rates typically exclude employer-paid benefits, which represent an additional 20 to 30 percent of total compensation in salaried positions.
Why every salary source reports a different number
Salary sources disagree because they measure different populations, not because any of them is inaccurate.
| Source | Population measured | Typical figure | Question it answers |
| BLS (OOH and OEWS) | All workers under SOC 29-2072, credentialed and uncredentialed | $51,140 median | What does the occupation pay? |
| AAPC salary survey | AAPC members, all credentialed, dues-paying | $71,130 (two credentials) | What do credentialed AAPC members earn? |
| Job-posting aggregators | Advertised ranges and self-reported data | Varies widely | What are employers advertising? |
BLS measures the entire occupation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys establishments rather than individuals, capturing every worker employed under the SOC 29-2072 classification.
That population includes uncredentialed medical records staff, which pulls the median below what a certified production coder typically earns.
BLS data carries two characteristics worth noting. It is collected on a lag — the current Occupational Outlook Handbook edition reports May 2025 figures.
And it reports no breakdown by credential, because certification status is not captured in the establishment survey.
AAPC surveys its own credentialed membership
The AAPC salary survey samples AAPC members. Every respondent holds at least one AAPC credential and pays annual dues, currently $222 for professional membership.
This is a self-selected, professionally engaged, fully credentialed population — which produces higher figures than BLS by construction.
AAPC figures are therefore appropriate for answering “what will I earn once credentialed and established,” and inappropriate for answering “what does this occupation pay on average.”
Job-posting aggregators measure advertised ranges
ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Payscale, Indeed, and Salary.com derive figures from posted salary ranges and voluntary self-reporting.
Methodology is generally unpublished, sample composition is unknown, and advertised ranges are not realized wages. Figures from these sources should be treated as directional rather than authoritative.
One consequence worth stating plainly: many salary pages currently ranking for this topic cite superseded BLS figures.
Pages published before the current Handbook edition report a $50,250 median from the prior data year. Readers encountering both numbers are seeing an update lag, not a contradiction.
Medical billing and coding salary by certification
Certification raises medical coding salary substantially, and holding multiple credentials raises it further.
AAPC survey data shows credentialed coders earning materially more than uncredentialed staff, with the largest increments arriving from credential accumulation rather than credential selection.
| Credential status | Average salary | Corroboration |
| Uncredentialed | Approximately $45,000 | Single source |
| CCA (AHIMA) | $48,321 | Single source |
| CCS (AHIMA) | $57,500 | Single source |
| CPC (AAPC) | $59,605 | Single source |
| Certified (unspecified credential) | $62,689 | Single source, alternate figure |
| Two credentials | $71,130 | Two independent sources |
| Three or more credentials | $76,035 | Two independent sources |
All figures attributed to AAPC salary survey data via secondary sources. The two-credential and three-credential figures appear consistently across multiple independent citations; single-credential figures vary by source and should be verified against AAPC directly before being relied upon for financial decisions.
Reported certification premiums also vary by source: one cites a 16.6 percent premium for certified over uncertified coders, another cites 20.7 percent.
The direction is consistent across sources; the magnitude is not precisely established in publicly available secondary reporting.
Credential stacking outperforms credential selection
Adding a second credential produces a larger salary increase than choosing between first credentials.
The increment from a single credential to two credentials is approximately $11,525 based on the CPC figure, or roughly 19 percent — larger than the entire reported gap between the CCA and the CPC.
This inverts the standard framing. Most guidance on this topic addresses which certification to pursue first.
The data indicates the higher-leverage question is how many credentials to accumulate over a career, and that the first credential is better understood as an entry requirement than as the determinant of long-term earnings.
Common stacking combinations align credentials to distinct revenue functions:
- CPC plus CRC — outpatient coding plus risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage populations
- CPC plus CPMA — coding plus medical auditing
- CCS plus CDIP — inpatient coding plus clinical documentation improvement
- CPC plus CPB — coding plus billing, covering both sides of the revenue cycle
- CCS plus CIC — hospital coding plus specialized inpatient coding
Credential stacking carries recurring costs. AAPC requires 36 CEUs per two-year cycle regardless of how many credentials are held, but each additional credential carries its own examination fee, and some certifying bodies charge per-credential maintenance fees. NHA, for example, charges $185 for renewal plus $60 for each additional credential held.
Which medical coding certification pays the most?
Among entry-accessible credentials, the CPC reports the highest average at $59,605. Among specialty credentials, CRC and CIC attach to the highest-paying niches.
- CRC (Certified Risk Adjustment Coder) — roles ranging from $55,000 to $80,000, tied to hierarchical condition category (HCC) coding for Medicare Advantage plans
- CIC (Certified Inpatient Coder) — inpatient hospital coding, with salaries ranging $60,000 to $85,000
- CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) — the AHIMA hospital credential, reported at $57,500 average and the prerequisite for most auditor progression
No credential guarantees a salary band. Credential, setting, geography, and experience interact, and a CPC holder in a Delaware hospital will typically out-earn a CCS holder in a Mississippi physician practice.
Candidates deciding between credentials should read the full comparison in Medical Coding and Billing Certification, which covers examination formats, prerequisites, and costs for each.
Entry-level medical billing and coding salary
Entry-level medical billing and coding salaries typically fall between $37,000 and $45,000, corresponding to the BLS 10th-to-25th percentile band and the AAPC uncredentialed average of approximately $45,000.
Three factors compress starting pay below the occupational median:
- The apprentice designation. Candidates who pass the AAPC CPC examination without documented experience receive CPC-A, an apprentice credential that employers distinguish from full CPC status.
- Production ramp time. Coding roles are typically compensated against productivity standards measured in charts or lines per hour, with accuracy thresholds commonly set at 95 percent or higher. New coders reach standard over months, not weeks.
- Setting availability. Entry-level positions concentrate in physician offices and administrative support services, which report the lowest industry medians at $47,120 and $49,490, respectively.
How long does it take to reach the median salary?
Reaching the $51,140 median typically requires removing the apprentice designation and accumulating one to three years of production experience.
Examination preparation itself takes weeks to months; the wage progression is governed by experience documentation rather than study time.
AAPC’s apprentice removal pathways require two years of coding experience, or one year combined with 80 contact hours of training, or Practicode completion paired with a second qualifying element. Full details on those pathways appear in Medical Coding and Billing Certification.
This timeline does not apply uniformly. Candidates entering with prior healthcare revenue cycle experience — patient access, insurance verification, or medical records roles — frequently satisfy experience requirements faster and start above the entry band.
Medical billing and coding salary by state
Geographic location produces a larger salary spread than credentialing does. AAPC state-level data shows a $27,315 gap between the highest-paying and lowest-paying states, exceeding the reported gap between uncredentialed and CPC-credentialed coders.
Highest-paying states
| Rank | State | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
| 1 | Delaware | $77,708 | $37.36 |
| 2 | California | $77,077 | $37.06 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $76,483 | $36.77 |
| 4 | New York | $74,426 | $35.78 |
| 5 | Washington | $73,341 | $35.26 |
Lowest-paying states
| Rank | State | Annual salary | Hourly rate |
| 1 | Mississippi | $50,393 | $24.23 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $55,047 | $26.46 |
| 3 | Kansas | $56,179 | $27.01 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $57,500 | $27.64 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $58,069 | $27.92 |
AAPC 2023 Medical Coding and Billing Salary Report. State figures reflect AAPC’s credentialed membership and are dated earlier than the BLS national figures cited elsewhere on this page.
State salary figures should be assessed against cost of living rather than in isolation. California and Massachusetts appear among the highest-paying states and also among the highest-cost states.
Delaware’s position at the top reflects concentration of health system and insurance employers relative to a small workforce, which can produce volatile year-to-year figures in survey data.
How remote work changes the geographic calculation
Remote coding positions are typically benchmarked to the employer’s location or to a national band, not the coder’s residence.
This creates a wage arbitrage opportunity for coders living in lower-cost states who secure positions with employers in higher-paying markets.
Reported remote figures vary considerably by source and role. One aggregator reports an average remote medical billing salary of $46,638, below the national median — a figure that likely reflects a concentration of entry-level and billing-focused remote roles rather than experienced coding positions.
Remote coding is not generally available at entry level. Production coding is supervised through retrospective audit rather than direct observation, and employers typically require demonstrated accuracy before authorizing remote work. Candidates should plan for an on-site or hybrid first position in most markets.
Salary by work setting and industry
Hospital employment pays approximately $12,000 more at the median than physician office employment. BLS industry data for May 2025 shows a clear stratification by employer type.
| Industry | Median annual wage |
| Management of companies and enterprises | $60,980 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $59,120 |
| Administrative and support services | $49,490 |
| Offices of physicians | $47,120 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $46,800 |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025.
This stratification maps directly onto the credential decision. AHIMA credentials (CCS, CIC) orient toward hospital settings; AAPC’s CPC orients toward physician practice.
The $12,000 industry median differential attaches a dollar figure to that choice, which credential comparisons rarely provide.
Setting-level ranges reported by industry sources align with the BLS pattern:
| Setting | Typical range | Associated credential |
| Inpatient hospital | $60,000–$85,000 | CCS, CIC |
| Outpatient hospital | $50,000–$70,000 | CCS, COC |
| Ambulatory surgery center | $48,000–$68,000 | COC, CCS |
| Physician practice (ProFee) | $45,000–$65,000 | CPC |
Professional fee (ProFee) coding — coding services rendered directly by physicians rather than facility charges — represents the largest employment category and the entry point for most CPC holders.
Highest-paying medical coding specialties
Coding auditor positions report the highest non-management range at $70,000 to $95,000, followed by risk adjustment coding at $55,000 to $80,000.
| Specialty | Typical range | Credential | Function |
| Coding auditor | $70,000–$95,000 | CCS or CPMA plus experience | Reviews coder accuracy and compliance |
| Risk adjustment / HCC | $55,000–$80,000 | CRC | Captures chronic conditions for Medicare Advantage |
| Inpatient hospital | $60,000–$85,000 | CCS, CIC | Assigns ICD-10-PCS and MS-DRG |
| Coding denial specialist | Varies by market | CPC plus CPB | Analyzes and appeals denied claims |
| Outpatient hospital | $50,000–$70,000 | COC, CCS | Facility outpatient coding |
| Professional fee coding | $45,000–$65,000 | CPC | Physician services |
Risk adjustment coding commands a premium because of its direct revenue impact. HCC coding determines risk adjustment factor scores, which determine per-member-per-month payments to Medicare Advantage plans.
Coding accuracy translates into measurable plan revenue, and compensation reflects that leverage.
Coding denial specialists occupy the intersection of coding and billing, analyzing rejected claims against NCCI edits, medical necessity requirements, and payer policy to recover revenue.
Where medical coding careers top out
Three progression paths raise earnings above production coding: auditing, clinical documentation improvement, and health information management.
Each requires credentials beyond entry level and several years of production experience.
- Coding auditor — $70,000 to $95,000, reviewing coder output for accuracy and compliance; typically requires CCS or CPMA plus documented production history
- CDI specialist (Clinical Documentation Improvement) — queries providers to improve documentation completeness before coding occurs; credentials include CDIP and CCDS
- HIM manager (Health Information Management) — departmental leadership; frequently requires RHIT or RHIA, which are degree-dependent AHIMA credentials
Travel and contract coding
Travel inpatient coding pays $40 to $55 per hour plus a housing stipend, annualizing to approximately $85,000 to $115,000. Travel CDI pays $60 to $90 per hour plus a stipend, annualizing to approximately $125,000 to $185,000.
These arrangements sit substantially above every figure reported elsewhere on this page and are available to experienced credentialed coders. Four conditions apply:
- Contract duration is finite, typically 13 to 26 weeks, with no guarantee of renewal.
- Benefits are frequently excluded or reduced relative to salaried employment, and the hourly rate must be discounted accordingly when comparing total compensation.
- Stipend eligibility requires maintaining a tax home and duplicating living expenses; coders who do not meet Internal Revenue Service criteria have stipends treated as taxable income.
- Engagement may be structured as 1099 rather than W-2, shifting payroll tax liability to the coder.
Travel coding is not an entry-level option. Agencies typically require two to five years of production experience and current credentials appropriate to the setting.
Medical biller salary versus medical coder salary
Medical billers earn less than medical coders at the national level. Aggregate data reports a medical biller salary of approximately $46,000 to $50,000 against the $51,140 median for the broader medical records specialist classification, though the two roles overlap substantially in smaller practices where one person performs both functions.
| Role | Primary function | Certifying credential | Certifying body |
| Medical coder | Assigns ICD-10-CM, CPT, HCPCS Level II codes | CPC, CCS, CCA | AAPC, AHIMA |
| Medical biller | Submits claims, manages denials, recovers revenue | CPB | AAPC |
| Billing and coding specialist | Performs both in smaller practices | CBCS | NHA |
AMBA (American Medical Billing Association) operates as the professional association focused specifically on the billing side, which treats AAPC as the sole relevant organization.
The billing function involves distinct artifacts and workflows that carry their own compensation dynamics: CMS-1500 forms for professional claims, UB-04 (CMS-1450) for institutional claims, clearinghouse submission through platforms including Availity and Change Healthcare, EOB and ERA reconciliation, denial appeals, and accounts receivable aging management at 30, 60, and 90-plus days.
Billing roles in large health systems and revenue cycle management vendors can exceed coding salaries, particularly in denial management and revenue integrity functions where recovered revenue is directly attributable.
Salary progression by experience
Medical coding salary progresses primarily through credential accumulation, specialty movement, and production performance rather than tenure alone.
| Career stage | Typical positioning | Common credentials |
| Entry (0–1 year) | $37,000–$45,000; apprentice designation likely | CPC-A, CCA, CBCS |
| Early career (2–4 years) | Approaching the $51,140 median | CPC, CCS |
| Mid-career (5–9 years) | $55,000–$70,000; specialty or second credential | CPC plus CRC, CCS |
| Senior (10+ years) | $70,000–$95,000; auditing, CDI, or management | CPMA, CDIP, RHIT/RHIA |
Three mechanisms drive increases within a given role:
- Productivity standards. Coders are measured on charts or lines per hour against setting-specific benchmarks, with production bonuses common in high-volume environments.
- Accuracy rate. Audit scores typically must exceed 95 percent, and sustained accuracy above benchmark supports both retention and advancement.
- Specialty complexity. Movement from routine outpatient coding into surgical, interventional radiology, or inpatient coding raises compensation through a complexity premium.
Tenure alone produces limited increases. A coder remaining in the same setting, credential, and specialty for ten years will typically see cost-of-living adjustments rather than the progression indicated above.
Does a degree increase medical coding salary?
Credentials affect medical coding salary more directly than degrees do, because AAPC and AHIMA credentials are awarded on examination performance rather than academic attainment.
AAPC states no formal education prerequisite for the CPC examination; AHIMA requires a high school diploma for the CCA.
A degree becomes financially relevant in three specific circumstances:
- RHIT eligibility requires a completed associate degree from a CAHIIM-accredited program.
- RHIA eligibility requires a completed bachelor’s degree from a CAHIIM-accredited program.
- HIM management positions frequently specify a degree requirement in job postings, independent of coding credentials held.
A degree does not substitute for a coding credential. Employers hiring production coders screen for CPC, CCS, or equivalent regardless of academic background.
The full certificate-versus-degree analysis appears in Medical Coding and Billing Certification.
Is medical billing and coding a good career?
Employment is projected to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3 percent across all occupations, adding 15,600 positions and reaching 216,300 total.
BLS projects approximately 14,000 openings annually over the decade, most arising from workers transferring occupations or retiring.
| Metric | Figure |
| Employment, 2025 | 200,700 |
| Projected employment, 2035 | 216,300 |
| Numeric change | +15,600 |
| Percent change | 8 percent |
| All-occupation average growth | 3 percent |
| Annual openings | Approximately 14,000 |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The case against, stated honestly
Three constraints qualify the favorable outlook, and prospective coders encounter all three in practitioner communities.
- The lower band is genuinely low. The BLS 10th percentile sits under $37,000, which is below median household income in most U.S. markets. Candidates who remain in entry-level physician-practice roles without accumulating credentials may not exceed that band substantially.
- Entry is competitive and gated by experience. The CPC-A apprentice designation and employer preferences for one to two years of experience create a documented barrier between certification and employment.
- Remote work is largely unavailable initially. The flexibility that attracts many candidates to this field is typically earned rather than granted at hire.
This career is not well suited to candidates requiring immediate remote work, immediate income above the national median, or a short path from training to employment.
It suits candidates able to absorb one to three years of below-median earnings while accumulating credentials and documented production experience.
Will AI reduce medical coding salaries?
No published evidence establishes that artificial intelligence has reduced medical coding wages as of Friday, August 28, 2026.
Automation pressure exists through computer-assisted coding, but its documented effect is a shift in task composition rather than a measured wage decline.
The Federal Reserve published research on Monday, March 23, 2026, finding that “aggregate employment of coders has decelerated sharply since the introduction of ChatGPT.”
That paper studies software programmers in computer-programming-intensive occupations. It does not study medical coders. Citing it as evidence about medical coding misapplies its findings entirely.
The mechanism actually affecting medical coding is distinct:
- Computer-assisted coding (CAC) applies natural language processing to clinical documentation and generates preliminary code suggestions for human review.
- Autonomous coding assigns codes without human review for defined, high-volume, low-complexity encounter types, typically in radiology, pathology, and routine outpatient visits.
- Human adjudication remains required for ambiguous documentation, complex comorbidities, provider queries, and encounters with high reimbursement variance.
The observable direction shifts coder work from assignment toward validation, auditing, and exception handling.
That shift raises the relative value of auditing and risk adjustment credentials — CPMA, CRC, and CDI-oriented credentials — against pure production coding.
Coders operate within specific platform environments, and familiarity with them functions as a hiring factor independent of credential:
- EHR systems — Epic Systems, Cerner (Oracle Health), Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks
- Encoder and reference tools — 3M Coding and Reimbursement System, AAPC Codify, Find-A-Code
- Clearinghouses — Availity, Change Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
How much do medical coders make?
Medical coders earn a median of $51,140 annually, or approximately $24.59 per hour, per BLS May 2025 data. Credentialed AAPC members holding two credentials average $71,130.
What is the medical billing and coding salary per hour?
The median hourly wage is approximately $24.59, calculated from the $51,140 annual median at 2,080 hours. The 10th percentile falls under $17.79 hourly; the 90th percentile exceeds $39.01.
How much do medical coders make starting out?
Entry-level medical coders typically earn $37,000 to $45,000, corresponding to the BLS 10th-to-25th percentile band. The CPC-A apprentice designation and production ramp time both suppress initial earnings.
Which medical coding certification pays the most?
Among entry-accessible credentials, the CPC reports the highest average at $59,605. Among specialties, CRC (risk adjustment) and CIC (inpatient) attach to the highest-paying niches, ranging $55,000 to $85,000.
Do medical coders make good money?
Medical coding pays near the U.S. median wage at the occupational midpoint, below it at entry level, and substantially above it with multiple credentials or specialty focus. The 10th-to-90th percentile spread exceeds $44,000.
Which state pays medical coders the most?
Delaware reports the highest average at $77,708, followed by California at $77,077 and Massachusetts at $76,483, per AAPC’s 2023 salary report. Mississippi reports the lowest at $50,393.
How much do medical billers make?
Medical billers earn approximately $46,000 to $50,000 nationally, generally below the coding median. Billing roles in revenue cycle management and denial recovery can exceed coding salaries in large health systems.
Can you make six figures in medical coding?
Six-figure earnings occur in travel CDI (annualizing to $125,000 to $185,000), senior auditing roles, and HIM management. Production coding alone rarely reaches that band.
Is medical billing and coding in demand?
BLS projects 8 percent employment growth from 2025 to 2035, against 3 percent across all occupations, with approximately 14,000 annual openings and 200,700 current positions.
Will AI replace medical coders?
No evidence establishes AI-driven wage decline in medical coding as of August 2026. Computer-assisted coding shifts work toward validation and auditing, raising the value of CPMA, CRC, and CDI credentials relative to production coding.
Sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Medical Records Specialists, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Health Information Management Programs — Medical Coder Salary by Credential, Setting, and Geography
- HealthTech Academy — Medical Billing & Coding Salary by State & Work Setting
- Nurse.org — Medical Billing and Coding Salary by State
- Federal Reserve Board — AI and Coder Employment: Compiling the Evidence (Monday, March 23, 2026)
- AAPC — Salary Survey Resources
Leave a Reply