If you are considering a career in healthcare administration, one of the first questions you may ask is, how much do billers and coders make in the United States? Medical billing and coding can provide a stable career path in healthcare without requiring a clinical role, but compensation varies considerably based on experience, certification, specialty, location, employer, and responsibilities.
For a useful national benchmark, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifies medical coders and related professionals under medical records specialists. According to BLS data, the median annual wage for medical records specialists was $50,250 in May 2024, with the lowest 10% earning below $35,780 and the highest 10% earning above $80,950. More recent May 2025 wage data reported through CareerOneStop show a national median of $51,140 per year, or $24.59 per hour, with the top 10% reaching $81,150 annually.
However, salary data should not be interpreted as one fixed medical billing and coding salary. Billing and coding are related but different functions, and professionals with certifications, specialized knowledge, and years of experience can move into higher-paying positions.
How Much Do Billers and Coders Make?
So, how much do billers and coders make in the USA? A reasonable national benchmark is around $51,140 annually for the broader medical records specialist occupation based on May 2025 federal wage data. The national wage range reported by CareerOneStop is approximately $37,000 at the lower end, $51,140 at the median, and $81,150 at the higher end. That corresponds to hourly wages of approximately $17.79, $24.59, and $39.01, respectively.
These numbers include medical coders and related health information professionals, so they should not be treated as a precise salary for every medical billing position. A billing specialist may have different responsibilities and compensation from a certified professional coder, inpatient coder, coding auditor, or revenue cycle specialist.
AAPC provides another useful perspective. Its 2026 medical coding information reports that AAPC-certified medical records specialists averaged $67,260 annually in 2025, compared with approximately $55,721 for uncertified professionals. AAPC also reports higher average compensation for advanced credentials and specialized roles.
This difference illustrates an important point: certification and career specialization can influence earning potential.
Medical Billing vs. Medical Coding Salary
Although people often use “medical billing and coding” as one career term, billing and coding involve different responsibilities.
A medical coder reviews clinical documentation and translates diagnoses, procedures, and healthcare services into standardized codes such as ICD-10-CM, CPT, and HCPCS. Accurate coding helps communicate medical services to insurers and supports appropriate reimbursement. You can learn more about the fundamentals in Fine Claim LLC’s guide to what is medical coding.
Medical billers work more directly with the financial side of healthcare. Their responsibilities can include preparing and submitting claims, reviewing payer responses, posting payments, following up on unpaid accounts, and helping resolve rejected or denied claims.
Because the roles overlap in some organizations, a professional who understands both medical billing and coding may have opportunities to take on broader revenue cycle responsibilities. Employers may also value professionals who understand insurance requirements, documentation, claim submission, denial prevention, and accounts receivable management.
What Factors Affect Medical Billing and Coding Pay?
There is no single salary that applies to every biller or coder. Several factors can substantially influence compensation.
Experience is one of the most important considerations. Entry-level professionals may begin with basic billing, coding, claims, or health information responsibilities. As they gain experience with payer policies, coding guidelines, specialty-specific documentation, and complex claims, they may qualify for more advanced positions.
Certification can also affect earning potential. Credentials such as CPC, CCS, and other specialized certifications can demonstrate professional knowledge and may help candidates compete for more advanced positions. AAPC’s salary data specifically shows a compensation advantage for certified medical records specialists.
Specialization is another important factor. Coding for a complex hospital environment, surgery, oncology, cardiology, radiology, or other specialty may require deeper knowledge than general administrative billing. Professionals who develop specialized expertise may be able to pursue positions with greater responsibility.
Location matters as well. Compensation can differ significantly between states and metropolitan areas because of differences in healthcare employment, cost of living, employer demand, and local wage conditions. CareerOneStop’s 2025 data, for example, lists a median annual wage of $61,720 in New York compared with $51,140 nationally.
Finally, employer and work setting can affect compensation. BLS data for May 2024 showed median wages of $56,520 for medical records specialists working in hospitals, compared with $45,620 in physicians’ offices.
Does Certification Increase a Medical Coder’s Salary?
Certification can be an important career investment for professionals who want to advance in medical coding.
The value of certification goes beyond simply adding letters after a person’s name. Coding professionals must understand documentation, code selection, payer requirements, compliance considerations, and changing coding guidelines. Certification can provide employers with evidence that a candidate has demonstrated knowledge in the field.
AAPC’s 2026 information provides a strong example. Its data indicates that certified medical records specialists averaged $67,260 annually in 2025, while uncertified professionals averaged about $55,721.
Experienced professionals can also pursue specialized career paths such as auditing, compliance, education, documentation improvement, or practice management. AAPC reports average salaries above $80,000 for several advanced credentials, including Certified Professional Medical Auditor and Certified Professional Practice Manager roles.
That does not mean every certified coder will earn those amounts. Salary depends on experience, employer, location, credentials, and job responsibilities. Nevertheless, professional development can create opportunities for advancement.
How Experience Can Change Your Earning Potential
A person entering the healthcare revenue cycle may begin with responsibilities such as data entry, charge entry, insurance verification, claim preparation, or basic billing follow-up. With experience, that professional can develop a broader understanding of the medical billing process and move toward more complex responsibilities.
An experienced coder may progress into senior coding, auditing, compliance, documentation improvement, or coding leadership. Similarly, an experienced biller may move into denial management, accounts receivable management, payment posting supervision, or broader revenue cycle management roles.
Revenue cycle management professionals can work across multiple stages of the financial process, including registration, eligibility verification, coding, charge capture, claims submission, payment posting, denial management, and accounts receivable follow-up. Fine Claim LLC explains how these connected processes contribute to healthcare financial performance in its guide on how revenue cycle management works.
As responsibilities increase, compensation can also become more competitive because employers are paying for experience, judgment, problem-solving ability, and knowledge of healthcare reimbursement.
Where Do Medical Billers and Coders Work?
Medical billers and coders can work in a wide range of healthcare environments. Hospitals, physician offices, outpatient clinics, specialty practices, healthcare management companies, and professional medical billing companies all require people who understand healthcare financial and coding workflows.
Remote employment has also expanded the potential job market for many healthcare administrative professionals. However, remote compensation varies by employer and position, and working remotely does not automatically guarantee a higher salary.
Professionals who develop expertise in medical coding services, claims management, denial resolution, or revenue cycle operations may also find opportunities with outsourced healthcare organizations that support multiple physician practices.
For healthcare providers, outsourcing can provide access to experienced billing and coding professionals without requiring the practice to build and manage a large internal billing department. Fine Claim LLC provides medical billing services in the USA that include coding, claims management, denial management, payment posting, eligibility verification, and accounts receivable support.
Is Medical Billing and Coding a Good Career in 2026?
For people interested in healthcare administration, medical billing and coding can offer a practical entry point into the healthcare industry. The work combines healthcare knowledge, technology, documentation, attention to detail, and insurance processes without requiring professionals to provide direct clinical care.
Federal employment projections are also encouraging. The BLS projects employment of medical records specialists to grow 7% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
At the same time, professionals should recognize that technology is changing the field. Automation and artificial intelligence can assist with repetitive coding and administrative activities, but healthcare organizations still need knowledgeable professionals to review documentation, interpret complex cases, manage exceptions, address payer issues, and maintain compliance.
For this reason, the strongest long-term strategy may be to develop skills that complement technology rather than relying only on repetitive data-entry tasks.
How Can Billers and Coders Increase Their Salaries?
Professionals who want to increase their earning potential should focus on building a combination of technical knowledge and practical healthcare revenue cycle experience.
Obtaining a recognized certification can strengthen a resume. Continuing education can help professionals keep pace with coding updates and payer requirements. Developing specialty-specific expertise can make a professional more valuable to employers. Learning denial management, accounts receivable, compliance, healthcare technology, and revenue cycle analytics can also broaden career opportunities.
Communication and problem-solving skills are equally important. A successful billing or coding professional may need to communicate with providers, patients, insurance companies, practice managers, and other members of the revenue cycle team.
Technology skills are becoming increasingly relevant as healthcare organizations adopt automated workflows. Fine Claim LLC’s discussion of revenue cycle automation in healthcare explains how technology can support activities such as eligibility verification, coding assistance, claim processing, payment posting, and denial management.
Why Accurate Billing and Coding Matter to Healthcare Practices
Salary is only one side of the medical billing and coding profession. The work itself has a direct impact on healthcare organizations because accurate coding and billing help providers receive appropriate reimbursement for services they have delivered.
Coding errors, missing information, eligibility problems, incorrect charges, and claim submission issues can lead to rejected or denied claims. When these problems occur repeatedly, they can increase administrative workload and delay cash flow.
That is why healthcare organizations often invest in experienced billing and coding professionals. Accurate medical coding services can support cleaner claims, compliance, and more efficient reimbursement workflows. Fine Claim LLC’s medical coding services include CPT, ICD-10, and HCPCS coding support for U.S. healthcare providers.
Final Thoughts: How Much Do Billers and Coders Make?
So, how much do billers and coders make? In the United States, national federal wage data for the broader medical records specialist occupation places the May 2025 median at $51,140 per year, or approximately $24.59 per hour, while the highest 10% earned about $81,150 or more. AAPC’s data shows that certified professionals can earn substantially more on average, particularly as they gain experience and pursue specialized credentials.
The most important takeaway is that medical billing and coding salaries are not determined by one number. Certification, experience, specialty knowledge, location, employer, job responsibilities, and continued professional development can all influence earning potential.
For healthcare organizations, the expertise of these professionals is equally valuable. Accurate coding, efficient billing, proactive denial management, and effective revenue cycle management services can help practices improve financial performance while allowing clinical teams to focus more on patient care. Fine Claim LLC supports healthcare providers nationwide with comprehensive billing, coding, and RCM solutions designed around the needs of modern U.S. healthcare practices.
If your practice is experiencing billing backlogs, coding challenges, claim denials, or growing administrative workloads, exploring professional outsourced medical billing services can provide access to experienced billing and coding support without the complexity of building an entire in-house team.