Medical billing and coding salary

Medical coding salary by percentile

A medical coder at the national median earns $51,140; the middle half of the 194,720 workers in this occupation earn $43,490 to $64,820.^{[onet_coder][oews][oews_api]} The take-home column applies 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer.^[irs][ssa]

*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.

Coding pay is more spread out than most entry-level health jobs: the 90th percentile ($81,150) is more than double the 10th ($37,000). New coders usually start near the bottom of that range, and experience plus additional credentials is what moves pay toward the top. A $60,000 salary sits at about the 66th percentile nationally.

Medical coder salary: what the BLS figure covers

BLS has no occupation called "medical coder". Coders and health information technicians are counted as medical records specialists (SOC 29-2072), an occupation O*NET describes as including medical coders.^[sum_coder] Its sample of reported titles includes "Medical Coder", "Coder", "Health Information Technician" and "RHIT". That is why the health information technician salary and the medical coder salary are the same government number.

Medical billing is not listed among the group's sample titles, so a job that only posts charges and follows up on claims may be classified as a billing or office clerk instead and may pay below the figures here. Front-office work that mixes scheduling, billing and patient intake is usually a medical administrative assistant job, a separate BLS occupation with a $45,930 median; see medical administrative assistant salary.^{[onet_medsec]} Clinical work with patients is medical assisting; its credentials are compared on medical assistant certification.

Medical coder salary by career stage

BLS does not publish coder pay by years of experience, so the percentiles are the closest public guide: a new coder is usually near the 10th to 25th percentile, a working coder with a credential near the median, and a senior or specialist coder (inpatient, auditing, CCS) toward the 75th and 90th.^{[onet_coder][oews_faq]} The table turns each point into hourly and take-home pay.

*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax and FICA, before state tax.

The step from the median to the 75th percentile is worth $13,680 a year, more than the cost of any coding exam in the next table.^[ahima_ccs]

Medical coder certification cost

Medical coder certification cost runs from $199 to $399 for AHIMA's two coding exams, depending on the exam and on AHIMA membership.^{[ahima_cca][ahima_ccs]} AHIMA's Certified Coding Associate (CCA) is the entry credential, and its Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) is the more advanced credential. AAPC's Certified Professional Coder (CPC) is the other widely requested credential; its price and membership terms are listed by AAPC.

A retake of the CCA costs the same as the first attempt, so the 62% first-time pass rate is worth weighing before you book.^[ahima_cca] The full training route is on how to become a medical coder.

Medical billing and coding salary per hour

Medical billing and coding salary per hour is $24.59 at the median, $17.79 at the 10th percentile and $39.01 at the 90th.^[onet_coder] These are annual figures divided by 2,080 hours, the BLS convention, and they leave out overtime and production bonuses.^[oews_faq]

*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax and FICA, no state tax.

Medical billing and coding salary by state

District of Columbia has the highest median for medical records specialists ($72,040), followed by Rhode Island ($63,960) and Hawaii ($63,180); Mississippi is lowest at $41,500.^[onet_coder] For a remote coder, the employer's pay scale and your own state's income tax both matter: enter the offer in the calculator with the state you live in to see the take-home pay.

Highest-paying metro areas for medical coders

The best-paying metro area for medical records specialists is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, at a $86,890 median.^[onet_coder]

Medical coding vs medical assisting pay

Medical coders earn $5,450 more than medical assistants at the median ($51,140 against $45,690), and the gap widens at the top: $81,150 against $59,310 at the 90th percentile.^[onet_ma] Coding is desk work with little or no patient contact, while medical assisting is hands-on clinic work. See medical assistant salary for that side, or compare any two careers on the allied health salary overview.