- Medical coders are classified as medical records and health information technicians, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and help process medical records and assign codes to determine how much a patient will be reimbursed. In the United States, medical coders earn an average annual salary of $33,880, or $16.29 an hour.
- General medical and surgical hospitals have the highest levels of employment of medical coders and offer an above-average mean wage of $35,870. Many medical coders also work in the offices of physicians, an industry that pays less than average at $28,460 annually. Those on staff at nursing care facilities earn close to the overall average at $33,100, while medical coders at outpatient care centers earn $30,650.
- Cost of living and demand can play a large role in determining the salary of a staff medical coder. Those in New Jersey see the highest wages in the country at $45,750, particularly in the metropolitan area of Newark-Union, where the average is $51,390. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Ca., area is high-paying at $47,450, as is San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City at $46,300. Overall, Hawaii, Washington D.C., Alaska and Maryland are the country's other highest-paying areas for medical coders, with average salaries ranging from $39,330 to $41,340.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment growth for staff medical coders will grow much faster than the national average at 20 percent through 2018. While most medical coders start out with certification and an associate's degree, advancement and a higher salary is possible by obtaining specialty certification or a bachelor's or master's degree.