Medical Records Specialist Salary

Medical Records Specialists earn a median $51,140 a year nationally. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

U.S. median

$51,140

$24.59 per hour

Range

$37,000 – $81,150

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

194,720

across the U.S.

Medical Records Specialist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$43,271

per year · effective tax rate 15.4%

$3,606Monthly

$1,803Twice a month

$1,664Every 2 weeks

$20.80Hourly

Federal income tax$3,957
Social Security (6.2%)$3,171
Medicare (1.45%)$742
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$43,271

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$37,000	$17.79	$31,910
25th percentile	$43,490	$20.91	$37,124
Median (50th)	$51,140	$24.59	$43,271
75th percentile	$64,820	$31.16	$54,263
90th percentile (top earners)	$81,150	$39.01	$65,919

Best cities for medical records specialists (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$86,890	$64,976	$58,843	920
2	Winston, NC	$62,590	$50,482	$54,847	520
3	Milwaukee, WI	$65,730	$52,883	$54,554	750
4	Cleveland, OH	$61,950	$51,036	$54,338	1,810
5	Sacramento, CA	$75,150	$57,921	$54,299	1,340
6	Columbia, SC	$62,650	$49,917	$53,295	640
7	Madison, WI	$61,860	$49,944	$51,336	490
8	Oklahoma City, OK	$57,420	$46,279	$51,189	1,110
9	Albuquerque, NM	$60,020	$48,751	$51,023	770
10	Omaha, NE	$56,830	$46,137	$50,197	760
11	Buffalo, NY	$60,230	$47,919	$49,997	830
12	San Francisco, CA	$74,400	$57,463	$49,703	1,880
13	Providence, RI	$62,030	$50,312	$49,435	860
14	Seattle, WA	$65,530	$54,833	$49,340	2,830
15	Charleston, SC	$61,950	$49,397	$48,926	460
16	Memphis, TN	$53,100	$44,846	$48,651	660
17	Des Moines, IA	$54,270	$44,375	$48,391	490
18	Hartford, CT	$61,320	$49,616	$48,290	480
19	Anchorage, AK	$60,620	$50,888	$48,272	610
20	Huntington, WV	$52,000	$42,353	$47,898	470
21	Durham, NC	$57,290	$46,435	$47,591	620
22	Salt Lake City, UT	$58,900	$47,822	$47,410	1,180
23	Atlanta, GA	$58,950	$47,110	$47,082	2,790
24	Minneapolis, MN	$61,830	$49,179	$46,917	1,840
25	Tulsa, OK	$51,440	$41,743	$46,789	580

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $86,890
Sacramento, CA — $75,150
San Francisco, CA — $74,400
Milwaukee, WI — $65,730
Seattle, WA — $65,530
Columbia, SC — $62,650
Winston, NC — $62,590
Providence, RI — $62,030
Cleveland, OH — $61,950
Charleston, SC — $61,950
Portland, OR — $61,890
Madison, WI — $61,860
Minneapolis, MN — $61,830
San Diego, CA — $61,480
Hartford, CT — $61,320

Medical Records Specialist salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
District of Columbia	$72,040	$56,274	$46,300 – $128,010	270
Rhode Island	$63,960	$51,790	$44,650 – $84,540	650
Hawaii	$63,180	$49,674	$45,700 – $91,650	400
Washington	$62,270	$52,214	$45,500 – $98,130	5,010
California	$61,810	$49,283	$43,800 – $102,470	18,700
New York	$61,720	$49,036	$40,730 – $101,940	9,080
Minnesota	$61,530	$48,959	$48,120 – $83,020	3,150
Alaska	$61,090	$51,266	$46,390 – $90,530	1,070
Connecticut	$60,940	$49,328	$40,490 – $88,900	1,120
Massachusetts	$60,350	$47,874	$43,960 – $81,620	3,500
Wisconsin	$60,280	$48,744	$46,750 – $79,720	2,870
Colorado	$59,020	$47,714	$45,280 – $82,980	1,780
Oregon	$59,000	$45,254	$44,260 – $81,120	2,560
Vermont	$57,560	$46,935	$42,130 – $77,580	—
New Mexico	$57,470	$46,822	$36,600 – $76,460	1,400
Illinois	$56,440	$44,881	$38,890 – $77,520	5,740
Delaware	$56,060	$44,790	$36,870 – $77,500	610
South Carolina	$54,280	$43,694	$37,240 – $71,280	2,750
Maryland	$54,220	$43,534	$35,400 – $82,090	2,440
Wyoming	$54,210	$45,738	$37,930 – $79,530	280
Idaho	$53,460	$43,410	$39,930 – $77,840	1,490
Oklahoma	$53,460	$43,275	$36,610 – $74,710	2,480
Virginia	$53,290	$42,748	$37,630 – $78,680	4,630
Utah	$52,870	$43,248	$35,720 – $82,640	1,910
Maine	$52,090	$41,700	$42,210 – $76,660	1,000
Nebraska	$51,670	$42,225	$38,620 – $74,990	1,640
South Dakota	$51,610	$43,649	$36,920 – $76,950	900
Georgia	$51,550	$41,548	$36,260 – $81,580	5,930
Ohio	$50,990	$42,531	$38,060 – $79,290	7,440
Missouri	$50,750	$41,510	$38,880 – $77,010	3,890
Iowa	$50,640	$41,597	$38,910 – $66,390	2,250
Nevada	$50,300	$42,596	$36,990 – $81,140	2,350
New Jersey	$50,240	$41,320	$33,280 – $83,650	4,450
Montana	$50,190	$40,905	$40,460 – $64,540	820
North Carolina	$49,620	$40,579	$36,840 – $79,670	6,760
New Hampshire	$49,210	$41,720	$39,120 – $68,980	930
Texas	$48,860	$41,439	$34,440 – $78,390	17,210
Tennessee	$48,780	$41,375	$37,320 – $79,960	4,440
Kentucky	$48,410	$39,501	$36,290 – $74,520	4,210
Kansas	$48,160	$38,989	$36,680 – $77,910	2,030
Michigan	$48,120	$39,050	$37,180 – $77,080	4,890
Indiana	$47,670	$39,106	$38,270 – $79,270	5,860
Arizona	$47,630	$39,469	$36,530 – $75,430	3,750
West Virginia	$47,360	$38,830	$31,610 – $75,000	1,260
Pennsylvania	$46,840	$38,378	$37,490 – $77,880	6,970
North Dakota	$46,280	$39,366	$39,580 – $79,800	520
Florida	$45,760	$38,948	$36,330 – $76,850	21,490
Louisiana	$44,610	$37,072	$32,900 – $77,080	2,600
Alabama	$43,810	$35,456	$30,250 – $64,730	2,330
Arkansas	$41,740	$34,303	$33,920 – $65,090	1,920
Mississippi	$41,500	$34,597	$31,010 – $61,580	2,310

Frequently asked questions

How much does a medical records specialist make?

The national median salary for medical records specialists is $51,140 a year ($24.59 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,000 and the top 10% earn over $81,150. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays medical records specialists the most?

District of Columbia has the highest median pay at $72,040. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many medical records specialists are there in the U.S.?

About 194,720 people work as medical records specialists nationwide.

All 80 cities