The 2026 U.S. Medical Billing & Coding Salary Report

This distinction matters. A coding role centered on reviewing clinical documentation and assigning diagnosis or procedure codes is not the same as a billing role centered on claims, remittances, patient balances, and accounts receivable. Job titles also vary by employer. Use the occupation and survey labels stated by each source instead of turning one number into a universal medical-billing wage.

For role definitions, review the BLS Medical Records Specialists profile and the O*NET Billing and Posting Clerks profile. The relevant benchmark depends on the actual tasks.

These BLS occupational medians cover Medical Records Specialists (SOC 29-2072), across industries. They are not medical-biller-only, credential-specific, remote-only or experience-level wages. Keep them separate from the AAPC survey figures elsewhere on this page.

Each hourly and annual median is a separately published BLS value. The annual column is not calculated from the rounded hourly column. The table covers all 50 states plus the District of Columbia; DC is not a state. On a small screen, scroll within the table to view every column.

State table methodology and download

The table reproduces BLS OEWS state series for occupation 29-2072 and industry code 000000. BLS identifies datatype 08 as hourly median wage and datatype 13 as annual median wage. Its release mapping identifies API year 2025 and period A01 as May 2025. Data were retrieved on October 2, 2026; the retrieval date is not the wage reference year.

All 102 requested observations were available: two published medians for each of 51 geographies. No missing values were filled, no wage estimates were calculated, and territories were not included. These are BLS estimates, not an Actigy BPO survey. The free state salary CSV retains the occupation, reference period, retrieval date, source URLs and both BLS series IDs for every row.

These nominal wages are not adjusted for local living costs. Do not average state medians into a national median or treat them as a supplier price. The AAPC credential survey describes different cohorts and cannot establish a pay premium by comparison with this table.

Data on this page may be quoted with attribution to Actigy BPO and a link to this page.

The AAPC report shows an association between certification count and average pay, but it does not by itself prove that a credential caused the entire difference. Experience, specialty, employer, responsibility, and location may also differ between groups. Buyers and jobseekers should use the survey as a cohort benchmark, not a guaranteed salary.

See the current AAPC Medical Coding Salary Survey for its published tables and definitions.

Use these pay observations as staffing context when evaluating outsourced medical coding; a service quote also depends on scope, review and coverage.

Build the worksheet from the role you will actually hire and your own payroll, benefits and operating records. A BLS occupational median is a benchmark, not your salary budget. Use the same annual period, workload and responsibilities for each option; do not apply an assumed overhead multiplier.

If you plan to hire a medical biller, compare the role, supervision and absence cover with a dedicated external team. Keep salary benchmarks separate from a provider quote that includes agreed delivery work.

First-year cost: add salary, employer taxes, benefits, recruiting, training, tools, oversight and rework, counting each cost once. Show recurring annual cost separately from initial setup costs. If you calculate a unit cost, divide by the documented volume of completed work for that same period, not by an assumed productivity rate.

A supplier comparison needs a written quote for the same scope, plus transition costs, retained internal work and exit obligations. Different duties or service levels can make a wage-only comparison misleading.

Actigy BPO uses the AAPC groups already shown in this report as pay context, not a promise of higher wages. The comparison does not prove that a credential caused a pay change.

The certification table separates certified, non-certified and credential-count groups. Experience, specialty, employer, duties and location can also differ between those groups.

Do not compare an AAPC group average with a BLS occupational median to calculate a credential premium. The sources cover different people and use different measures.

A hiring plan can set the skills and credentials the role needs, then check pay for that scope. The report does not promise a return on a course or certificate.

Move from salary to the full employer cost

Actigy BPO prices most services per full-time equivalent (FTE) by role and sends a written quote after the process audit. Compare that scope with the employer cost worksheet, using actual taxes, benefits, training, tools and review costs. Count each cost once and keep setup costs separate.

Actigy BPO works in the client's tools, with access limited to the systems the client approves. Every Actigy BPO engagement starts with a process audit and a paid pilot.

The cost per full-time equivalent by country resource is a historical planning model, not a current supplier quote. Compare the same work and retained duties with a written medical billing service quote.

Actigy BPO builds managed nearshore operations teams in Central and Eastern Europe. Healthcare buyers can consider its medical billing outsourcing service for repeatable billing queues in their existing systems or review its medical coding support. This report is vendor-published. Treat its Actigy BPO fit guidance as disclosure, not independent endorsement, and test the proposed scope with your own evidence. Actigy BPO has a registered address in Prague.

Billing and RCM providers can review capacity for billing and RCM companies alongside their own client commitments.