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How Much You Can Make in
Health Information Management (HIM)

Average salaries in the HIM field

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), health information technologists and medical registrars earn an average salary of $65,280 per year ($31.38 per hour).* Earn enough education and experience in HIM and you can potentially qualify for management-level positions, which typically offer significantly higher pay than entry-level positions.

Considering the very positive employment outlook (an expected 17% increase from 2022-2032, according to the BLS), it’s a great time to consider taking the first step towards joining the field of health information management.

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Health Information Technician Smiling at Desk

Health Information Technologist salary by state

 Average salaryMedian salary
StatePer hourPer yearPer hourPer year
Alaska$33.57$69,820$29.45$61,250
Arizona$24.28$50,490$19.90$41,380
Arkansas$28.23$58,720$24.29$50,530
California$45.92$95,520$40.75$84,770
Colorado$32.45$67,500$30.54$63,510
Connecticut$23.69$49,270$21.25$44,200
Delaware$26.77$55,690$20.93$43,540
District of Columbia$40.33$83,880$38.85$80,800
Florida$30.19$62,800$27.33$56,840
Georgia$26.57$55,270$22.18$46,130
Hawaii$28.98$60,270$24.19$50,320
Idaho$31.54$65,610$25.18$52,370
Illinois$26.44$55,000$23.57$49,030
Indiana$24.28$50,500$20.20$42,020
Iowa$33.18$69,010$33.21$69,070
Kansas$30.64$63,730$28.81$59,930
Kentucky$26.29$54,690$21.50$44,730
Louisiana$26.10$54,290$24.20$50,340
Maine$33.27$69,190$31.70$65,940
Maryland$34.79$72,360$30.69$63,830
Massachusetts$40.43$84,090$38.81$80,730
Michigan$31.03$64,540$29.37$61,080
Minnesota$40.06$83,320$38.27$79,600
Mississippi$22.67$47,150$22.13$46,040
Missouri$23.20$48,250$21.78$45,300
Montana$31.08$64,650$29.98$62,360
Nebraska$23.75$49,410$18.90$39,310
Nevada$31.67$65,870$25.78$53,620
New Hampshire$34.87$72,530$37.34$77,670
New Jersey$25.63$53,310$25.33$52,690
New Mexico$22.12$46,010$19.23$40,000
New York$37.21$77,390$29.78$61,940
North Carolina$27.61$57,440$25.59$53,230
Ohio$29.62$61,620$27.85$57,920
Oklahoma$23.72$49,340$19.27$40,090
Oregon$37.08$77,120$34.78$72,330
Pennsylvania$32.65$67,910$33.42$69,520
Rhode Island$29.58$61,520$22.83$47,480
South Carolina$21.26$44,230$18.44$38,350
South Dakota$26.85$55,850$26.07$54,220
Tennessee$28.26$58,780$25.04$52,090
Texas$34.29$71,330$33.92$70,550
Utah$24.62$51,200$18.56$38,600
Vermont$33.70$70,090$32.94$68,520
Virginia$27.02$56,200$23.07$47,990
Washington$30.01$62,410$24.63$51,240
West Virginia$19.80$41,180$17.17$35,720
Wisconsin$28.93$60,160$26.44$55,000
Puerto Rico$14.79$30,770$14.24$29,610
All salary data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How to increase pay potential: get certified

There are two primary certifications for HIM professionals, both from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA): Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) and Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA).

According to a salary survey from AHIMA (2019), RHIT and RHIA certified professionals earn higher average salaries than the latest BLS estimates:

  • RHIT average salary: $70,300 per year
  • RHIA average salary: $91,450 per year

Annual salaries can be more highly variable in your first years in the HIM industry and are less likely to approach average levels. However, after 3-6 years, surveyed salaries stabilize and begin to rise more consistently with experience levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are a few primary differences between medical billing and coding and health information management.

Those who work in medical billing and coding, who may be referred to as medical records specialists, play a key role in the healthcare revenue cycle, ensuring Electronic Medical Records (EMR) are assembled accurately and entered into health information systems properly. They communicate with healthcare staff, insurance companies, and patients to best represent services provided (coding) and secure payment for those services (billers).

Health Information Management professionals (sometimes referred to as Health Information Technology – HIT) are responsible for maintaining, analyzing, and optimizing these systems. Their role is more on the backend, emphasizing informatics and Information Technology (IT). These professionals create, manage, and analyze the systems billers and coders rely on to maintain the Electronic Health Record (EHR). They can also play a wider role in data analysis, management, protection, and administration of patient health information.

With Herzing University, you have several potential options to consider:

  • Master of Science in Healthcare Administration. After earning a bachelor’s degree in HIM, this online 16-month program can help you qualify for job opportunities in health administration which may require a master’s degree.
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA). You may also choose an MBA pathway to strengthen your business acumen. Our bachelor’s degree program features a dual credit option in which you can apply credits earned towards an MBA degree.

Given the increased demand in the industry, wide range of jobs you can pursue and the average salary you can earn, going back to school and earning your degree in HIM is definitely worth it. It’s a field with high growth potential and excellent career mobility.

With Herzing University you are never alone. It’s our goal to provide all students an affordable, career-driven education. Financial aid options include:

You can find an estimate for tuition and expenses by using the Herzing University tuition wizard.

The primary difference is:

  • Healthcare management refers to the practices and procedures involved with operating and supervising hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
  • Health information management involves the collection, analysis, maintenance and security of a healthcare facility’s billing, research, quality improvement and credentialing.

Both fields combine high-level business and day-to-day functions of a healthcare environment to support the delivery of excellent patient care.

Discover more details about the difference between healthcare management vs. health information management.

Finding your place and succeeding in your career depends on your strengths in relation to the skills needed in health information management, including:

  • Analytical skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Communication and teamwork
  • Technical skills
  • Leadership skills

Because of the increased need for data-driven decision making and growth of information technology in healthcare, health information managers must be adept on the execution or managerial side of day-do-day tasks. Those strong on both sides can find great career success in HIM.

Pathways

Choose your HIM degree pathway

Your first step to joining the HIM field is getting educated. Herzing University offers two undergraduate degree options:

Associate Degree in Health Information Management Online
  • Program length: 20 months
  • Classes: View AS-HIM classes
  • Aligned certification: RHIT1
Bachelor's Degree in Health Information Management Online
  • Program length: 20 months
  • Classes: View BS-HIM classes
  • Aligned certification: RHIA1

It all starts with your education

Earning your degree is the first step to a potentially lucrative career in health information management.

Given the projected growth in the industry and increasing need for data-driven decision making, getting a health information management degree is a good career choice and absolutely worth the time and energy needed to earn it.

Discover your healthcare degree options and become possible with Herzing University!

Discover the Herzing University Health Information Management program

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1. Certification in this program is not a state requirement.


* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2022. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.

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