Medical Biller Salary by State in the USA (2026 Data)

Quick Answer

The medical biller salary in the USA is about $51,000 a year at the median, or roughly $24.59 an hour. That figure comes from the closest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics category, Medical Records Specialists (May 2025). State medians run from about $41,500 in Mississippi to $72,040 in Washington, D.C. Certification, employer type, and location move your own number.

Introduction

If you are asking what a medical biller earns in 2026, the honest answer is a range, not one number. The medical biller salary in the USA depends on where you live, who employs you, and which credentials you hold, and the federal government publishes no wage series with that exact job title. This guide collects the best available U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data in one place. It also explains what the data does and does not say. Practices that want context on billing errors that quietly drain revenue will find it useful too.

Trusinva Tech Solutions is an AI and IT services company that also lists medical billing among its specialized operational services. We wrote this guide as general education. You can see how billing work is organized on our medical billing services page, or read our guide to reducing claim denials.

Every figure below carries its source and data year. Where the data cannot answer a question, such as how much remote billers earn, we say so instead of guessing. For more explainers, browse the Trusinva blog.
Key Takeaways

• The U.S. government does not publish a wage series titled "medical biller," so every figure here is a proxy.
• The national median for the closest category is $51,140 a year, or $24.59 an hour (May 2025).
• State medians span roughly $22,460 between Rhode Island and Mississippi among the 50 states.
• 27 states and D.C. have medians above the national median; 23 states fall below it.
• Hospitals and management-of-companies employers had the highest median wages in the industry data.
• Certification is often preferred or expected, but no source proves it raises any one person's pay.
• BLS projects 8% job growth through 2035 and flags AI coding tools as a possible influence on demand.
• Use ranges, not single numbers, when negotiating or budgeting.
  What Does a Medical Biller Do, and Why Is the Salary Hard to Pin Down?

A medical biller converts the care a provider delivers into claims that insurers can pay, then tracks each claim until payment is posted. The BLS profiles we reviewed do not break billers out as their own occupation, so salary figures come from nearby categories. That makes every number in this guide a proxy. See BLS's profile of medical records specialists for the closest official description. Specialty settings, such as mental health practices, add their own billing rules and workloads.

In practice, billing work typically includes:

• verifying insurance eligibility
• entering charges
• submitting claims
• posting payments and reading explanation-of-benefits (EOB) statements
• working denials
• managing patient accounts receivable

Coders assign diagnosis and procedure codes. BLS describes coders as the link between providers and billing offices. Billers then use those codes to build claims. Good denial management is a large part of the daily job.

Two BLS-based categories serve as the best proxies. Medical Records Specialists includes coders and records staff. Billing and Posting Clerks is a broader clerical category. Neither isolates medical billers. If you spot an outdated or wrong figure in this guide, please send us a correction.

How Much Does a Medical Biller Make in the USA in 2026?

The average medical biller salary is best read from the closest BLS category. The national median was $51,140 a year ($24.59 an hour) and the mean was $56,790 ($27.30 an hour) in May 2025. Half of workers earned between about $43,490 and $64,820. Learn how billing teams are organized on our medical billing service page.

The mean sits above the median because a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up. For negotiation, the median and the percentile band are more useful than the mean. If you like salary guides in this format, our sister guide to the truck dispatcher salary in the USA uses a similar approach.

The "2026" in this guide's title refers to the most recent annual BLS estimates we could find as of October 2026, which are the May 2025 figures. BLS updates these estimates once a year, so check for newer data on the Trusinva blog and on BLS.

Medical Biller Salary by State (2026): Full Table

Washington, D.C. leads at $72,040, and Mississippi has the lowest state median at $41,500. The table ranks all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico by median annual wage in the Medical Records Specialists category. Hourly figures are annual medians divided by 2,080 hours. If your state is below the national median, browse our outsourced medical billing guide to see how practices extend staff capacity.

HealthInformationManagementPrograms.com (the two compilations match). Guam is omitted because BLS notes a small sample. Last verified: October 8, 2026.

Three cautions apply. These are medians for the closest category, not biller-only wages. State figures carry sampling error. Median wages exclude employer benefits. Compare offers on total compensation, and use this table as a starting point. For help interpreting a specific offer, contact the Trusinva team.

Which State Pays Medical Billers the Most, and the Least?

Washington, D.C. pays the most at $72,040, and Rhode Island ($63,960) tops the 50 states. Mississippi ($41,500) and Arkansas ($41,740) are lowest among states, while Puerto Rico's median is $27,990. The gap between Rhode Island and Mississippi is about 54%. Practices comparing hiring costs by region can explore Trusinva's medical billing services.

The top 10 are D.C., Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington, California, New York, Minnesota, Alaska, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Many are high-cost areas. This guide does not adjust for cost of living, so a high median does not always mean more purchasing power.

Where do medical billers make the most money in practical terms? Use the median to see the pay level, then compare it with local rent and taxes, which BLS wage data does not cover. If you are weighing a move, talk to us about your training options before you commit.

Medical Biller Salary in Popular States

California ($61,810), New York ($61,720) and Washington ($62,270) sit well above the national median of $51,140. Texas ($48,860) and Florida ($45,760) sit below it, even though both employ many records specialists. Use the table to compare your state against the benchmark. Specialty settings such as mental health billing may pay differently from the category median.

Because pay differs this much between states, pay in your own metro area may differ again. BLS also publishes metro-area estimates, and WageDex compiles them. The OOH links to BLS state and area data profiles for this purpose. Read about the skills that reduce billing errors to see where employers feel the cost of mistakes.

What Is the Starting Salary for a Medical Biller?

BLS does not publish a starting wage for billers. In the closest category, the 10th percentile ($37,000, about $17.79 an hour) and 25th percentile ($43,490, about $20.91 an hour) are practical proxies for entry-level pay. The typical entry requirement is a postsecondary certificate, and BLS lists no required work experience or on-the-job training. Compare training routes in our guide to the medical billing course versus certification.

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

A new biller's first offer can land above or below this band, depending on state, employer, and any credential. Percentile data cannot isolate experience, so treat these numbers as ranges. If you are starting from zero, the Medical Billing course page describes what the course covers. We do not promise a job or salary outcome.

Enquire About the Medical Billing Course →

For experienced billers, the 75th percentile ($64,820) and 90th percentile ($81,150) show what the upper range looks like in the category. These top-end figures often reflect hospital, management, or specialized roles rather than general billing posts. To discuss career paths in more depth, contact Trusinva.

Does Certification Increase Medical Billing Salary?

Certification often helps, but no source proves it will raise your individual pay. BLS says employers may prefer certified workers or expect certification soon after hiring. AAPC's salary reports, which rely on self-reported survey data, have shown higher average pay for certified respondents. For a clear comparison of paths, read our guide to the medical billing course online.

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

Common credentials you may see in job postings:

Verify current requirements with each issuer. AAPC's 2025 report uses 2024 data from U.S. participants only. See the AAPC salary report for current figures.

BLS points readers to CareerOneStop's certification finder for certification details. Survey data like AAPC's is self-reported, so it shows an association, not a guaranteed raise. Before enrolling anywhere, ask about exam alignment, cost, and support. The Trusinva Medical Billing course page does not state exam alignment, so confirm any details through the contact page.

Enquire About the Medical Billing Course

Medical Biller vs Medical Coder vs Billing Clerk Pay

BLS data cannot separate billers from coders. Both fall near the Medical Records Specialists category, with a median of $51,140. Billing and Posting Clerks, a broader clerical category, had a reported median of $48,500 in May 2025. Related occupations show where careers can lead. For role definitions, see our medical billing services overview.

BLS notes that records specialists may advance to health information technologist or medical or health services manager roles after higher certification or a degree. These steps raise the pay ceiling but need more training. Planning that path starts with understanding which billing mistakes cost practices the most.

How Does the Employer Change Medical Billing Pay?

Employer type shifts pay noticeably. In BLS industry data for May 2025, management-of-companies employers had the highest median ($60,980), followed by hospitals ($59,120). Physician offices ($47,120) and professional, scientific, and technical services ($46,800) were lower. Hospitals employ 28% of these workers and physician offices 18%. Practices weighing in-house versus outsourced billing can start with our medical billing services page.

Larger organizations often have more structured pay bands, but the data does not prove why wages differ. Smaller offices may offer broader duties but lower median wages. If you manage a small practice and want to understand your options, our claim denial guide explains where billing support fits.

Can Medical Billers Work From Home, and Does It Change Pay?

Some billing work is remote, but BLS does not report how common it is or whether it pays more. BLS notes that most workers in the category work full time at a computer, and that facilities open around the clock may use shifts, including nights or weekends. Check every posting for location rules. If you freelance, read our USA taxation guide for freelancers for general information.

Remote roles often involve handling protected health information. HHS explains in its HIPAA Privacy Rule summary that the rule covers health plans, clearinghouses, and providers that transmit health information electronically. Ask any remote employer how they protect patient data. For billing support options, see the Trusinva medical billing service.

We found no verified remote-pay figure, so we do not publish one. If you see a remote salary claim elsewhere, check the source and its date. Reach out to us if you want help weighing a remote billing role.

Is Medical Billing a Good Career in 2026, and What About AI?

BLS projects 8% employment growth for medical records specialists from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. That means about 15,600 additional jobs and roughly 14,000 openings a year, many from workers leaving or switching occupations. BLS also notes that AI-powered coding tools may affect demand. Median pay is close to the $50,980 all-occupations median. See how AI automation services in the USA are changing office workflows.

Growth drivers include an aging population and more chronic conditions, which increase the volume of coded services. Billing skills such as denial management, payer follow-up, and accuracy checks stay valuable when software handles routine tasks. Staying current on tools and common billing mistakes is a practical hedge.

Whether it is a good career depends on your goals. Stable healthcare administration work suits some people, while others want higher pay ceilings that require more education. If you are unsure, ask Trusinva a question.

How Can You Increase Your Medical Billing Salary?

The most reliable levers are credentials, specialization, employer choice, and location. The data supports each lever, but none carries a guarantee. Use this checklist, and see the Trusinva Medical Billing course page for what the course covers (healthcare billing, ICD-10 coding, and insurance, per our homepage).

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

1. Earn a recognized credential when postings in your area ask for one. Compare routes in our course vs certification guide.
2. Build denial-management skills. Practices feel the value of clean claims. Read about reducing claim denials.
3. Learn a specialty, such as mental health billing.
4. Target higher-paying employer types, such as hospitals and management companies in the industry table.
5. Compare your state using the table above, and negotiate with the percentile band, not a single number.
6. Plan advancement toward health information technologist or manager roles, which BLS says need further certification or a degree.

Enquire About the Medical Billing Course

Track your results over time. Keep notes on the claims you handle and the accuracy you achieve, since those are the concrete achievements to cite in a salary conversation. Contact us if you want help structuring a learning plan.

How Should You Use This Data? (Decision Matrix)

Match the data to your decision. Use national percentiles for broad comparisons, state medians for location planning, and industry medians for employer targeting. The matrix below shows which numbers to anchor on, and which traps to avoid. Practices can see how Trusinva describes billing support on its services overview.

Practices should add benefits, training time, software, and management overhead to a wage figure. The data here covers wages only. If you are evaluating outsourced support, review the medical billing service page and ask for scope details through the contact form.

Common Mistakes When Reading Salary Data

The most common mistake is treating a proxy as an exact wage. Others include mixing data years, comparing a median with a mean, and ignoring benefits. Avoid these errors, and read our guide to top medical billing mistakes in U.S. clinics for the operational side of the same discipline.

• Using one number. Always read the percentile range.
• Mixing years. Check the data vintage (this guide uses May 2025).
• Ignoring sample size. Small states and territories carry more error.
• Treating survey data as proof. Self-reported surveys show association, not cause.
• Forgetting benefits. OEWS wage estimates do not include employer benefits.

If a salary page does not name its source and year, treat it with caution. Share anything that looks wrong through our contact page, and see more explainers in the Trusinva blog library.

Why Choose Trusinva Tech Solutions for Medical Biller Career Guidance and Medical Billing Support in the USA

Trusinva Tech Solutions is an AI and IT services company that lists medical billing among its specialized services and offers a Medical Billing course covering healthcare billing, ICD-10 coding, and insurance, according to its website. This section explains what that means for you and what it does not. We do not promise any salary, job, or certification outcome. See the Medical Billing service and the Medical Billing course.

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

• For learners: the course page describes the subject areas. For current details such as duration, delivery mode, and fees, use the contact page instead of relying on assumptions.
• For practices: the service page describes the billing support Trusinva lists. Ask about scope, reporting, and data-handling practices before deciding.
• Our approach to this guide: we cite named sources, label proxies, and avoid claims we cannot verify. Learn more about Trusinva.

Whatever provider or training route you consider, ask these questions:

1. What exactly is covered, and who maintains the content?
2. What are the costs and what is excluded?
3. How is patient-data handling explained?
4. What does the provider not promise?
5. How can you verify any claims about credentials or outcomes?

Contact Trusinva with your questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a medical biller make in the USA?
There is no separate federal wage series for medical billers, so the closest proxy is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics category Medical Records Specialists, which had a median of $51,140 a year in May 2025. The middle half earned about $43,490 to $64,820. Your own pay depends on state, employer, and credentials, and our medical billing services page shows how billing work is organized.

How much do medical billers make per hour?
In the same BLS category, the median hourly wage was $24.59 in May 2025 and the mean was $27.30. The 10th percentile was $17.79 an hour and the 90th percentile was $39.01. State hourly figures in this guide are annual medians divided by 2,080 hours, so treat them as estimates, and read our guide to claim denials for the denial-management work that billing teams handle.

Which state pays medical billers the most, and which pays the least?
Washington, D.C. has the highest median at $72,040. Among the 50 states, Rhode Island ($63,960), Hawaii ($63,180), Washington ($62,270), and California ($61,810) lead. Mississippi ($41,500) and Arkansas ($41,740) have the lowest state medians. These are BLS medians for the closest category, not biller-only wages, and you can browse more pay guides on the Trusinva blog.

What is the starting salary for a medical biller?
BLS does not publish a starting wage for billers. The 10th percentile of $37,000 ($17.79 an hour) and the 25th percentile of $43,490 ($20.91 an hour) are practical proxies for entry-level pay in the category. A first offer can fall outside that band, so compare training routes in our guide to the medical billing course versus certification.

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

Does certification increase medical billing salary?
BLS says employers may prefer certified workers or expect certification soon after hiring. AAPC's salary reports, which rely on self-reported survey data, have shown higher average pay for certified respondents. Neither source proves a credential will raise your individual pay, so weigh costs and outcomes using our guide to the medical billing course online.

Enquire About the Medical Billing Course

Can medical billers work from home?
Some medical billing work is performed remotely, but the BLS profile we reviewed does not report how common remote work is or whether it pays more. Hospitals and physician offices, which employ many billers, may use on-site shifts. Check each job posting, and if you freelance, read our guide to USA taxation for freelancers.

Do medical billers earn less than medical coders?
BLS places coders in the same Medical Records Specialists category as many record-keeping roles, so national BLS data cannot separate billers from coders. A broader clerical category, Billing and Posting Clerks, had a reported median of $48,500 in May 2025. Pay gaps depend on credentials and employer, and our guide to top medical billing mistakes shows where accuracy matters most.

Is medical billing a good career in 2026?
BLS projects 8 percent employment growth for medical records specialists from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 14,000 openings a year. It also notes that AI-powered coding tools may affect demand. Median pay is close to the $50,980 all-occupations median, so weigh stability against pay, and see how AI automation services in the USA are used in business workflows.

Conclusion and Next Step

Summary: The medical biller salary in the USA centers on about $51,140 a year ($24.59 an hour) in the closest BLS category. State medians run from $41,500 (Mississippi) to $72,040 (D.C.), and employer type, credentials, and specialty shift the number further. Recommendation: use percentile ranges and your state's median, not a single average, and verify offers against total compensation. Next step: if you are exploring training, review the Medical Billing course page and ask about current details.

Ask About the Medical Billing Course

If you run a practice and want to understand billing support options, start with the medical billing services page and contact the Trusinva team with your questions. We make no guarantees about pay, jobs, or outcomes.