Career guide

How to become a medical coder

Education, licensing, training, and outlook from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 projections), with BLS May 2025 pay.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical Records Specialists, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page

Quick answer

Typical entry-level education: postsecondary nondegree award. Employers may prefer to hire medical records specialists who have certification, or they may expect applicants to earn certification shortly after being hired. BLS median pay: $51,140 a year (May 2025).

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Quick facts

2025 Median Pay: $51,140 per year $24.59 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education: Postsecondary nondegree award
Work Experience in a Related Occupation: None
On-the-job Training: None
Number of Jobs, 2025: 200,700
Job Outlook, 2025 to 2035: 8% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2025 to 2035: 15,600

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page

Steps to become a medical coder (BLS)

Medical records specialists typically need a postsecondary certificate to enter the occupation, although some qualify with a high school diploma. Others might need an associate’s degree. Certification may be required or preferred.

Education

A high school diploma or equivalent and experience in a healthcare setting are enough to qualify for some positions, but others may require a postsecondary certificate or an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

High school students may benefit from taking classes in subjects such as biology, computer science, and anatomy.

Community colleges and technical schools offer certificate and associate’s degree programs for medical records specialists. These programs typically include courses in medical terminology, health data requirements and standards, and classification and coding systems.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Employers may prefer to hire medical records specialists who have certification, or they may expect applicants to earn certification shortly after being hired.

Certifications usually require candidates to pass an exam and might require previous experience or education. Certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degree programs may help students to meet these requirements. Information on certifications is available from CareerOneStop.

Advancement

Medical records specialists may advance to become health information technologists or medical registrars or medical or health services managers after completing a higher certification program or earning a degree in health information technology. Requirements vary by facility.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page

Job outlook, 2025 to 2035

Employment of medical records specialists is projected to grow 8 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 14,000 openings for medical records specialists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

BLS employment projections
Occupation	SOC	Employment	Projected	Change %	Change
Medical records specialists	29-2072	200,700	216,300	8%	15,600

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Job Outlook, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page

Pay

Median pay, BLS May 2025
Role	Median annual	Median hourly
Medical Coder	$51,140	$24.59
Health Information Technologist	$68,020	$32.70

Highest-paying states: District of Columbia ($72,040), Rhode Island ($63,960), Hawaii ($63,180), Washington ($62,270), California ($61,810).

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page

Questions

What degree do you need to be a Medical Coder?

BLS lists "Postsecondary nondegree award" as the typical entry-level education.

Do medical coders need a license?