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Job outlook for medical office secretaries in the United States
Medical office secretary job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected medical office secretary job growth rate is -8% from 2018-2028.
About -286,900 new jobs for medical office secretaries are projected over the next decade.
Medical office secretary salaries have increased 11% for medical office secretaries in the last 5 years.
There are over 273,592 medical office secretaries currently employed in the United States.
There are 115,116 active medical office secretary job openings in the US.
The average medical office secretary salary is $32,609.
Are medical office secretary jobs in demand?
Medical office secretary job and salary trends over time
Medical office secretary jobs over time
Medical office secretary job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 273,592 | 0.08% |
| 2020 | 258,161 | 0.08% |
| 2019 | 262,697 | 0.08% |
| 2018 | 252,393 | 0.08% |
| 2017 | 248,496 | 0.08% |
Average medical office secretary salary over time
Medical office secretary salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $32,609 | $15.68 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | $31,937 | $15.35 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $31,221 | $15.01 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $30,217 | $14.53 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $29,448 | $14.16 | +2.1% |
Medical office secretary jobs by state
Most common states for medical office secretaries
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 262 | 38% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,728 | 31% |
| 3 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 359 | 27% |
| 4 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 438 | 26% |
| 5 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,214 | 25% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,696 | 25% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 769 | 25% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,035 | 24% |
| 9 | Delaware | 961,939 | 233 | 24% |
| 10 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,372 | 23% |
| 11 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,381 | 23% |
| 12 | Alaska | 739,795 | 169 | 23% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 297 | 22% |
| 14 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 2,327 | 20% |
| 15 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 875 | 20% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 409 | 20% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,615 | 19% |
| 18 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 970 | 19% |
| 19 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 558 | 19% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 353 | 19% |
Medical Office Secretary job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of medical office secretary experts
Ohio University
Pennsylvania State University - Hazleton
Manhattan College
What general advice would you give to a Medical Office Secretary?
Eve Leija AAS, NCMA: To maximize salary for a medical assistant obtaining certification from one of the credentialing organizations such as American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) can make a new hire more competitive. Continuing educations along with developing any specialized skills such as phlebotomy. Demonstrating professionalism initiative and reliability, along with gaining a strong reference from previous employers.
What skills will help Medical Office Secretaries earn the most?
Allison White: I'll put professionalism at the top of the list, and then specialized skills come second regarding salary. The medical secretary used to be the one to earn top dollar. Now that there are Medical Assisting programs and licenses, the student must seek the special skills in terminology and clinical service from that degree to earn top dollar in the medical field. Employers want office skills (filing, customer service, scheduling, etc.) and clinical skills (vitals, patient intake, registration, etc.). Still, I recommend that those who are inexperienced seek skills and licenses in the area of their personal interest (law office, government office, medical office, education, and more). I took courses in legal terminology and legal office procedures while completing my associate's degree. I also pursued a business analyst certification and the MOS certifications early on. Later, I continued my education by earning a bachelor's degree in a dual major (business administration and marketing).
What skills stand out on Medical Office Secretary resumes?
Allison White: Knowledge of spreadsheets software such as MS Excel is a commonly sought-after skill. Employers want word processing and spreadsheet skills but often say they want high school graduates and pay accordingly. These skills aren't always taught in high school. Those in the field should seek these skills. Additionally, medical and legal assistants have highly sought after. Terminology courses for these specialized areas are sometimes offered at the vocational schools but are usually offered at the post-secondary level.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Medical Office Secretaries?
Allison White: In addition to production software skills, including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, we often taught database skills using MS Access. Every employer has an employee database and a customer/client database that requires input and sometimes maintenance by office personnel. Keyboarding (65+ wpm), basic bookkeeping/accounting, and filing skills are a must.
Jamie Myers
Education Program Associate, Allied Health CoordinatorPennsylvania State University - Hazleton
Continuing Education Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Medical Office Secretaries?
Jamie Myers: Computer skills.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Medical Office Secretary job market given the pandemic?
Robert Geraci Ph.D.: Two critical things happened in 2020 that will bring changes to the job market: the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movements, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement. In the aftermath of COVID-19, I expect we'll see considerable demand for health service professionals as people look to cope with difficulties imposed by isolation. In addition, we'll see shifts in how and where people work--many will be able to remain at home and this will create a shifting landscape of job descriptions and opportunities. Many employees will want to go back to the social experience of working together, but others will prefer the flexibility of working from home.
The impact of Black Lives Matter and other social justice movements will create more interest in the development of products (especially, but not exclusively, in entertainment) that are available to and interesting for a wider swath of society. There will also be growth in business consulting efforts to improve corporate culture. Religious Studies graduates will be particularly well-positioned for such jobs, based on the cross-cultural perspectives gleaned from study in the field.