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Job outlook for medical records clerks in the United States
Medical records clerk job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected medical records clerk job growth rate is 11% from 2018-2028.
About 23,100 new jobs for medical records clerks are projected over the next decade.
Medical records clerk salaries have increased 8% for medical records clerks in the last 5 years.
There are over 117,676 medical records clerks currently employed in the United States.
There are 129,998 active medical records clerk job openings in the US.
The average medical records clerk salary is $32,491.
Are medical records clerk jobs in demand?
Medical records clerk job and salary trends over time
Medical records clerk jobs over time
Medical records clerk job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 117,676 | 0.03% |
| 2020 | 214,089 | 0.06% |
| 2019 | 215,615 | 0.06% |
| 2018 | 129,859 | 0.04% |
| 2017 | 127,817 | 0.04% |
Average medical records clerk salary over time
Medical records clerk salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,491 | $15.62 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $31,608 | $15.20 | --0.7% |
| 2023 | $31,836 | $15.31 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $30,913 | $14.86 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $30,013 | $14.43 | +2.5% |
Medical records clerk jobs by state
Most common states for medical records clerks
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 258 | 37% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,846 | 33% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 291 | 30% |
| 4 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 493 | 29% |
| 5 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 854 | 28% |
| 6 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,580 | 26% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,058 | 24% |
| 8 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,033 | 24% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,398 | 23% |
| 10 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 1,008 | 23% |
| 11 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 2,588 | 22% |
| 12 | California | 39,536,653 | 8,279 | 21% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 444 | 21% |
| 14 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,343 | 20% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 702 | 20% |
| 16 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 355 | 20% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,622 | 19% |
| 18 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,399 | 19% |
| 19 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 568 | 19% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 144 | 19% |
Most common cities for medical records clerks
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dartmouth | 2 | 6% | $36,772 |
| 2 | Fairbanks | 2 | 6% | $42,391 |
| 3 | Hagerstown | 2 | 5% | $35,150 |
| 4 | Boynton Beach | 2 | 3% | $27,445 |
| 5 | Fishers | 2 | 3% | $33,096 |
| 6 | Evansville | 2 | 2% | $32,208 |
| 7 | Indianapolis | 9 | 1% | $32,992 |
| 8 | Detroit | 5 | 1% | $33,853 |
| 9 | Tampa | 3 | 1% | $27,585 |
| 10 | Chandler | 2 | 1% | $32,171 |
| 11 | Hollywood | 2 | 1% | $27,401 |
| 12 | New York | 6 | 0% | $36,644 |
| 13 | Los Angeles | 4 | 0% | $35,706 |
| 14 | Boston | 3 | 0% | $36,901 |
| 15 | Phoenix | 3 | 0% | $32,229 |
Medical Records Clerk job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of medical records clerk experts
Midstate College
Grambling State University
What Medical Records Clerk skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Candace Keck: Depending on the area where the medical assistant works, such as clinic vs hospital vs care facilities, the day-to-day duties can vary. The commonality, no matter the location, is they work closely with providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses, to name a few) and other healthcare professionals to deliver patient care. It can involve direct patient care and administrative work. They need to have strong communication skills, attention to detail, and a compassionate approach to patient care.
What general advice would you give to a Medical Records Clerk?
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 will help Medical Records Clerks increase their earning potential?
Eve Leija AAS, NCMA: To meet the demands of evolving healthcare and provide high-quality care to patients technological proficiency (EHR systems, Telehealth support), clinical skills (any skills that can enhance what you’ve learned in school. Phlebotomy, point of care testing devices), communication and soft skills (adaptability, problem-solving, empathy and compassion) are a must. I feel a lot of the younger generation lacks the soft skills needed in healthcare/professional jobs. Administrative skills and patient care and safety (infections control and chronic disease management).
What general advice would you give to a Medical Records Clerk?
Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA): -LIKE- People who enjoy working as a Medical Assistant do it because they get a
great satisfaction from help other people. They are often the first contact with the
patient in the medical facility, which sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
They feel good making sure that their patients have the right information that they
need, the appropriate medical care they need, and helping patients feel better.
Good problem-solving skills, compassion, understanding, patience and keeping
up with a fast-paced office is very rewarding.
-DISLIKE- Some Medical Assistants have determined that there are
area/tasks/etc. that they dislike, listed below are some of these things:
You’re always around people who are sick
Long work hours can include 10 or 12-hour days
Lower starting salary, which is usually based on education and
experience level
Having to deal with stressful situations and difficult patients
Dealing with patients who are angry, cranky, anxious or not feeling well
Working under pressure from extremely tight deadlines
What Medical Records Clerk skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA): duties vary, depending on the medical office/hospital/urgent/specialty clinics
where they are employed. Below are some specific job duties that are very
common in the day-in-the-life of a Medical Assistant (these duties include, but
are not limited to the following):
Greeting patients and checking them in at the Waiting room window
Collecting vital signs from patients
Answer phones as needed
Assist with scheduling patient appointments
Data entry of patient information in an electronic medical record (EMR)
Using various computer applications
Transmitting prescription refills
Insurance coding & billing
Obtain or completing procedures for preauthorizations/hospital
admissions/outside testing/etc.
Collecting specimens for Point-of-Care testing or send outs to reference
labs
Venipuncture/Examination Assistance to provider/other duties as needed
What will help Medical Records Clerks increase their earning potential?
Janice Noteboom, MHA/Ed., CMA (AAMA): Medical Assistants
have become a vital member to any health care team! Below are some specific
educational areas and training that a face-to-face or hybrid Medical Assistant
Program offers and what students will do on a daily basis (or during class and lab
sessions) that will help provide training quality assurance: (these are just some of
the areas of training and education that students will receive in an CAAHEP
(Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) accredited
Medical Assistant Program:
Interacting with patients
Hands-on training with hypodermic needles used for injections and
venipuncture
Using other medical equipment like the various thermometers, pulse
oximeter, EKG machine, nebulizer, etc.
Experience with scheduling/accounting/EMR software applications
Students learn and practice many clinical procedures like patient transfers,
wound care, disease transmission prevention, completion of various
requisitions for medical testing, emergency procedures, caring for adult
and pediatric patients, and much more.
Students also learn and practice Pharmacology procedures which include
medication administration, adult and pediatric medication dosing,
medication uses, side effects/adverse effects/toxicity/etc.
Laboratory Procedures allows students to learn and practice how to
perform Point-of-Care testing, venipuncture, laboratory testing results,
urinalysis, etc.
Finally, Students will complete a Medical Assistant Program Externship at
a medical office/hospital/urgent care/specialty clinic to practice the skills
and training in real life.
Yenumula Reddy
IEEE Senior Member, ACM Senior Member, IARIA FellowGrambling State University
College of Arts and Sciences
What soft skills should all Medical Records Clerks possess?
Yenumula Reddy: -Communication skills
-Problem-solving skills
-Work ethic
-Interpersonal skills
-Time management
What hard/technical skills are most important for Medical Records Clerks?
Yenumula Reddy: -Computer technology (MS Office, Linux, Social Media, webtechnology (HTML/XML)
-Data analysis
-Marketing hard skills