How To Become A Tracer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tracer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Tracers are found in many different industries, but they mostly work in healthcare. Although the duties of a tracer may vary widely, their general job function is to track down individuals for various purposes. For instance, a tracer in a COVID-19 task force tracks down individuals exposed to an infected individual, helping prevent further transmission within the population.

A tracer for a federal agency, on the other hand, may be in charge of tracking down heirs to estates. Another example is a tracer for a process server, who is responsible for finding individuals who skipped out on their debts, which is also known as skip tracing. The requirements to become a tracer depend on the line of work as well.

Tracers in the healthcare industry may need a degree in healthcare, while skip tracers may only need a high school diploma as long as they have prior work experience. In terms of salary, tracers make an average of $39,000 per year, but this also varies widely depending on one's industry.

ScoreTracerUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,913

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 6.91%

Black or African American 11.54%

Hispanic or Latino 18.05%

Unknown 5.00%

White 57.86%

Gender

female 63.73%

male 36.27%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tracer

Explore tracer education requirements

Most common tracer degrees

Bachelor's

44.3 %

High School Diploma

15.1 %

Associate

14.2 %

Start to develop specific tracer skills

Skills	Percentages
Government Agencies	39.32%
Customer Service	19.84%
Patient Accounts	18.45%
Outbound Calls	12.54%
Research Studies	9.85%

Complete relevant tracer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tracers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tracer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tracer resumes.

Research tracer duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain an internal database system to generate reports and produce accurate account information for patients and insurance companies.
Install cable systems along with internet and VoIp phone services
Install cable TV services, high speed Internet and VOIP services.
Work with RDN, calling agents on updates, TLO and Accurint, court records calling maker.

Prepare your tracer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tracer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tracer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable tracer resume templates

Build a professional tracer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your tracer resume.