Medical Transcriptionists: salary, outlook & degrees
Transcribe medical reports recorded by physicians and other healthcare practitioners using various electronic devices, covering office visits, emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate abbreviations into fully understandable form. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form for review and signature, or correction.
Middle half $34,150–$48,000. 41,550 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
73% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $27,445.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 6,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 31% | Biology |
| Psychology | 10% | Psychology |
| Nursing | 5% | Nursing |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 4% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| General Medical And Health Services | 2% | Health Sciences |
| Neuroscience | 2% | — |
| Health And Medical Preparatory Programs | 2% | Pre-Med / Pre-Health |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| English Language And Literature | 2% | English |
| Chemistry | 2% | Chemistry |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | $50,030 |
| Wisconsin | $49,150 |
| Maine | $48,600 |
| Alaska | $48,360 |
| Connecticut | $48,190 |
| Wyoming | $48,100 |
| Oregon | $46,280 |
| South Dakota | $46,070 |
| Nebraska | $45,880 |
| Illinois | $45,490 |
| District of Columbia | $45,110 |
| California | $45,050 |
| Iowa | $45,010 |
| Tennessee | $44,720 |
| North Dakota | $44,660 |
| Hawaii | $44,310 |
| New York | $43,260 |
| Colorado | $43,080 |
| Texas | $42,900 |
| Florida | $42,050 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,510 |
| Indiana | $41,400 |
| Montana | $41,340 |
| Maryland | $39,900 |
| Utah | $39,630 |
| Nevada | $39,350 |
| North Carolina | $39,300 |
| New Jersey | $39,020 |
| Kentucky | $39,000 |
| Washington | $38,690 |
| Mississippi | $38,600 |
| Idaho | $38,140 |
| Louisiana | $38,040 |
| Missouri | $37,480 |
| New Mexico | $37,480 |
| West Virginia | $37,440 |
| Michigan | $37,280 |
| Ohio | $37,060 |
| Massachusetts | $36,910 |
| Arizona | $36,550 |
| Kansas | $35,390 |
| Alabama | $35,340 |
| Virginia | $35,130 |
| Arkansas | $35,100 |
| Rhode Island | $34,790 |
| Delaware | $34,070 |
| South Carolina | $33,870 |
| Vermont | $33,030 |
| PR | $31,200 |
| Georgia | $28,330 |
| Oklahoma | $27,740 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$46,240
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$38,680
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$46,230
- Jacksonville$39,100
- Gainesville$47,420
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$43,260
- Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent$35,700
- Tallahassee$35,510
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$38,540
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$36,980
- Charlottesville$38,250
- Kingsport-Bristol$44,790
- Lynchburg$36,440
- Winchester$37,950
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$36,210
- Richmond$35,050
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$38,650
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$45,420
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$58,240
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$42,990
- Fresno$43,180
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$57,420
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$48,440
- Chico$50,020
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Social (helping), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Medical Transcriptionists: questions
How much do medical Transcriptionists make?
Medical Transcriptionists earn a U.S. median $40,410 a year; the middle half earn $34,150 to $48,000 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $29,047 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is medical Transcriptionists a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 4.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a medical Transcriptionist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as postsecondary nondegree award. In O*NET's survey, under 1% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is biology (31%).
How much do medical Transcriptionists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $42,050 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $40,410 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 31-9094. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Medical Transcriptionists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/medical-transcriptionists.