State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Health Informatics Specialist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Health Informatics Specialists earn a median of $105,850 per year ($50.89/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 8.7% through 2034, with about 34,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 15-1211Computer and MathematicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $105,850
- Projected growth
- +8.7%
- Openings a year
- 34,200
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Clinical Electronic Health Record Nurse (Clinical EHR Nurse), Clinical Informaticist, Clinical Informatics Analyst, Clinical Informatics Nurse, Clinical Informatics Specialist, Health Informaticist.
How much do Health Informatics Specialists make?
10th percentile$67,340
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$82,860
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$105,850
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$134,110
Upper quartile
90th percentile$167,710
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $105,850 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $50.89/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $114,610 |
| People employed | 519,530 |
Versus all US occupations
At $105,850, Health Informatics Specialists earn 108% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $54,870 a year.
Versus computer and mathematical occupations
Inside the Computer and Mathematical group, where the middle occupation pays $116,580, this is 9% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $167,710 or more while the bottom 10% earn $67,340, a gap of 2.5×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 83% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Rhode Island pays the most at $134,630, and still leads at $131,629 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Health Informatics Specialists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $134,630 | $131,629 | 1,850 |
| Washington | $129,410 | $120,929 | 24,120 |
| Massachusetts | $128,240 | $121,259 | 22,160 |
| Colorado | $127,750 | $123,967 | 6,230 |
| California | $127,720 | $115,354 | 59,060 |
| New Jersey | $122,890 | $112,945 | 16,520 |
| Oregon | $121,620 | $117,665 | 5,640 |
| Virginia | $120,840 | $119,520 | 23,190 |
| District of Columbia | $116,820 | $106,296 | 2,480 |
| Maryland | $113,610 | $108,242 | 15,340 |
Is Health Informatics Specialist a growing career?
Health Informatics Specialists8.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+8.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Health Informatics Specialists to change 8.7% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.8× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 45,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 34,200 openings are projected each year, 6.6% of the 521,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
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.
As organizations across the economy continue to rely on and expand information technology (IT), including artificial intelligence (AI), computer systems analysts will be hired to design and install new computer systems. Small firms with minimal IT requirements may find it more cost effective to contract with outside firms for these services rather than to hire computer systems analysts directly.
How to become a Health Informatics Specialist
Computer systems analysts typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. Studying a computer science or information systems field is common, although not always a requirement. Some firms hire job candidates who have a degree in business or liberal arts along with relevant skills.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as health informatics specialists.
- Master's Degree52.4%
- Bachelor's Degree19.1%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate9.5%
- Post-Secondary Certificate4.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.8%
What does a Health Informatics Specialist do?
Apply knowledge of nursing and informatics to assist in the design, development, and ongoing modification of computerized health care systems. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the health care system.
Computer systems analysts, sometimes called systems architects, study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design improvements to them. In doing so, these analysts help the organization operate more efficiently.
Day-to-day tasks
- Translate nursing practice information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, or designers, using object-oriented models or other techniques.
- Use informatics science to design or implement health information technology applications for resolution of clinical or health care administrative problems.
- Develop or implement policies or practices to ensure the privacy, confidentiality, or security of patient information.
- Analyze and interpret patient, nursing, or information systems data to improve nursing services.
- Identify, collect, record, or analyze data relevant to the nursing care of patients.
- Apply knowledge of computer science, information science, nursing, and informatics theory to nursing practice, education, administration, or research, in collaboration with other health informatics specialists.
- Develop, implement, or evaluate health information technology applications, tools, processes, or structures to assist nurses with data management.
- Design, develop, select, test, implement, and evaluate new or modified informatics solutions, data structures, and decision-support mechanisms to support patients, health care professionals, and their information management and human-computer and human-technology interactions within health care contexts.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where health informatics specialists work
| Computer systems design and related services | 23% |
|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 14% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 11% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 8% |
| Information | 7% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.4/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Learning Strategies3.8/5
- Monitoring3.6/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving4.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Systems Analysis3.8/5
- Systems Evaluation3.8/5
- Coordination3.5/5
- Instructing3.4/5
- Time Management3.4/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Health Informatics Specialist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.8
Investigativeprimary6.3
Artistic2.0
Socialprimary4.5
Enterprising2.1
Conventionalprimary4.7
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Health Informatics Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Health Informatics Specialists make?
Health Informatics Specialists earn a median of $105,850 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 108% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $50.89/hr. The middle half earn between $82,860 and $134,110. The top 10% earn $167,710 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Health Informatics Specialist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Health Informatics Specialists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 52.4% hold master's degree.
Is Health Informatics Specialist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 8.7% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 34,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Health Informatics Specialist do?
Computer systems analysts, sometimes called systems architects, study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design improvements to them. A core O*NET task: translate nursing practice information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, or designers, using object-oriented models or other techniques. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software, Customer relationship management CRM software.
Which states pay Health Informatics Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Health Informatics Specialists are Rhode Island ($134,630), Washington ($129,410), Massachusetts ($128,240) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Health Informatics Specialist?
O*NET scores Health Informatics Specialists highest on the Investigative, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, INTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.