Pay by state · 53 areas
Medical Records Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Medical Records Specialists earn the most in District of Columbia at $72,040 a year and the least in Mississippi at $41,500 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $51,140. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $72,040District of Columbia
- National median
- $51,140BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $41,500Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for medical records specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$72,040
- 2Rhode Island$63,960
- 3Hawaii$63,180
- 4Washington$62,270
- 5California$61,810
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$41,500
- 2Arkansas$41,740
- 3Alabama$43,810
- 4Louisiana$44,610
- 5Florida$45,760
All states
Medical Records Specialist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of medical records specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $72,040 | $55,750 | $99,060 | 270 | $65,550 |
| 2 | RIRhode Island | $63,960 | $51,040 | $70,910 | 650 | $62,534 |
| 3 | HIHawaii | $63,180 | $50,670 | $77,970 | 400 | $57,462 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $62,270 | $50,250 | $79,680 | 5,010 | $58,189 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $61,810 | $49,000 | $80,630 | 18,700 | $55,826 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $61,720 | $49,010 | $79,120 | 9,080 | $57,190 |
| 7 | MNMinnesota | $61,530 | $49,690 | $70,070 | 3,150 | $62,390 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $61,090 | $51,050 | $72,800 | 1,070 | $59,682 |
| 9 | CTConnecticut | $60,940 | $48,750 | $76,160 | 1,120 | $58,817 |
| 10 | MAMassachusetts | $60,350 | $48,170 | $74,700 | 3,500 | $57,065 |
| 11 | WIWisconsin | $60,280 | $49,510 | $66,140 | 2,870 | $64,063 |
| 12 | COColorado | $59,020 | $49,280 | $68,140 | 1,780 | $57,272 |
| 13 | OROregon | $59,000 | $49,180 | $70,610 | 2,560 | $57,081 |
| 14 | VTVermont | $57,560 | $47,340 | $62,590 | N/A | $58,760 |
| 15 | NMNew Mexico | $57,470 | $43,470 | $66,240 | 1,400 | $62,324 |
| 16 | ILIllinois | $56,440 | $46,290 | $64,360 | 5,740 | $56,464 |
| 17 | DEDelaware | $56,060 | $42,690 | $67,160 | 610 | $56,168 |
| 18 | SCSouth Carolina | $54,280 | $45,180 | $62,650 | 2,750 | $57,899 |
| 19 | MDMaryland | $54,220 | $44,210 | $65,770 | 2,440 | $51,658 |
| 20 | WYWyoming | $54,210 | $42,770 | $65,800 | 280 | $58,485 |
| 21 | IDIdaho | $53,460 | $46,450 | $64,470 | 1,490 | $55,983 |
| 22 | OKOklahoma | $53,460 | $41,200 | $61,110 | 2,480 | $60,859 |
| 23 | VAVirginia | $53,290 | $45,200 | $64,950 | 4,630 | $52,708 |
| 24 | UTUtah | $52,870 | $42,040 | $65,360 | 1,910 | $53,478 |
| 25 | MEMaine | $52,090 | $46,330 | $61,790 | 1,000 | $53,673 |
| 26 | NENebraska | $51,670 | $44,610 | $62,960 | 1,640 | $57,345 |
| 27 | SDSouth Dakota | $51,610 | $44,860 | $63,130 | 900 | $58,260 |
| 28 | GAGeorgia | $51,550 | $43,810 | $64,840 | 5,930 | $53,535 |
| 29 | OHOhio | $50,990 | $45,500 | $63,510 | 7,440 | $54,962 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $50,750 | $46,000 | $63,150 | 3,890 | $55,882 |
| 31 | IAIowa | $50,640 | $44,500 | $61,920 | 2,250 | $57,702 |
| 32 | NVNevada | $50,300 | $40,370 | $65,160 | 2,350 | $50,311 |
| 33 | NJNew Jersey | $50,240 | $35,640 | $64,700 | 4,450 | $46,174 |
| 34 | MTMontana | $50,190 | $43,970 | $59,770 | 820 | $53,030 |
| 35 | NCNorth Carolina | $49,620 | $41,490 | $64,800 | 6,760 | $52,605 |
| 36 | NHNew Hampshire | $49,210 | $44,090 | $61,050 | 930 | $47,242 |
| 37 | TXTexas | $48,860 | $39,470 | $63,970 | 17,210 | $50,342 |
| 38 | TNTennessee | $48,780 | $40,840 | $62,930 | 4,440 | $53,097 |
| 39 | KYKentucky | $48,410 | $40,570 | $61,720 | 4,210 | $53,694 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $48,160 | $40,860 | $59,130 | 2,030 | $53,471 |
| 41 | MIMichigan | $48,120 | $41,370 | $61,470 | 4,890 | $50,012 |
| 42 | INIndiana | $47,670 | $40,060 | $60,820 | 5,860 | $51,077 |
| 43 | AZArizona | $47,630 | $40,150 | $61,350 | 3,750 | $47,310 |
| 44 | WVWest Virginia | $47,360 | $38,090 | $59,950 | 1,260 | $52,918 |
| 45 | PAPennsylvania | $46,840 | $42,690 | $60,510 | 6,970 | $48,006 |
| 46 | NDNorth Dakota | $46,280 | $40,330 | $60,860 | 520 | $52,024 |
| 47 | FLFlorida | $45,760 | $37,390 | $59,230 | 21,490 | $44,249 |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $44,610 | $36,830 | $61,150 | 2,600 | $50,574 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $43,810 | $36,160 | $52,040 | 2,330 | $49,323 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $41,740 | $36,550 | $51,440 | 1,920 | $48,012 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $41,500 | $34,730 | $50,500 | 2,310 | $47,727 |
| 52 | GUGuam | $38,470 | $35,330 | $44,810 | 70 | N/A |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $27,990 | $23,020 | $39,680 | 1,850 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For medical records specialists, the adjustment does not change the leader: District of Columbia is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $65,550.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Medical Records Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays medical records specialists the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for medical records specialists at $72,040 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Rhode Island ($63,960) and Hawaii ($63,180).
Which state pays medical records specialists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for medical records specialists at $41,500 a year, $30,540 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $38,470 and Puerto Rico reports $27,990.
Is the highest-paying state the best for medical records specialists after cost of living?
Yes. District of Columbia stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $65,550 in national-average dollars from a raw $72,040. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.