Salary deep dive
Medical Coder salary.
Complete pay breakdown for medical coders by credential combination, coding specialty (inpatient/outpatient/physician), and setting. AAPC's 2025 salary survey is the most cited industry source: CCA holders average $48,321, CCS holders $57,500, CPC holders $59,605, and multi-credentialed coders push to $71,000-$84,000+. BLS Medical Records Specialists median: $51,140.
By Taylor Rupe, editor · Updated
CCA avg (AAPC 2025)
CPC avg (AAPC 2025)
Two-credential avg
3+ credential avg
The 6 facts about medical coder pay.
- Credential is the biggest pay lever. AAPC 2025: uncredentialed ~$45K; CCA $48K; CCS $58K; CPC $60K; 2 credentials $71K; 3+ credentials $76K. Multi-credentialing is the senior pay strategy.
- Setting matters too: inpatient hospital coders with CCS typically clear $70-85K at academic medical centers. Physician practice coders with CPC start around $50K and grow modestly. Outpatient hospital coders fall in between.
- Remote work is widely available after 6-12 months on-site, and remote pay is competitive with on-site for credentialed coders. Senior remote CCS coders clear $70-85K.
- Travel coding commands a premium: $40-60/hour plus housing stipend for travel CDI specialists, equivalent to $90K-$130K annualized.
- By geography: California, NY, MA, DC metro pay 15-25% above national median. Texas, Florida, Midwest sit near median. Rural areas 10-20% below.
- Senior pivot pays more: medical coder → CDI specialist transitions add $20-40K. Senior coder → coding auditor adds $10-20K. The credential ladder + setting combo determines the ceiling.
Headline
Headline medical coder pay numbers.
Two data sources combine to anchor medical coder pay analysis:
BLS OEWS publishes Medical Records Specialists wages (SOC 29-2072), which includes most medical coders. May 2024: median $51,140, mean $56,790, 10th percentile $37,000, 90th percentile $81,150.
AAPC 2025 Medical Coding and Billing Salary Survey (based on 2024 data) publishes coder-specific averages by credential. The two sources combine to give a complete picture: BLS for occupation-level distribution, AAPC for credential-level differentials.
By credential
Credential combinations drive pay.
| Credential combination | Avg salary (AAPC 2025) | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Uncredentialed | ~$45,000 | baseline |
| CCA (AHIMA) | $48,321 | +$3,300 |
| CCS (AHIMA, inpatient) | $57,500 | +$12,500 |
| CPC (AAPC, physician) | $59,605 | +$14,600 |
| Two credentials (CPC + CCS common) | $71,130 | +$26,100 |
| Three or more credentials | $76,035 | +$31,000 |
Source: AAPC 2025 Medical Coding and Billing Salary Survey. Self-reported by AAPC members.
The biggest single pay jump is from no credential to first credential (+$3K-$15K depending on credential choice). The second biggest jump is single to dual credential (+$11K). Beyond two credentials, returns diminish — the third credential adds less than the second.
By setting
Inpatient vs outpatient vs physician practice.
| Coding specialty | Preferred credential | Pay band |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient hospital coding | CCS | $60-85K |
| Outpatient hospital coding | CCS or COC | $50-70K |
| Physician practice coding | CPC | $45-65K |
| Ambulatory surgery center coding | COC or CCS | $48-68K |
| Risk adjustment / HCC coding (payer-side) | CRC (AAPC) | $55-80K |
| Coding auditor / DRG validator | CCS + experience | $70-95K |
Inpatient hospital coding pays the highest because of MS-DRG complexity. Coding auditors with CCS plus 5+ years of experience clear the top of the band.
Remote pay
Remote vs on-site pay comparison.
Remote credentialed coding pays competitively with on-site work in 2026. The pattern:
- Remote entry-level (CCA, CPC): $45-55K. Often through revenue cycle vendors (Optum, R1 RCM, Conifer, Datavant).
- Remote mid-career (CCS or 2 credentials): $55-72K. Hospital outpatient coders and outpatient revenue cycle work.
- Remote senior inpatient coder (CCS + 5+ years): $70-85K. Major IDNs and revenue cycle vendors hire continuously.
- Remote coding auditor: $75-95K. Audit defense and DRG validation work.
- Remote CDI specialist: $90-130K. See our CDI Specialist salary deep dive.
The remote-work entry constraint: most employers require 6-12 months of on-site experience before unlocking remote roles. Once you cross that threshold, remote pay is typically within 5% of on-site equivalents for the same credential and specialty.
Travel rates
Travel coder and CDI specialist rates.
Travel coding and CDI work is a fast-growing niche. AMN Healthcare and similar healthcare staffing firms place credentialed coders into 13-week contract assignments at premium rates:
- Travel inpatient coder (CCS-credentialed): $40-55/hour plus housing stipend. Annualized: $85-115K. Most travel coder contracts include $500-$1,500/week tax-free housing stipend.
- Travel CDI specialist (CDIP or CCDS): $60-90/hour plus stipend. Annualized: $125-185K. Top travel CDI rates approach $100/hour.
- Travel coding auditor: $55-75/hour. Project-based assignments at health systems doing major audit defense or coding compliance work.
The trade-off: travel work requires geographic flexibility (typically 13-week stints, then a new city), and benefits packages are different from staff roles. Travel agencies cover health insurance and 401(k); permanent employee benefits like long-term incentive grants don't apply.
Geography
By state and metro.
State-level medical coder pay tracks the BLS 29-2072 distribution. Highest medians: New York ($59,750), California ($59,700), Wisconsin ($55,270), Ohio ($51,420), Illinois ($49,420). California has the highest 90th percentile at $104,560 — that's senior inpatient CCS coders at Bay Area academic medical centers.
Top-paying metros: California Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco), New York metro, Boston, DC metro, Seattle. Texas Medical Center (Houston), Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Philadelphia round out the top tier.
See our Medical Records Specialist salary page for the full state-by-state and metro tables — same BLS data applies to both roles.
Sources
Sources.
- BLS OEWS Medical Records Specialists, May 2024. bls.gov/oes/292072
- AAPC 2025 Medical Coding and Billing Salary Survey. aapc.com
- AHIMA salary surveys. ahima.org
Last refreshed .
Related
Keep exploring.
Medical Coder career profile
Day-in-life, education, credential strategy.
CCS certification
The hospital inpatient credential.
CCA certification
The entry-level coding credential.
Medical Records salary
Broader HIM pay including non-coding roles.
CDI Specialist salary
The advancement pay ladder.
All salary data
Wages across HIM roles.