Medical Records Specialist Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical records specialists to grow 7.8% from 2025 to 2035 (about 15,600 more jobs), with about 14,000 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $51,140 a year ranks 527th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +7.8%
- Openings a year
- 14,000
- Median pay
- $51,140
- Pay rank
- 527th of 825
Is employment of medical records specialists growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of medical records specialists to rise 7.8% (about 15,600 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is about the same as the +8.0% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 71 healthcare practitioners and technical occupations with a projection. That change ranks 100th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 200,700 |
| Employment, 2035 | 216,300 |
| Projected change | +7.8% |
| Openings a year | 14,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 200,700 jobs here differ from the 194,720 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 14,000 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 209th most of 830 occupations. About 89% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,560 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for medical records specialists rank?
The median of $51,140 a year ranks 527th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on openings and the lower half on pay.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: postsecondary nondegree award.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars | +15.9% | 3,000 | $68,020 |
| Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other | +5.9% | 12,400 | $50,290 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | +6.4% | 44,700 | $45,750 |
| Physician Assistants | +21.1% | 11,500 | $135,880 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | +3.2% | 900 | $335,550 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | +3.3% | 2,900 | $244,180 |
| Nurse Practitioners | +41.0% | 29,400 | $132,300 |
| Registered Nurses | +5.6% | 180,800 | $97,550 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.