Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

31-9094 Medical Transcriptionists

Use transcribing machines with headset and foot pedal to listen to recordings by physicians and other healthcare professionals dictating a variety of medical reports, such as emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form to the dictator for review and signature, or correction.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
97,810 1.9 % $13.59 $28,270 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.44 $11.11 $13.26 $15.95 $18.26
Annual Wage (2) $19,640 $23,120 $27,590 $33,170 $37,990

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
General medical and surgical hospitals 39,300 $13.74 $28,580 1 12
Offices of physicians 32,510 $13.51 $28,090 2 13
Business support services 12,230 $13.25 $27,550 3 17
Offices of other health practitioners 2,250 $11.94 $24,830 4 23
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 2,040 $15.04 $31,280 5 5

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Other professional and technical services 60 $18.52 $38,520 24 1
Local government (OES designation) 250 $16.50 $34,310 15 2
Management and technical consulting services 320 $15.86 $32,990 13 3
Other ambulatory health care services 880 $15.24 $31,700 8 4
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 2,040 $15.04 $31,280 5 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
South Dakota 780 $11.56 $24,050 0.220% 322
North Dakota 520 $11.28 $23,470 0.166% 389
West Virginia 980 $11.01 $22,900 0.144% 471
Wisconsin 3,830 $13.68 $28,460 0.142% 493
Michigan 5,590 $13.34 $27,740 0.129% 538

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Alaska 210 $17.55 $36,500 0.072% 293
Hawaii 260 $16.64 $34,600 0.047% 288
Nevada 300 $16.40 $34,110 0.028% 360
Maryland 1,060 $16.32 $33,950 0.043% 388
Connecticut 1,000 $16.27 $33,840 0.061% 409

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Rapid City, SD MSA 140 $11.99 $24,930 0.292%
Sioux Falls, SD MSA 290 $12.45 $25,900 0.258%
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA 290 $10.95 $22,790 0.252%
Green Bay, WI MSA 330 $13.86 $28,830 0.232%
Hattiesburg, MS MSA 110 $11.97 $24,910 0.228%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Danbury, CT PMSA (6) $21.05 $43,790 (6)
Anchorage, AK MSA 100 $19.38 $40,320 0.073%
Salinas, CA MSA 90 $18.21 $37,880 0.058%
San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA MSA 70 $17.73 $36,880 0.071%
Dallas, TX PMSA 700 $17.71 $36,840 0.037%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Healthcare Support Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004