Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002

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)
99,160 1.6 % $13.33 $27,730 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.27 $10.87 $13.05 $15.63 $17.97
Annual Wage (2) $19,280 $22,600 $27,140 $32,510 $37,380

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 39,140 $13.49 $28,060 1 15
Offices of physicians 34,480 $13.30 $27,660 2 17
Business support services 11,890 $12.92 $26,870 3 20
Offices of other health practitioners 2,260 $11.74 $24,430 4 25
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 1,920 $14.46 $30,070 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 (6) $18.03 $37,510 (6) 1
Local government (OES designation) 360 $15.11 $31,420 14 2
Other ambulatory health care services 730 $14.84 $30,860 8 3
Insurance carriers 150 $14.68 $30,540 23 4
Medical and diagnostic laboratories 1,920 $14.46 $30,070 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 730 $11.46 $23,830 0.201% 323
North Dakota 480 $11.10 $23,090 0.153% 358
West Virginia 980 $10.79 $22,450 0.144% 438
Wisconsin 3,550 $13.37 $27,800 0.132% 461
Iowa 1,800 $11.53 $23,980 0.127% 466

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Hawaii 260 $16.75 $34,840 0.047% 264
Alaska 280 $16.70 $34,730 0.098% 278
Maryland 1,200 $16.32 $33,940 0.049% 356
Connecticut (6) $16.07 $33,420 (6) 375
California 8,370 $15.85 $32,970 0.058% 434

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
Sioux Falls, SD MSA 290 $12.24 $25,460 0.255%
Great Falls, MT MSA 80 $12.61 $26,230 0.252%
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA 280 $10.96 $22,790 0.243%
Rapid City, SD MSA 120 $11.94 $24,840 0.239%
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL MSA 380 $11.90 $24,740 0.212%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Danbury, CT PMSA (6) $21.12 $43,930 (6)
Salinas, CA MSA 90 $17.74 $36,900 0.059%
Honolulu, HI MSA 170 $17.72 $36,870 0.042%
Santa Rosa, CA PMSA 90 $17.51 $36,420 0.046%
Anchorage, AK MSA 180 $17.48 $36,360 0.131%

About 2002 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) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for 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

2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003