Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

31-9094 Medical Transcriptionists

Transcribe medical reports recorded by physicians and other healthcare practitioners using various electronic devices, covering office visits, emergency room visits, diagnostic imaging studies, operations, chart reviews, and final summaries. Transcribe dictated reports and translate abbreviations into fully understandable form. Edit as necessary and return reports in either printed or electronic form for review and signature, or correction.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
76,570 1.7 % $16.37 $34,050 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.58 $13.09 $16.10 $19.14 $22.44
Annual Wage (2) $22,010 $27,240 $33,480 $39,820 $46,680


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 29,200 0.56 $17.19 $35,760
Offices of Physicians 20,720 0.88 $16.35 $34,010
Business Support Services 14,840 1.82 $14.46 $30,080
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 2,260 0.98 $18.16 $37,770
Management of Companies and Enterprises 1,710 0.09 $16.84 $35,030

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Business Support Services 14,840 1.82 $14.46 $30,080
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 2,260 0.98 $18.16 $37,770
Offices of Physicians 20,720 0.88 $16.35 $34,010
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 29,200 0.56 $17.19 $35,760
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 570 0.26 $18.28 $38,030

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 570 0.26 $18.28 $38,030
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (8) (8) $18.23 $37,910
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories 2,260 0.98 $18.16 $37,770
Office Administrative Services 780 0.19 $18.14 $37,730
Home Health Care Services 140 0.01 $17.74 $36,890


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 5,040 0.36 0.60 $20.35 $42,320
Florida 4,620 0.65 1.08 $14.66 $30,480
Texas 4,450 0.43 0.72 $17.35 $36,090
Pennsylvania 4,360 0.79 1.32 $16.58 $34,490
New York 3,900 0.46 0.77 $16.75 $34,850




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Dakota 800 2.04 3.42 $14.34 $29,830
North Dakota 520 1.41 2.37 $14.83 $30,850
Vermont 370 1.27 2.12 $16.61 $34,540
Wisconsin 3,320 1.25 2.10 $16.52 $34,370
Maine 660 1.14 1.92 $15.50 $32,250




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia (8) (8) (8) $21.95 $45,650
Alaska 110 0.35 0.58 $21.68 $45,090
Massachusetts 1,190 0.38 0.63 $20.54 $42,710
California 5,040 0.36 0.60 $20.35 $42,320
New Jersey 2,020 0.54 0.90 $18.66 $38,820





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 1,570 0.41 0.69 $21.41 $44,520
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,520 0.30 0.50 $18.26 $37,980
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,450 0.40 0.68 $17.22 $35,820
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,340 0.74 1.24 $18.49 $38,460
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,320 0.77 1.29 $17.72 $36,850
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 1,250 0.73 1.23 $17.53 $36,460
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 1,090 1.12 1.87 $14.48 $30,110
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 990 1.24 2.08 $17.32 $36,020
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 970 0.38 0.64 $17.01 $35,380
Pittsburgh, PA 960 0.86 1.45 $15.65 $32,560




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rochester, MN 430 4.38 7.34 $20.21 $42,030
Lewiston, ID-WA 90 3.95 6.61 $16.29 $33,890
Hattiesburg, MS 150 2.73 4.58 $13.49 $28,050
Rapid City, SD 150 2.63 4.40 $14.52 $30,200
Sioux Falls, SD 320 2.37 3.97 $15.03 $31,270
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA 370 2.25 3.77 $12.29 $25,560
Janesville, WI 130 2.19 3.67 $17.15 $35,670
Eau Claire, WI 160 2.07 3.46 $16.98 $35,310
Burlington-South Burlington, VT 210 1.92 3.22 $17.17 $35,710
Iowa City, IA 140 1.69 2.84 $15.90 $33,080




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salinas, CA 50 0.35 0.59 $24.75 $51,490
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 40 0.15 0.24 $24.65 $51,280
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 170 0.17 0.29 $24.61 $51,180
Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division 190 0.35 0.58 $24.18 $50,290
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 340 0.39 0.66 $23.19 $48,230
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division (8) (8) (8) $23.04 $47,920
Anchorage, AK 50 0.31 0.52 $22.64 $47,080
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 650 0.39 0.65 $22.03 $45,810
Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA-NH NECTA Division 50 0.84 1.41 $21.82 $45,390
Stockton, CA 50 0.28 0.47 $21.63 $44,980

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 540 3.17 5.31 $15.18 $31,580
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 290 0.77 1.28 $13.12 $27,290
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 270 0.99 1.65 $13.47 $28,030
Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 220 1.26 2.11 $16.03 $33,350
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 200 1.38 2.32 $13.33 $27,730

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 540 3.17 5.31 $15.18 $31,580
Far Western North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 130 2.70 4.52 $16.68 $34,690
Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 70 2.21 3.70 $13.00 $27,040
Western South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 60 1.75 2.92 $12.42 $25,840
Northeastern Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 150 1.66 2.77 $13.33 $27,730

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 140 1.41 2.37 $21.81 $45,360
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.47 0.79 $20.66 $42,970
Western Colorado nonmetropolitan area 70 0.66 1.11 $18.53 $38,550
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.67 1.11 $18.33 $38,130
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.41 0.69 $18.16 $37,770


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012