Medical Transcriptionist Salary & Employment

The mean annual salary for medical transcriptionists in 2007 was $32,120.

Wages vary based on experience, basis of payment (number of hours worked vs. number of lines transcribed) and whether they are corporate employees who work out of hospitals and other offices, or independent contractors working from home (See: Medical Transcriptionist Job Description). Independent contractors earn more, but receive fewer benefits and have more out-of-pocket expenses.

Here are the medical transcriptionist employment numbers by location, along with the average annual salary for each area, as of May 2007:

Here are the average annual salaries for the highest-paying states in 2007:

Medical Transcriptionist Employment

As of 2006, there were approximately 98,000 medical transcriptionists working in the United States.

Most transcriptionists (41 percent) worked in hospitals, and many others (29 percent) worked in doctors' offices. Demand for medical transcription services is expected to remain high for years to come.