Salary by Industry

• Of the 78,780 medical transcriptionists employed as of May 2010, about 40 percent of them worked for general medical and surgical hospitals, at an annual mean salary of $34,970. About another 27 percent worked in the offices of physicians, at an annual mean salary of $33,320. The industries with the highest mean salary were scientific research and development services at $39,080, and office administrative services at $37,630.
  
  

Salary by State

• The states with the highest mean salaries were Alaska at $44,130; California at $42,410; the District of Columbia at $41,930; New Jersey at $40,190; and Massachusett, at $39,620. The states that employed the most medical stenoscriptionists/transcriptionists were California, with an annual mean salary of $42,410; Pennsylvania at $33,100; and Texas at $33,220.
  
  

Salary by Metropolitan Area

• The metropolitan areas with the highest mean salaries were Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg, Maryland Metropolitan Division at $51,230; Salinas, California at $49,060; and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California at $49,000. The metropolitan areas that employed the most medical transcriptionists were Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois Metropolitan Division, with an annual mean salary of $34,120; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona at $36,110; and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California Metropolitan Division at $43,770.
  
  

Considerations

• Medical stenoscriptionists/transcriptionists must understand medical terminology and concepts such as disease processes, anatomy, physiology and medications. Many transcriptionists get started by completing a two-year associate's degree or one-year certificate program through a vocational school, community college or distance-learning program.