The most current occupational employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of medical records specialists at work in the United States at more than 180,000 as of May 2021. With just under 16,200 medical records specialists employed at that time, the seven-state Great Plains region accounted for 9% of medical records specialist employment in the United States.  Although Minnesota rated as the tenth best state in the nation for medical records specialist annual mean wages, the region overall was a modestly weak one nationally for medical records specialist pay.  About 70% of the region's medical records specialists were employed in one of the five states in the region where the annual mean wage level was below the national average for the profession. From May 2021 BLS data, here is a closer look at medical records specialist pay in the Great Plains region:

Medical Records Specialist Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	2,090	$44,570	33rd
KS	1,910	$43,780	40th
MN	4,290	$54,860	10th
MO	4,620	$46,990	23rd
NE	1,680	$43,690	41st
ND	480	$48,930	17th
SD	1,110	$47,160	22nd
U.S.	180,570	$48,310	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data accessed on May 21, 2022