In our employment snapshot for Medical Records Specialists, it is readily evident that the major metropolitan areas in the U.S. are big employment centers for the profession.  That said, from a deeper dive into U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, one will find that it is in smaller metro markets, not the large ones, where medical records specialists frequently realize better-paying employment. An examination of May 2021 BLS data reveals that only six of the 20 largest metro areas in the nation were among the 20 best metropolitan areas for medical records specialist pay:

20 Best Metropolitan Areas for Medical Records Specialist Pay

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Mean Annual Wage
1	San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (#)		2,320	$66,980
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA		920	$66,900
3	Stockton-Lodi, CA		390	$65,990
4	Trenton, NJ		80	$64,930
5	Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade		1,200	$62,730
6	Vallejo-Fairfield, CA		190	$61,090
7	Boston-Cambridge-Newton (#)		2,270	$61,050
8	New York-Newark-Jersey City (#)		5,270	$60,960
9	Barnstable Town, MA		80	$60,420
10	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (#)		1,810	$60,270
11	Santa Rosa, CA		210	$60,110
12	Waterbury, CT		50	$60,100
13	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT		180	$58,810
14	Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA		200	$58,800
15	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (#)		2,690	$58,710
16	New Haven, CT		240	$58,600
17	Hartford-W. Hartford-E. Hartford, CT		520	$57,840
18	California-Lexington Park, MD		50	$57,790
19	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington (#)		2,750	$57,760
20	Salinas, CA		160	$57,430
	National		180,570	$48,310

Report Period:  May 2021
(#) a Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on December 12, 2022