Medical Transcriptionists Career, Salary and Skills
Medical Transcriptionists have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $40,410 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 41,550. Wage data is published for 216 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
31-9094.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
Post-Secondary Certificate
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$40,410
Hourly median
$19.43
Employment
41,550
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Writing | 3.88 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.00 | 2.62 |
| Active Learning | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.75 | 2.75 |
Typical tasks
- Return dictated reports in printed or electronic form for physician's review, signature, and corrections and for inclusion in patients' medical records.
- Produce medical reports, correspondence, records, patient-care information, statistics, medical research, and administrative material.
- Identify mistakes in reports and check with doctors to obtain the correct information.
- Review and edit transcribed reports or dictated material for spelling, grammar, clarity, consistency, and proper medical terminology.
- Transcribe dictation for a variety of medical reports, such as patient histories, physical examinations, emergency room visits, operations, chart reviews, consultation, or discharge summaries.
- Distinguish between homonyms and recognize inconsistencies and mistakes in medical terms, referring to dictionaries, drug references, and other sources on anatomy, physiology, and medicine.
- Set up and maintain medical files and databases, including records such as x-ray, lab, and procedure reports, medical histories, diagnostic workups, admission and discharge summaries, and clinical resumes.
- Translate medical jargon and abbreviations into their expanded forms to ensure the accuracy of patient and health care facility records.
Technology
- Allscripts healthcare automation software
- Boston Bar Systems Corporation Sonnet
- Bytescribe Development Company WavPlayer
- Calendar software
- Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
- Crescendo Systems Corporation MedRite-XL
- Crescendo Systems DigiScribe-XL
- Database software
- dBASE Plus
- eClinicalWorks EHR software
- Electronic medical record EMR systems
- Email software
- Emmaus MPWord
- FileMaker Pro
Medical Transcriptionists salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in TXMedian $42,900 · Employment 7,520
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in CAMedian $45,050 · Employment 5,860
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in New York, NYMedian $44,010 · Employment 2,910
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in NYMedian $43,260 · Employment 2,710
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in FLMedian $42,050 · Employment 2,650
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $38,650 · Employment 2,290
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in NJMedian $39,020 · Employment 1,710
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in TNMedian $44,720 · Employment 1,450
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $34,910 · Employment 1,300
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in MIMedian $37,280 · Employment 1,130
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in PAMedian $41,510 · Employment 1,130
- Medical Transcriptionists Salary in NCMedian $39,300 · Employment 1,020
Related careers
- Emergency Medicine PhysiciansNational median $335,550
- Diagnostic Medical SonographersNational median $96,590
- Neurodiagnostic TechnologistsNational median $50,290
- PhlebotomistsNational median $45,230
- Radiologic Technologists and TechniciansNational median $80,110
- Orthopedic Surgeons, Except PediatricNational median $358,550
- CardiologistsNational median $496,010
- Cardiovascular Technologists and TechniciansNational median $74,310
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.