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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

43-6013 Medical Secretaries

Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures. Duties may include scheduling appointments, billing patients, and compiling and recording medical charts, reports, and correspondence.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
585,410 0.8 % $17.83 $37,090 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.21 $14.22 $17.19 $20.77 $24.95
Annual Wage (2) $25,390 $29,580 $35,760 $43,200 $51,890


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 179,440 6.93 $17.28 $35,930
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 152,300 2.75 $18.11 $37,680
Offices of Dentists 83,250 8.80 $19.40 $40,350
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 49,290 5.42 $16.09 $33,460
Outpatient Care Centers 35,560 3.86 $18.78 $39,070

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Dentists 83,250 8.80 $19.40 $40,350
Offices of Physicians 179,440 6.93 $17.28 $35,930
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 49,290 5.42 $16.09 $33,460
Outpatient Care Centers 35,560 3.86 $18.78 $39,070
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 7,620 2.91 $18.37 $38,200

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Grantmaking and Giving Services 60 0.04 $22.76 $47,340
Scientific Research and Development Services 620 0.09 $21.15 $43,990
Insurance Carriers 970 0.08 $20.17 $41,950
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 110 0.01 $19.86 $41,310
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 6,990 0.23 $19.71 $40,990


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 92,990 7.68 1.90 $16.42 $34,150
California 83,410 4.90 1.21 $20.62 $42,900
Ohio 32,010 5.91 1.46 $16.56 $34,450
Michigan 26,790 6.20 1.53 $17.01 $35,370
Florida 25,770 2.99 0.74 $16.11 $33,520




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Delaware 4,450 9.92 2.45 $17.84 $37,110
Texas 92,990 7.68 1.90 $16.42 $34,150
Montana 3,420 7.39 1.83 $15.64 $32,540
Massachusetts 25,730 7.21 1.78 $20.89 $43,450
Oregon 13,580 7.20 1.78 $19.23 $40,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 1,270 1.78 0.44 $24.22 $50,370
Massachusetts 25,730 7.21 1.78 $20.89 $43,450
California 83,410 4.90 1.21 $20.62 $42,900
Minnesota 12,450 4.34 1.07 $20.55 $42,750
Washington 8,200 2.52 0.62 $20.52 $42,680





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 28,610 4.68 1.16 $19.85 $41,290
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 28,060 7.86 1.94 $16.95 $35,270
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 22,960 7.70 1.90 $17.29 $35,970
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 19,630 7.11 1.76 $21.26 $44,230
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 13,850 1.46 0.36 $21.09 $43,880
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 12,760 6.47 1.60 $17.51 $36,410
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 12,360 2.66 0.66 $17.90 $37,220
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 12,210 4.29 1.06 $18.72 $38,930
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 12,190 4.54 1.12 $17.78 $36,980
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 9,990 4.13 1.02 $22.54 $46,880




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Corvallis, OR 450 12.35 3.05 $18.44 $38,360
Amarillo, TX 1,340 11.70 2.89 $14.34 $29,830
Missoula, MT 680 11.29 2.79 $15.75 $32,750
Bay City, MI 380 11.29 2.79 $17.20 $35,780
Sherman-Denison, TX 500 11.12 2.75 $17.48 $36,370
Victoria, TX 430 11.02 2.73 $15.14 $31,500
Medford, OR 920 10.74 2.65 $16.85 $35,060
Grants Pass, OR 270 10.28 2.54 $17.63 $36,670
San Angelo, TX 460 10.12 2.50 $16.92 $35,190
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ 490 9.93 2.45 $15.06 $31,320




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 6,470 5.78 1.43 $24.63 $51,230
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 1,010 7.29 1.80 $23.81 $49,530
Salinas, CA 520 2.91 0.72 $23.50 $48,870
New Haven, CT 860 3.03 0.75 $23.36 $48,590
Napa, CA 370 4.88 1.21 $22.84 $47,510
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 9,990 4.13 1.02 $22.54 $46,880
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 6,140 6.23 1.54 $22.48 $46,760
Longview, WA (8) (8) (8) $22.07 $45,910
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 4,560 2.30 0.57 $21.96 $45,670
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 290 2.53 0.63 $21.76 $45,250

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,110 7.77 1.92 $14.17 $29,470
North Northeastern Ohio non-metropolitan area (non-contiguous) 1,880 5.63 1.39 $14.39 $29,940
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 1,160 6.05 1.50 $14.60 $30,370
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 1,090 4.25 1.05 $16.08 $33,450
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 1,080 2.74 0.68 $15.38 $32,000

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area 640 10.16 2.51 $18.01 $37,470
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 690 9.20 2.27 $15.41 $32,060
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 830 8.11 2.01 $18.97 $39,460
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,110 7.77 1.92 $14.17 $29,470
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 450 7.57 1.87 $19.06 $39,650

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 250 4.07 1.01 $21.59 $44,910
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 490 3.95 0.98 $19.58 $40,720
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 260 2.17 0.54 $19.47 $40,500
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 490 3.14 0.78 $19.42 $40,390
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 450 7.57 1.87 $19.06 $39,650


About May 2018 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019