Medical Transcriptionists
SOC 31-9094 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -1.7%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $46,191per year
- Projected openings
- 10,290
- Projected change
- -1.7%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $59,618 | 250 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $50,221 | 530 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $47,828 | 330 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $47,596 | 130 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $47,061 | 90 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $46,845 | 40 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $46,033 | 80 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $45,673 | 1,160 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $45,179 | 180 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $44,778 | 190 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $42,004 | 580 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $41,878 | 340 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $40,726 | 50 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $38,620 | 4,250 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $38,145 | 130 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $37,723 | 300 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $37,311 | 210 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $36,902
- A quarter earn under
- $39,629
- Half earn under
- $46,191
- Three quarters earn under
- $54,383
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $64,206
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Records Specialists | $63,540 | 15,610 | +15% |
| Medical Assistants | $50,918 | 175,850 | +22.7% |
| Emergency Medical Technicians | $47,678 | 19,450 | +15% |
| Word Processors and Typists | $57,714 | 6,450 | -34.5% |
| Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars | $93,290 | 2,650 | +18.8% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $55,779 | 128,130 | +12.6% |