If you’re asking “how much do medical billers and coders make?”, you’re in the right place. At Medical Billing Opportunities, we’ve guided countless professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs through understanding the earning landscape of medical billing and coding—and how there may be a better path beyond just working for someone else. This post will: explain current salary expectations, break down what affects pay, compare employee vs. owner potential, and show how our coaching can help you make more by starting your own business.
1. The Current Salary Landscape for Medical Billers and Coders
To begin, here’s a realistic look at what professionals in medical billing and coding currently earn.
- According to Salary.com (Oct. 2025), the average salary for a Medical Biller and Coder in the U.S. is about $43,015 per year (≈ $21 per hour). Salary.com
- Other sources report broader ranges: For combined medical billing & coding roles, mid-level professionals may earn $45,000 – $60,000/year, experienced specialists $60,000 – $75,000+. medicalbillingcourses.org+1
- A deeper salary guide from AMBCI estimates the U.S. average for billers and coders at $63,200/year, with top earners exceeding $80,000/year. AMBCI
Hourly/Entry-Level Breakdown
- Entry-level roles often start around $35,000–$45,000/year (~$17-$22 per hour) depending on location and employer. nursingprocess.org+1
- For example, SoFi reports that medical coders average about $24.16/hour (≈ $50,250/year) but with large variation by state. SoFi
Top of the Range
- With certifications, specialized skills, and working in high cost-of-living markets or advanced roles (e.g., auditing, risk adjustment, management), salaries can reach $80,000+ or more. AMBCI+1
2. What Affects How Much You’ll Actually Make
Understanding pay factors is critical—because the headline number isn’t guaranteed. These are the key drivers:
Location
High cost-areas tend to pay more. For example:
- In California, some averages for billing/coding professionals run into the $60,000+ range. medicalbillingcourses.org+1
- By contrast, less expensive regions may pay significantly less for equivalent work. nursingprocess.org
Experience & Role Complexity
- Entry-level: ~$35k–$45k/year. medicalbillingcourses.org
- Mid-level (3-7 years): ~$45k–$60k/year. Salary Solver
- Experienced, certified specialists or auditing roles: $60k–$80k+. AMBCI+1
Certifications & Skills
- Certifications such as CPC (Certified Professional Coder) or specialized credentials often boost pay significantly. AllTopBusiness.com+1
- Specialized domains (e.g., risk adjustment, compliance auditing) generally pay more. AMBCI
Employer Type and Work Setting
- Hospitals, large health systems, insurance payers often pay more than small clinics. SoFi+1
- Remote work, healthcare revenue cycle management firms, and part-time/flex roles may have different pay structures (sometimes lower) but additional flexibility.
Role Scope
If you’re doing purely coding, you may earn one level; if your role includes billing, appeals, auditing, management you’re at a higher pay tier. For example:
“Medical Biller … $38,000 – $52,000 (Entry-Level) … Medical Coding Auditor … $62,000 – $90,000.” AMBCI
3. Is Working For Someone Else the Best Use of Your Skills?
Now that you know what employee billing/coding jobs pay, the next logical question is: is that good enough relative to your goals? Here are some pros & cons for the employee route:
Pros
- Regular predictable paycheck.
- Clearly defined role and path (especially if you’re early career).
- Less risk than owning a business.
Cons
- Earnings ceiling: Even experienced coders often cap out in the $70k-$80k range, unless you move into management or highly specialized niches.
- Less control: You’re subject to employer’s rules, hours, remote vs in-office.
- Limited upside: Scaling is constrained—you trade hours for dollars, unlike owning something that can grow.
Simply put, while a career in medical billing and coding is stable and reasonable, many choose this path because there’s limited upside unless you shift gears.
4. A Bigger Opportunity: Starting Your Own Medical Billing Business
At Medical Billing Opportunities (MBO), we believe there’s a compelling next step: owning your own medical billing business. Here’s why it can be dramatically more lucrative and aligned with your long-term goals.
Why owning your own company changes the earnings game
- Scalable income: You’re not limited to your own billing hours—you can manage billing for multiple providers/clinics, hire staff, leverage technology, thereby increasing income beyond what an individual employee could make.
- Control & flexibility: You set the service offering, pricing, client mix, and work style (remote, hybrid, etc.).
- Equity & business value: Over time, your business becomes an asset—sellable, brand-driven, and not just dependent on your personal labor.
- Higher earnings potential: If you’re doing well, it’s entirely realistic to make more than a typical medical biller and coder salary—because your revenue and profits are not capped by an hourly wage.
What this means in practice
If an employee coder earns $45k–$65k/year with moderate experience, owning a billing firm servicing multiple practices could push earnings into $100k+ or more, depending on scale. (Of course, owning a business comes with responsibility, risk, and upfront effort.)
Clarifying what MBO offers
I want to be clear: MBO does not provide certifications for medical billing or coding. We do not offer job placement as a coder. Instead, our focus is on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build and grow their own medical billing business—leveraging the industry of coding and billing, rather than becoming an employee coder.
5. How to Make the Transition (From Employee to Owner)
Ready to move beyond being an employee coder or biller? Here’s a roadmap that aligns with how our MBO coaching works:
Step 1: Get familiar with the industry fundamentals
While you may have coding/billing experience (or plan to), understanding the full revenue cycle, payer contracts, provider billing needs, and practice workflows is crucial.
Step 2: Define your value proposition & niche
With MBO’s coaching, we help you identify which types of practices you’ll serve (e.g., small physician offices, specialty clinics), what services you’ll bundle (billing, follow-up, AR collections), and how you’ll differentiate (technology stack, remote support, pricing model).
Step 3: Build your business infrastructure
You’ll need systems: billing software, compliance protocols (HIPAA, data security), staffing or contractor support, client contract templates, pricing models. MBO guides you through setting this up.
Step 4: Acquire clients and scale
Our focus at MBO is helping you attract your first clients, deliver consistently high results, maintain retention, and then scale by adding more clients, maybe subcontractors or automation.
Step 5: Optimize for profitability & exit potential
As you grow, you’ll shift your role from doing the billing to managing operations, building team, refining margins, and positioning your business as a valuable asset.
6. Comparison: Employee Coder vs. MBO-Style Business Owner
| Role | Typical Annual Income* | Assets & Equity | Scalability |
| Employee Medical Biller/Coder | ~$40k–$70k depending on level & location | Minimal (personal) | Low — limited by hours |
| MBO Business Owner | Potentially $100k+ (varies widely) | Business equity | High — build for growth |
*Estimates based on industry data + potential business upside. Individual results vary.
7. Conclusion & What to Do Next
If you’re asking “how much do medical billers and coders make?”, the answer is that while salaries are decent and stable, they may not fulfill your larger financial or freedom goals—as an employee. At Medical Billing Opportunities, we believe you can aim higher. You can still leverage your billing/coding knowledge—but shift from being paid an hourly wage to owning a business that builds income, equity, and freedom.
If you’re ready to explore how you can earn more than a medical biller and coder by starting your own medical billing business—and want expert coaching, support, proven systems—get in touch with our team. We’ll help you evaluate whether this path fits your goals, map out next steps, and begin building toward your business—not just a job.
