Healthcare Administration Salary & Career Guide
Healthcare administration is a rapidly growing field with lots of room for career advancement, high earning potential, work-from-home opportunities, and degree programs you can complete online. Check out our healthcare administration salary guide below.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about getting started in this fast-growing and lucrative career, including what you can expect in a healthcare administration salary, what careers are available, what you'll do as a healthcare administrator, and more.
What is Healthcare Administration?
Healthcare administrators, also known as healthcare executives or healthcare services managers, plan, coordinate, and direct healthcare services.
Healthcare administrators work closely with medical physicians, nurses, and other staff to ensure healthcare or medical facilities run smoothly and safely and are compliant with all state and national regulations.
Healthcare administrators typically do not deal with patients on a day-to-day basis but rather help shape policies and make healthcare changes. They oversee the daily operations of a medical facility, including staffing, finance, and overall healthcare compliance with all governing bodies.
Healthcare administrators are responsible for communicating with staff throughout the hospital and delegating appropriate duties to other individuals.
Healthcare Administration Salary
Healthcare Administrators are one of the best-paying careers available for those who want to get into the healthcare field but don't want to go the nursing route. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a 2023 median salary of $110,680 per year or $53.21 per hour for medical and health services managers.
The BLS does not differentiate between different healthcare administrators and managers, so this figure is not specific to Healthcare Administrators. However, according to Payscale, the average annual salary for healthcare administrators is $78,816. But you can earn a higher annual salary with increased years of experience:
- Less than 1 year of experience earns an average salary of $64K
- 1-4 years of experience earn an average salary of $70K
- 5-9 years of experience earns an average salary of $82K
- 10-19 years of experience earns an average salary of $91K
- 20+ years of experience earns an average salary of $96K
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Top Paying STATES for Healthcare Administrators
| State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $45,661 | $3,805 | $878 | $21.95 |
| Alaska | $45,622 | $3,801 | $877 | $21.93 |
| North Dakota | $45,475 | $3,789 | $874 | $21.86 |
| Massachusetts | $45,283 | $3,773 | $870 | $21.77 |
| Hawaii | $44,539 | $3,711 | $856 | $21.41 |
| Washington | $44,399 | $3,699 | $853 | $21.35 |
| Nevada | $43,137 | $3,594 | $829 | $20.74 |
| South Dakota | $42,979 | $3,581 | $826 | $20.66 |
| Colorado | $42,922 | $3,576 | $825 | $20.64 |
| Rhode Island | $42,292 | $3,524 | $813 | $20.33 |
| Connecticut | $42,142 | $3,511 | $810 | $20.26 |
| New York | $41,508 | $3,459 | $798 | $19.96 |
| Mississippi | $41,230 | $3,435 | $792 | $19.82 |
| Vermont | $40,496 | $3,374 | $778 | $19.47 |
| Delaware | $40,440 | $3,370 | $777 | $19.44 |
| Virginia | $39,894 | $3,324 | $767 | $19.18 |
| Illinois | $39,715 | $3,309 | $763 | $19.09 |
| Maryland | $39,175 | $3,264 | $753 | $18.83 |
| Kansas | $38,795 | $3,232 | $746 | $18.65 |
| Nebraska | $38,366 | $3,197 | $737 | $18.45 |
| California | $38,339 | $3,194 | $737 | $18.43 |
| New Jersey | $38,060 | $3,171 | $731 | $18.30 |
| Missouri | $38,057 | $3,171 | $731 | $18.30 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,026 | $3,168 | $731 | $18.28 |
| Wisconsin | $37,722 | $3,143 | $725 | $18.14 |
| South Carolina | $37,714 | $3,142 | $725 | $18.13 |
| Maine | $37,476 | $3,123 | $720 | $18.02 |
| Oklahoma | $37,154 | $3,096 | $714 | $17.86 |
| New Hampshire | $36,962 | $3,080 | $710 | $17.77 |
| North Carolina | $36,935 | $3,077 | $710 | $17.76 |
| Idaho | $36,651 | $3,054 | $704 | $17.62 |
| Minnesota | $36,468 | $3,039 | $701 | $17.53 |
| Wyoming | $36,407 | $3,033 | $700 | $17.50 |
| Texas | $36,382 | $3,031 | $699 | $17.49 |
| New Mexico | $36,226 | $3,018 | $696 | $17.42 |
| Indiana | $35,948 | $2,995 | $691 | $17.28 |
| Kentucky | $35,813 | $2,984 | $688 | $17.22 |
| Michigan | $35,540 | $2,961 | $683 | $17.09 |
| Ohio | $35,439 | $2,953 | $681 | $17.04 |
| Arizona | $35,205 | $2,933 | $677 | $16.93 |
| Iowa | $34,886 | $2,907 | $670 | $16.77 |
| Montana | $34,675 | $2,889 | $666 | $16.67 |
| Alabama | $34,242 | $2,853 | $658 | $16.46 |
| Arkansas | $33,889 | $2,824 | $651 | $16.29 |
| Utah | $33,873 | $2,822 | $651 | $16.29 |
| Tennessee | $33,833 | $2,819 | $650 | $16.27 |
| Georgia | $31,899 | $2,658 | $613 | $15.34 |
| Louisiana | $31,840 | $2,653 | $612 | $15.31 |
| West Virginia | $29,368 | $2,447 | $564 | $14.12 |
| Florida | $28,231 | $2,352 | $542 | $13.57 |
Source: Ziprecruiter
Top Paying Cities for Healthcare Administrators
As of 2023, the highest-paying cities for Healthcare Administrators that have reported salaries, according to the BLS, are:
| Metropolitan area | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Trenton, NJ | $ 93.14 | $ 193,730 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $ 89.69 | $ 186,560 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $ 86.22 | $ 179,330 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $ 84.92 | $ 176,640 |
| Napa, CA | $ 83.04 | $ 172,730 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH | $ 79.78 | $ 165,940 |
| Danbury, CT | $ 79.76 | $ 165,910 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $ 79.32 | $ 164,990 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD | $ 78.48 | $ 163,250 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $ 77.44 | $ 161,070 |
What Do Healthcare Administrators Do?
Healthcare administrators are in charge of day-to-day operations such as creating work schedules, monitoring budgets, and maintaining compliance with state laws and regulations. They are also responsible for coordinating with other medical and nursing professionals throughout the organization.
They work closely with medical physicians, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals, as well as patients and their families. Healthcare administrators generally work the first shift in order to collaborate with other healthcare professionals.
How to Become a Healthcare Administrator
1. Earn a Degree
Anyone interested in becoming a healthcare administrator will likely want to earn either an Associate Degree in Healthcare Administration or a Bachelor's in Healthcare Administration.
In these programs, you’ll take classes in medical coding, anatomy and physiology, business management, human relations and resource management, healthcare marketing, and finance and delivery systems.
You can also earn related degrees such as medical or nursing and then continue your education with an additional degree or a post-bachelor's or post-graduate certificate in healthcare administration (More on those options in the next sections.)
2. Advance Your Education
Completing a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or Master’s in Healthcare Administration (MHA) or going all the way to the doctorate level is key to working in top healthcare administrator positions. Without this degree, you will be limited to entry-level positions in smaller facilities or at only a departmental level within healthcare organizations.
3. Earn Advanced Certifications
There are several advanced certifications that are helpful for healthcare administrators. The American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management offers several certifications, including Certified Revenue Cycle Executive (CRCE), Certified Revenue Cycle Professional, and Certified Revenue Integrity Professional.
Healthcare Administration Degrees
When it comes to healthcare administration, there's not just one default degree to get. From associate to Ph.D., there's a degree for every level and every career goal. You can learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Healthcare Administration Degrees.
Types of Healthcare Administration Degrees
Associate Degree in Healthcare Administration
- High School Diploma or GED
- Minimum GPA
- Career Opportunities: Entry-level healthcare careers such as:
- Medical administrative assistant
- Medical records assistant
- Medical transcriptionist
Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration
- High School Diploma or GED
- Minimum GPA
- Standardized Test Scores
Career Opportunities: Mid-level healthcare administration careers such as:
- Community health manager
- Healthcare consultant
- Health insurance analyst
- Health policy analyst
- Health promotion specialist
- Health services manager
- Medical reimbursement analyst
- Medical services administrator
- Nursing home administrative assistant
- Private practice officer manager
Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration (MHA)
- Bachelor's Degree in Business or Healthcare Administration
- GPA minimum
- GRE or GMAT scores
- Relevant work experience
- Resume or CV
- Letters of recommendation
Career Opportunities: High-level roles as healthcare executives, including:
- CEO or COO
- Clinic director
- Department or division director
- Facility manager
- Healthcare consultant
- Health services manager
- Hospital administrator
- Long-term care manager
- Medical records manager
- Nurse manager
MBA in Healthcare Management
- Bachelor's Degree in a related field
- GPA minimum
- GRE or GMAT scores
- Relevant work experience
- Resume or CV
- Letters of recommendation
Career Opportunities:
An MBA in Healthcare management focuses on business management and leadership for healthcare professionals.
High-level roles as healthcare executives, including:
- Policy Analyst
- Clinical director
- Hospital chief executive officer
- Medical records manager
- Health and social services manager
- Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)
- Chief Financial Operator (CFO)
- Medical Manager
- Nursing home administrator
- Health information manager
- Healthcare administrators
- Pharmaceutical project manager
Doctorate Degree in Health Administration (DHA)
- Master's Degree
- CV or resume
- Interview
- Letters of recommendations
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Personal statement
- Relevant work experience
Career Opportunities:
Earning a doctorate degree in healthcare administration qualifies individuals for all of the same jobs as having a Master’s degree. However, most DHA holders are interested in careers in research and/or academia.
PhD in Healthcare Administration
- Letters of recommendations
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- Personal statement
- Relevant work experience
Career Opportunities:
Similar to a DHA, this is a terminal degree that focuses on research and education. The main purpose of this program is scientific and investigative research, especially through experiments and research.
Healthcare Administration Certificates
Degrees aren't your only option when it comes to getting into a healthcare administration career. There are also healthcare administration certificate programs available for both post-bachelor's and post-master's degrees.
Essentially, depending on which degree you currently hold -- a bachelor's or master's degree -- you can complete an add-on certification to the degree you already have. This can be to a degree you have in a related field, to help you add some additional management or leadership skills to your career, or one outside of health administration if you're looking to make a career change.
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What Healthcare Administration Careers are Available?
Healthcare administration is a vast field, and so are the career opportunities within it! From entry-level healthcare administration roles like medical administrative assistants to hospital CEOs, there's something for everyone.
Check out our guide to healthcare administration careers for an overview of all the opportunities available. Or, if you want to jump straight to the money jobs, check out our list of the highest-paying healthcare administration jobs.
Here are some of the popular careers available in healthcare administration along with their average salaries:
- Hospital CEO - $151,302
- Hospital department manager - $77,368
- Hospital CFO - $123,586
- Nursing home administrator - $121,986
- Clinic administrator - $57,519
- Medical office business manager - $84,680
- Facility operations specialist - $68,426
- Manager of health care staffing agency - $77,368
- Health Information Manager - $80,888
- Healthcare Information Administrator - $86,287
- Healthcare Policy Specialist - $51,897
- Healthcare Program Director - $89,524
What is the Career Outlook for a Healthcare Administrator?
According to the BLS, employment of medical and health services managers (i.e., healthcare administrators) is projected to grow 28% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Much of this growth is expected to be seen as the baby boomer population continues to age, as well as technology that allows patients to live longer lives.
This demand will continue to increase the needs of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals; therefore, healthcare administrators will be needed in order to ensure operations run smoothly.
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Where Can I Learn More About Healthcare Administration?
- Healthcare Administrators Association
- American Association of Healthcare Administration Management
- Healthcare Financial Management Association
- Association for Healthcare Administrative Professionals
- National Association of Healthcare Access Management
- American Health Information Management Association
- American College of Healthcare Executives
- Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
- American Society for Healthcare Risk Management
Healthcare Administrator FAQs
