How much do healthcare administrators make?

Healthcare Administrator salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Medical and Health Services Managers (SOC 11-9111) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Healthcare administrators in the US earned a median of $123,860 a year ($59.55 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $94,700 to $166,100.

Median annual pay: $123,860; Mean $140,970
Median hourly pay: $59.55; Mean $67.77
Typical range (10th–90th): $73.4K–$224K; $73,390 to $224,340
US jobs: 597,080; +24.2% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a healthcare administrator: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: New York

Healthcare Administrator pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$73,390
25th percentile$94,700
Median$123,860
75th percentile$166,100
90th percentile$224,340

Half of all healthcare administrators earned more than $123,860 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $73,390; the top 10% made over $224,340. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $94,700 to $166,100.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$73,390	$35.29	$6,116
25th	$94,700	$45.53	$7,892
Median (50th)	$123,860	$59.55	$10,322
75th	$166,100	$79.85	$13,842
90th	$224,340	$107.86	$18,695
Mean (average)	$140,970	$67.77	$11,748

Healthcare Administrator salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for healthcare administrators by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. New York $164,120
2. District of Columbia $155,140
3. Hawaii $147,630
4. New Jersey $145,650
5. Washington $145,290

Lowest-paying states

51. Arkansas $94,340
50. Alabama $97,790
49. Mississippi $98,160
48. Oklahoma $101,270
47. Iowa $101,940

Best after cost of living: New York. Its median of $164,120 is worth about $152,074 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$97,790	50	$110,095	49	$47.02	10,360	4.90
Alaska	$132,240	11	$129,192	14	$63.58	1,640	5.03
Arizona	$128,850	17	$127,984	15	$61.95	11,840	3.66
Arkansas	$94,340	51	$108,515	50	$45.35	6,440	4.94
California	$141,480	7	$127,782	17	$68.02	75,090	4.12
Colorado	$134,910	8	$130,914	13	$64.86	8,400	2.92
Connecticut	$130,790	14	$126,233	19	$62.88	8,020	4.73
Delaware	$134,820	9	$135,079	8	$64.82	1,560	3.21
District of Columbia	$155,140	2	$141,163	2	$74.59	2,010	2.87
Florida	$120,360	23	$116,387	37	$57.86	42,700	4.30
Georgia	$131,910	12	$136,988	5	$63.42	11,130	2.28
Hawaii	$147,630	3	$134,269	10	$70.98	2,650	4.22
Idaho	$117,770	28	$123,327	25	$56.62	3,920	4.57
Illinois	$117,850	27	$117,900	32	$56.66	22,460	3.68
Indiana	$104,140	44	$111,584	48	$50.07	12,340	3.85
Iowa	$101,940	47	$116,155	39	$49.01	6,200	3.98
Kansas	$111,030	33	$123,274	26	$53.38	5,120	3.56
Kentucky	$103,450	46	$114,742	42	$49.74	8,600	4.30
Louisiana	$104,550	42	$118,528	30	$50.26	7,470	3.86
Maine	$120,320	24	$123,977	24	$57.85	2,450	3.83
Maryland	$131,810	13	$125,582	20	$63.37	17,030	6.16
Massachusetts	$134,360	10	$127,046	18	$64.59	17,600	4.84
Michigan	$107,570	36	$111,799	47	$51.72	16,060	3.65
Minnesota	$122,700	21	$124,416	23	$58.99	11,350	3.85
Mississippi	$98,160	49	$112,889	44	$47.19	4,280	3.68
Missouri	$104,370	43	$114,923	41	$50.18	10,800	3.68
Montana	$105,840	39	$111,828	46	$50.89	1,870	3.66
Nebraska	$107,700	35	$119,530	29	$51.78	3,770	3.68
Nevada	$119,990	25	$120,015	28	$57.69	5,360	3.45
New Hampshire	$130,410	15	$125,196	21	$62.70	2,460	3.60
New Jersey	$145,650	4	$133,863	11	$70.02	16,900	3.94
New Mexico	$124,300	20	$134,798	9	$59.76	3,150	3.62
New York	$164,120	1	$152,074	1	$78.90	33,200	3.43
North Carolina	$114,410	30	$121,292	27	$55.01	14,820	3.00
North Dakota	$105,170	41	$118,223	31	$50.56	1,220	2.84
Ohio	$106,140	38	$114,407	43	$51.03	24,390	4.39
Oklahoma	$101,270	48	$115,285	40	$48.69	6,030	3.53
Oregon	$141,690	6	$137,083	4	$68.12	5,550	2.82
Pennsylvania	$103,670	45	$106,250	51	$49.84	30,480	5.03
Rhode Island	$119,260	26	$116,601	34	$57.34	3,370	6.73
South Carolina	$105,620	40	$112,663	45	$50.78	9,350	4.06
South Dakota	$122,050	22	$137,776	3	$58.68	1,140	2.49
Tennessee	$107,120	37	$116,600	35	$51.50	14,160	4.32
Texas	$114,150	31	$117,611	33	$54.88	58,420	4.15
Utah	$114,980	29	$116,301	38	$55.28	4,860	2.80
Vermont	$128,690	18	$131,373	12	$61.87	860	2.84
Virginia	$129,270	16	$127,858	16	$62.15	10,210	2.48
Washington	$145,290	5	$135,769	7	$69.85	7,490	2.11
West Virginia	$112,010	32	$125,155	22	$53.85	2,080	2.97
Wisconsin	$128,320	19	$136,373	6	$61.69	7,230	2.46
Wyoming	$108,030	34	$116,549	36	$51.94	1,180	4.20

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for healthcare administrators

387 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$171,210	$155,049	4,560
Vallejo, CA	$170,730	$157,385	800
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$167,580	$148,877	35,260
Napa, CA	$167,530	$148,844	270
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$166,310	$143,851	11,980
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$160,100	$144,062	4,600
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$159,350	$149,386	4,500
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$151,260	$143,482	3,210
Medford, OR	$151,250	$149,113	290
Urban Honolulu, HI	$151,180	$136,246	2,140

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	35,260	$167,580	$148,877
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	23,740	$134,230	$118,196
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	17,140	$121,640	$117,994
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	16,680	$123,090	$118,818
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	14,060	$122,920	$119,859
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	12,990	$136,760	$126,319
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	12,410	$124,400	$126,129
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	12,290	$128,770	$112,803
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	11,980	$166,310	$143,851
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	11,730	$140,670	$129,193

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves healthcare administrator pay: employers and settings

Size and type of employer make the biggest difference. In general medical and surgical hospitals, the largest employer of health services managers, the median is $134,050. Outpatient care centers come in at $116,060 and offices of physicians at $105,770. Nursing care facilities are at $105,550; home health care is at $101,830; offices of other health practitioners, such as dental or therapy practices, are at $98,960.

Government jobs pay above private ones at the median. Federal health services managers have a median of $154,380; state government is $130,380 and local government $127,720; private employers come in at $121,160.

Location matters too. New York leads at $164,120, followed by the District of Columbia at $155,140, Hawaii at $147,630, and New Jersey and Washington. At the low end are Mississippi at $98,160, Alabama, and Arkansas at $94,340.

The 10th percentile is $73,390, and the 90th is $224,340, a range BLS does not split by job title. The occupation covers everyone from the manager of a small clinic office to a hospital vice president. Education also shows up in pay: graduates of master's programs in health administration have median earnings of $89,981 four years after finishing, against $58,716 for bachelor's graduates.

Where healthcare administrators work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	26.6%	$134,050
Offices of Physicians	13.5%	$105,770
Outpatient Care Centers	7.8%	$116,060
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	5.3%	$98,960
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	5.2%	$105,550
Home Health Care Services	5.1%	$101,830

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	515,210	$121,160
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	22,820	$154,380
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	25,160	$130,380
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	33,880	$127,720

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Healthcare Administrator pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$124K $94.5K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $94,500 in 2015 to $123,860 in 2025, up 31% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $127,745 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 3% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What healthcare administrators do

A healthcare administrator, the job BLS calls a medical and health services manager, runs the business and operations side of patient care. Depending on the employer, that can mean managing a whole hospital or nursing home, a single department such as radiology or physical therapy, or a physician group practice. Health information managers, nursing home administrators and clinical managers all fall under this occupation.

The work is budgets, staffing, compliance and data. Administrators set schedules, hire and evaluate staff, track spending and billing, and make sure the facility meets state and federal rules and accreditation standards. In a large hospital, much of the job is meetings with department heads, physicians and the board. In a small practice, the same person may order supplies, handle insurance contract problems and fix the phone system.

They work with physicians, nurses, medical records and billing staff, and sometimes patients and insurers. Most work full time in offices inside healthcare facilities, and some put in more than 40 hours a week. Hospital and nursing home administrators can be on call for emergencies.

A typical day

Build and track a department or facility budget, including staffing costs and patient billing
Hire, schedule, train and evaluate staff
Check that policies and records meet state, federal and accreditation requirements
Review numbers such as bed occupancy, wait times and claim denials, and fix what is lagging
Meet with physicians, nurse leaders and department heads to plan services or changes
Report to executives or the governing board on finances and quality results
Oversee rollouts of new systems, such as electronic health record upgrades

Also called: healthcare administration, health services manager, hospital administrator, healthcare management, medical and health services manager, cancer center director, clinical director, health information management director (him director).

How to become a healthcare administrator

Full guide

Most healthcare administrators start with a bachelor's degree in health administration, business or nursing, then gain a few years of administrative or clinical experience in a healthcare setting. Higher-level hospital jobs often call for a master's degree such as an MHA, and nursing home administrators need a state license.

Typical time: 6-8 years; Fastest: About 4 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in health administration, business, nursing or a related field (some employers accept an associate degree)
License: Not licensed for most roles; nursing home administrators must be licensed in all states, and some roles require an RN or social work license
Typical training cost: $39.8K–$80.8K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a healthcare administrator: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 6-8 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $39.8K–$80.8K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $123,860; $72,880 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 32–65%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($72,880 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.1 years after training ends (6-8 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for healthcare administrators

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +24.2%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 640,400; 795,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 62,300; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 4.5%; Not in the pay figures above

This is one of the faster-growing management jobs. BLS projects the number of medical and health services manager jobs to grow 24.2% from 2025 to 2035, from 640,400 to 795,500, far above the 3.5% average for all occupations. That works out to about 62,300 openings a year, including replacements for managers who retire or change fields.

BLS ties the growth to an aging population that will need more care, and to healthcare delivery becoming more complex as technology, regulation and payment models change, which raises demand for people to manage it.

Related careers and their pay

Registered Nurse$97,550
Business Analyst$101,860
Medical Assistant$45,690
Data Scientist$120,230
Computer Systems Analysts$105,850

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Healthcare Administrator salary FAQ

How much do healthcare administrators make an hour?

The median hourly wage for healthcare administrators was $59.55 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35.29 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $107.86. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays healthcare administrators the most?

New York has the highest median pay for healthcare administrators, $164,120 a year, followed by District of Columbia ($155,140) and Hawaii ($147,630). After adjusting for each state's price level, New York comes out ahead at about $152,074 in national-average dollars.

Do healthcare administrators make $200,000 a year?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of healthcare administrators earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $123,860, and the top 10% earn more than $224,340. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between healthcare administration and healthcare management?

In job titles and degree names the two are used almost interchangeably. Some schools describe administration as running day-to-day operations of a department and management as leading the organization's strategy, but employers do not hold to that split. BLS groups both, along with hospital administrators and health information managers, into one occupation: medical and health services managers.

Do you need a master's degree to be a healthcare administrator?

Not for every job. BLS says a bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement, and some employers hire people with an associate degree, and experience can sometimes stand in for schooling. A master's is often expected for hospital department director and executive roles, and BLS says moving into top executive jobs may call for one. Common choices are the MHA, an MBA with a healthcare focus, or an MPH.

Can nurses become healthcare administrators?

Yes, and many do. Nurse managers and directors of nursing are part of this occupation, and BLS notes that some positions require an RN license and that nursing home administrators often have years of nursing experience. Nurses usually move up from charge nurse to unit manager, then add a master's in nursing leadership, health administration or business for director-level jobs.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 11-9111
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (11-9111.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Medical and Health Services Managers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, CAHME · checked October 28, 2026
Why CAHME Matters to Students, CAHME · checked October 28, 2026
Exam Candidate Handbook, National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), American Health Information Management Association · checked October 28, 2026
FACHE Requirements, American College of Healthcare Executives · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
NAB Core and NHA Line of Service Exams, Minnesota Board of Executives for Long Term Services and Supports · checked October 28, 2026
CAHME Announces the Initial Accreditation of the University of Cincinnati Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program, CAHME · checked October 28, 2026
Exam Information, National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) · checked October 28, 2026
ACHE Board of Governors Examination in Healthcare Management, Pearson VUE (ACHE exam delivery) · checked October 28, 2026

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