How to Become a Health Information Technologist
Bridge medicine and data: build, maintain, and analyze the electronic health record systems modern care runs on. It typically requires an associate degree, with a median salary of $68,020 per year and much faster than average projected job growth.
Median pay
$68,020/yr
Middle half
$48,940 to $95,630
Job growth
Much faster than average
Openings / yr
3,200
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Electronic Health Records
- SQL
- Medical Coding
- Data Analysis
- Attention to Detail
Helpful certifications
- RHIT (Registered Health Information Technician)
- RHIA (Registered Health Information Administrator)
Related careers
- Psychiatrist$281,870 median
- Physician (Family Medicine)$244,180 median
- Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)$236,590 median
- Dentist$170,950 median
- Pharmacist$140,910 median
- Optometrist$136,570 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Health Information Technologist make?
The median pay for a Health Information Technologist is $68,020 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $48,940 and $95,630 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Health Information Technologist?
The usual entry point is an associate degree. Common majors are Health Information Management, Health Informatics, and Management Information Systems.
Is Health Information Technologist a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is much faster than average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 3,200 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Health Information Technologist use most?
Common skills for this role are Electronic Health Records, SQL, Medical Coding, Data Analysis, and Attention to Detail.
Planning to become a Health Information Technologist?
Save this career to your PlanexAI path and track the majors, courses, and milestones that lead to it.
Not sure this is right for you?
Take our free 2-minute quiz to match your interests to majors and careers.
Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).