Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on
Health informatics professionals have the potential to make a higher than average salary. Learn more about the jobs – and salaries – that comprise this impactful interdisciplinary field.
Health informatics pairs the techniques, methods, and tools of data analytics with the goals and priorities of health care. As data becomes increasingly important to optimizing health care outcomes and developing new medical technologies, health informatics professionals are in high demand – and often receive a higher-than-average salary.
In this article, you’ll learn about the salaries you can expect from various health informatics jobs, the job outlook for the field, and find a breakdown of how several factors might impact your salary.
Health care informatics: job outlook and salary range
As a field, health informatics has a positive job outlook, and the jobs that comprise it often have higher-than-average salaries. In this section, you’ll learn more about both.
Job outlook
Although the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t collect data on health informatics, their stats on both the health care field and data-oriented professions indicate a positive outlook.
According to the BLS, health care occupations are expected to grow by 13 percent between 2021 and 2031, during which time about 2 million new jobs will be added, and 1.9 million jobs will open up each year [1]. During that same period, the BLS projects that operations research analysts, the job category under which data analyst falls, will grow by 23 percent, adding an average of 10,300 openings per year [2].
Overall, health informatics professionals will likely find reliable demand for their services in the foreseeable future.
Salary range
The salary range for health informatics professionals is very wide. According to Glassdoor, the total annual pay for registered health information technicians (RHIT) is $37,657 a year [3]. But, other health informatics jobs can make more than twice that much. For example, Glassdoor pegs the total annual salary for Informatics directors at $129,837 a year [4].
The wide salary range is due to many different factors, including the geographic location of the job, the demand for the position, and the education required to perform it.
Note: Total pay is the combined amount of Glassdoor users’ reported average salary and additional pay, which could include profit sharing, commissions, cash bonuses, or tips.
Health informatics jobs and salaries
Health informatics consists of many different jobs and salaries. Here are some of the most common positions and what you can expect to make.
Note: All salary data is taken from Glassdoor unless otherwise stated.
| Position | Salary | Typical degree |
|---|---|---|
| Registered health information technician (RHIT) | $37,657 | Associate degree |
| Health informatics specialist | $67,836 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Clinical informatics specialists | $130,826 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Health informatics analyst | $77,301 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Data analyst | $71,582 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Health care systems analyst | $81,158 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Nursing informatics specialist | $135,447 | Bachelor’s degree |
| Informatics manager | $120,037 | Master’s degree |
| Informatics director | $129,837 | Master’s degree |
Health informatics salary by education
Education can have a strong impact on what you can expect to make as a health informatics professional. While you don’t need a terminal degree to land a job in health informatics positions, your employment prospects and salary typically increase the higher your educational level is.
Associate degree in health informatics
An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Health Informatics or Health Information prepares degree holders for several entry-level jobs in the field of health informatics. In some cases, current health care professionals may pursue an AAS in health informatics or information to expand their health informatics skill set.
Some common jobs and salaries you can expect to obtain with an associate degree in health informatics include the following:
| Job title | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| Hospital coder | $44,214 |
| Medical receptionist | $35,587 |
| Registered health information technician (RHIT) | $37,657 |
Bachelor’s in health informatics
As an interdisciplinary field, health informatics brings together various subjects. As a result, those in the field can have bachelor’s degrees in various subjects, including health informatics, computer science, health science, public health, health information management, statistics, and nursing.
This training prepares degree-holders for numerous health informatics positions, many of which have higher than average salaries. Some of these jobs include:
| Job title | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| Data analyst | $71,582 |
| Health informatics specialist | $67,836 |
| Clinical informatics specialists | $130,826 |
| Health care systems analyst | $81,158 |
Master's in health informatics
A master’s in health informatics (MHI) prepares degree holders for health care leadership positions, using advanced analytics and managing impactful health care projects. As a result, MHI and other related graduate degrees can help applicants prepare for more senior and managerial positions – which often include a pay increase.
The average pay rates for some common positions include the following:
| Job title | Average annual salary |
|---|---|
| Informatics manager | $120,037 |
| Informatics director | $129,837 |
| Health informatics consultant | $74,728 |
Advance your health care career with Coursera
As an interdisciplinary field, health informatics requires a unique set of skills from both data analytics and health care.
To prepare yourself, you might consider taking a flexible online course, such as Google’s Data Analytics professional certificate, which teaches beginners in-demand skills that will have them job-ready in less than six months.
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