Healthcare Administration Salary: How Much Can You Make?
As the field of healthcare only continues to grow, the need for healthcare administrators does too. Healthcare administration is an important role in the healthcare industry, and many people are drawn to it because it is a rewarding career path with the ability to make a real impact in healthcare. It also comes with many benefits, including upward mobility and potentially high salaries. So how much do healthcare administrators make?
In this guide, we’ll explore how much healthcare administrators make, salaries by city and state, some of the highest-paying healthcare administration careers, and more!
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How Much Do Healthcare Administrators Make?
Healthcare administrators have the potential to make substantially high salaries. A hospital CEO, for example, could make millions, while many other healthcare admin jobs can earn six-figure salaries.
Here is a sampling of some of the healthcare administrator salaries you might find in the field:
Private Practice Office Manager
As a private practice office manager, you would essentially be in charge of running a medical practice for a provider. According to the BLS, a medical and health services manager makes an average salary of $117,960 per year, $56.71 per hour, although that could vary widely. A smaller office, for instance, may not earn you as high of a salary as a multi-facility one.
Nursing Home Administrator
A nursing home administrator would hold a senior-level position at a nursing home, managing other people in leadership roles and working on the business end of directing the facility. Nursing home administrators or directors are one of the highest-paid healthcare administration roles. According to Salary.com, a nursing home administrator makes an average of $134,283.
Health Services Manager or Administrator
This role could be a Nurse Manager, who oversees a particular unit or floor of the hospital, or an administrator in another department of the hospital, such as employee health or infection control. According to the BLS, medical and health service managers make an average of $117,960 per year, $56.71 per hour.
Popular Online Masters Healthcare Administration Programs
Prepare for a career in the growing health care field at Purdue Global. Purdue is committed to helping you find the most efficient and affordable path to your goal by applying work experience, prior learning credits, and military experience.
Enrollment: Nationwide
When you earn an ASU health degree, you’re building in-demand skills through a respected and nationally recognized institution. ASU Online’s health programs are designed to prepare graduates for leadership, community impact, and advancement across today’s evolving health and wellness fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide
Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution serving over 200,000 online learners and more than 3,000 on-campus students worldwide. SNHU’s online health and human services programs help students build practical, career-focused skills for today’s healthcare and public health fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide
University of Maryland Global Campus is a respected, accredited public institution focused on serving adult and military-affiliated learners worldwide. UMGC’s online health and emergency management programs are designed to build practical, leadership-ready skills for careers in aging services, health services management, and emergency preparedness.
Enrollment: Nationwide
When you earn a graduate degree from National University, you develop advanced expertise through a respected institution dedicated to adult and professional learners. National University’s online programs are designed to prepare graduates for leadership, research, and policy-driven impact in behavioral health, social policy, and aging-related fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide
Health Information Manager
A health information manager has a very specialized role in the healthcare industry. In this position, you would be overseeing other health informatics specialists who are responsible for working with medical records and data. According to the BLS, computer and information systems managers make an average of over $171,200 per year.
Hospital Director/CEO
Obviously, a hospital CEO is at the very top of the healthcare administration tier and is in charge of an entire healthcare facility. According to the Economic Research Institute, a hospital director makes an average of over $134,012 every year, although annual wages can easily reach over 1 million dollars for large hospital operations.
>> Related: 10 Highest Paying Healthcare Administration Jobs
Healthcare Administration Salaries by City & State
One of the biggest factors for a healthcare administration salary is location. Here’s how much healthcare administrators make in each state according to the BLS.
Healthcare Administration Salaries by State
| State | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
| Washington | $46,711 | $22.46 |
| New York | 45,120 | $21.69 |
| Massachusetts | 45,041 | $21.65 |
| Alaska | 44,415 | $21.35 |
| Vermont | 43,851 | $21.08 |
| North Dakota | $43,637 | $20.98 |
| Oregon | $43,605 | $20.96 |
| Colorado | $43,367 | $20.85 |
| Hawaii | $42,849 | $20.60 |
| Nevada | $41,997 | $20.19 |
| New Jersey | $41,870 | $20.13 |
| Wisconsin | $41,628 | $20.01 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,341 | $19.88 |
| Delaware | $41,277 | $19.84 |
| South Dakota | $41,242 | $19.83 |
| Virginia | $40,888 | $19.66 |
| California | $40,702 | $19.57 |
| Minnesota | $40,393 | $19.42 |
| Rhode Island | $40,389 | $19.42 |
| New Hampshire | $40,108 | $19.28 |
| Maryland | $40,027 | $19.24 |
| New Mexico | $39,966 | $19.21 |
| Illinois | $39,964 | $19.21 |
| Maine | $39,930 | $19.20 |
| Wyoming | $39,643 | $19.06 |
| Nebraska | $39,322 | $18.90 |
| Indiana | $39,244 | $18.87 |
| Connecticut | $39,233 | $18.86 |
| Ohio | $39,209 | $18.85 |
| Mississippi | $39,059 | $18.78 |
| Idaho | $38,804 | $18.66 |
| Iowa | $38,737 | $18.62 |
| Missouri | $38,685 | $18.60 |
| Arizona | $38,433 | $18.48 |
| Texas | $38,423 | $18.47 |
| South Carolina | $38,271 | $18.40 |
| Oklahoma | $38,080 | $18.31 |
| Montana | $37,854 | $18.20 |
| Utah | $37,545 | $18.05 |
| North Carolina | $37,481 | $18.02 |
| Tennessee | $37,432 | $18.00 |
| Alabama | $37,381 | $17.97 |
| Kansas | $36,782 | $17.68 |
| Michigan | $35,946 | $17.28 |
| Kentucky | $35,820 | $17.22 |
| Louisiana | $35,267 | $16.96 |
| Georgia | $34,824 | $16.74 |
| Arkansas | $34,103 | $16.40 |
| West Virginia | $31,928 | $15.35 |
| Florida | $30,820 | $14.82 |
Source Zip Recruiter
Healthcare Administration Salaries by Place of Employment
According to the BLS, the highest-paid healthcare administrators work for the government, while the lowest-paid work in nursing and residential care facilities. The BLS lists place of occupation and salary as follows for medical and health services managers:
- Government: Average salary of $132,620
- Hospitals: Average salary of $130,690
- Outpatient care centers: Average salary of $106,990
- Physician offices: Average salary of $100,780
- Nursing and residential care facilities: Average salary of $99,250
How to Increase Your Salary as a Healthcare Administrator
Although on average, you can expect to earn a reasonable salary as a healthcare administrator, there are always ways that you can increase your salary. Now that you know how much you can make as a healthcare administrator, the best way to increase your salary in any role is to increase your value by adding additional skills to your resume. You can do this by:
- Pursuing advanced education: For instance, if you are a nurse looking to become a department manager, you can pursue your MSN or MBA in order to gain more managerial and leadership skills.
- Finding a mentor: If there is someone in your field that you aspire to be like, speak up! Ask them if they would be willing to take you on as a mentor so you can learn from them.
- Learning advanced skills: Even if you don’t pursue another separate degree, you can add technical skills or certifications to your resume that can help increase your value as an administrator.
- Get involved: Whether it’s a new field you’d like to move into or an advancement in your current role, it can help to get involved in new ways. That might mean volunteering to supervise the team leadership conference or signing up for more community events–there are many different options you could pursue depending on your current role and where you would like to advance to in order to raise your salary.
Popular Online Masters Healthcare Administration Programs
Prepare for a career in the growing health care field at Purdue Global. Purdue is committed to helping you find the most efficient and affordable path to your goal by applying work experience, prior learning credits, and military experience.
Enrollment: Nationwide
When you earn an ASU health degree, you’re building in-demand skills through a respected and nationally recognized institution. ASU Online’s health programs are designed to prepare graduates for leadership, community impact, and advancement across today’s evolving health and wellness fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide
Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution serving over 200,000 online learners and more than 3,000 on-campus students worldwide. SNHU’s online health and human services programs help students build practical, career-focused skills for today’s healthcare and public health fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide
University of Maryland Global Campus is a respected, accredited public institution focused on serving adult and military-affiliated learners worldwide. UMGC’s online health and emergency management programs are designed to build practical, leadership-ready skills for careers in aging services, health services management, and emergency preparedness.
Enrollment: Nationwide
When you earn a graduate degree from National University, you develop advanced expertise through a respected institution dedicated to adult and professional learners. National University’s online programs are designed to prepare graduates for leadership, research, and policy-driven impact in behavioral health, social policy, and aging-related fields.
Enrollment: Nationwide