Medical Records Specialists Salary
The median pay for a medical records specialists in Wilmington, NC is $42,930/year ($20.64/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $109K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.42), that's roughly $44,524 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,426/month, about 47.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $43K actually covers in Wilmington, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Wilmington’s Regional Price Parity (96.42). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About medical records specialists
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What this looks like in Wilmington
Pay for medical records specialists in Wilmington runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $51K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,426/month, which is 49.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.42) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for medical records specialists.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for medical records specialists in metros near Wilmington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $51K | $53K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $54K | $55K |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | $57K | $59K |
| Winston-Salem | $63K | $68K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Wilmington, NC
Entry-level medical records specialists (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $43K. Top earners bring in $109K or more, a $72K spread from bottom to top.
Medical Records Specialists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Medical Records Specialists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $72K | +41% | 270 |
| Rhode Island | $64K | +25% | 650 |
| Hawaii | $63K | +24% | 400 |
| Washington | $62K | +22% | 5,010 |
| California | $62K | +21% | 18,700 |
| New York | $62K | +21% | 9,080 |
| Minnesota | $62K | +20% | 3,150 |
| Alaska | $61K | +19% | 1,070 |
| Connecticut | $61K | +19% | 1,120 |
| Massachusetts | $60K | +18% | 3,500 |
| Wisconsin | $60K | +18% | 2,870 |
| Colorado | $59K | +15% | 1,780 |
| Oregon | $59K | +15% | 2,560 |
| Vermont | $58K | +13% | N/A |
| New Mexico | $57K | +12% | 1,400 |
| Illinois | $56K | +10% | 5,740 |
| Delaware | $56K | +10% | 610 |
| South Carolina | $54K | +6% | 2,750 |
| Maryland | $54K | +6% | 2,440 |
| Wyoming | $54K | +6% | 280 |
| Idaho | $53K | +5% | 1,490 |
| Oklahoma | $53K | +5% | 2,480 |
| Virginia | $53K | +4% | 4,630 |
| Utah | $53K | +3% | 1,910 |
| Maine | $52K | +2% | 1,000 |
| Nebraska | $52K | +1% | 1,640 |
| South Dakota | $52K | +1% | 900 |
| Georgia | $52K | +1% | 5,930 |
| Ohio | $51K | -0% | 7,440 |
| Missouri | $51K | -1% | 3,890 |
| Iowa | $51K | -1% | 2,250 |
| Nevada | $50K | -2% | 2,350 |
| New Jersey | $50K | -2% | 4,450 |
| Montana | $50K | -2% | 820 |
| North Carolina | $50K | -3% | 6,760 |
| New Hampshire | $49K | -4% | 930 |
| Texas | $49K | -4% | 17,210 |
| Tennessee | $49K | -5% | 4,440 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -5% | 4,210 |
| Kansas | $48K | -6% | 2,030 |
| Michigan | $48K | -6% | 4,890 |
| Indiana | $48K | -7% | 5,860 |
| Arizona | $48K | -7% | 3,750 |
| West Virginia | $47K | -7% | 1,260 |
| Pennsylvania | $47K | -8% | 6,970 |
| North Dakota | $46K | -10% | 520 |
| Florida | $46K | -11% | 21,490 |
| Louisiana | $45K | -13% | 2,600 |
| Alabama | $44K | -14% | 2,330 |
| Arkansas | $42K | -18% | 1,920 |
| Mississippi | $42K | -19% | 2,310 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track medical records specialists salary changes
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a medical records specialist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Wilmington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $43K, rent takes 49.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,426/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for medical records specialists in Wilmington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new medical records specialists typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,514/month. At HUD’s $1,426/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is medical records specialist a high-paying job in Wilmington?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $43K here vs. $51K nationally.
How does Wilmington compare to the national average for medical records specialists?
Wilmington pays $43K median vs. the U.S. average of $51K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $45K — below the national median.
How much do medical records specialists make in Wilmington, NC?
The median is $42,930 a year, that works out to about $21 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,080, and experienced medical records specialists can clear $109,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $43K enough to live in Wilmington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,883/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,426/month, which eats 49.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a medical records specialists salary go in Wilmington?
Wilmington has a Regional Price Parity of 96.42 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median medical records specialists salary is worth about $44,524 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do medical records specialists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.