Office Support · Front desk staffing
Healthcare and social assistance employ 42% of U.S. receptionists, so the most common front-desk hire also comes with patient privacy rules at the counter. Careerscape staffs receptionists nationwide from a remote team, with recruiters who know office support and the settings it serves.
Settings
BLS reports that 42% of receptionists work in healthcare and social assistance, 11% in professional, scientific and technical services and 7% in personal care services. The setting changes the systems and the screening.
Screening
Resumes for this role look alike. Short, practical exercises in the interview show the difference.
Play an upset caller who needs a transfer. Listen for tone, whether they confirm the caller's name and number, and how they hand the call over.
Ask them to enter information while you interrupt with a visitor or a call. A good receptionist acknowledges the visitor, finishes cleanly and picks the task back up without errors.
Give five appointment requests with conflicts and ask them to book them. Check that they catch the double booking and confirm details back.
Ask what they say when a visitor asks whether a coworker, client or patient is in the building. In clinics and firms, the right answer protects the other person first.
If you need a bilingual receptionist, run part of the interview in that language. A line on a resume is not a test.
Front desks fail when someone does not show up. Ask a former supervisor about reliability and punctuality specifically, not just attitude.
National pay
National BLS percentiles for receptionists and information clerks. At this pay level, state and local minimum wages can matter more than the national figures.
Middle half of all workers (25th to 75th percentile)
On a 2,080-hour year, the national 10th percentile ($28,760) works out to about $13.83 an hour and the median ($38,010) to about $18.27. Several of our markets have higher legal floors. Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 an hour, about $35,630 a year full time, which is above the national 25th percentile ($33,960). New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties are at $17.00. Michigan's minimum rises to $15.00 on January 1, 2027. Check your state and city before you set a range, and expect experienced medical and legal receptionists to price above the floor. Annual pay, all U.S. employers, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation: Receptionists and Information Clerks. Pay by level and city: Receptionist salary guide.
Medical front desk
BLS notes that receptionists in hospitals and doctors' offices may collect patient information and handle billing. That puts them inside HIPAA's privacy rules from the first patient of the day. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offices may use sign-in sheets and call out patient names in the waiting room, as long as the information is limited and the practice has reasonable safeguards. A sign-in sheet should not ask for unnecessary medical details, such as the reason for the visit.
When you hire for a medical front desk, ask how the candidate handled sign-in, phone confirmations and conversations at the counter in past jobs, and confirm they will complete your privacy training before their first shift. Experience with a practice management or EHR scheduling module shortens training more than general office software does.
No federal license is required to work as a medical receptionist. Some candidates hold the National Healthcareer Association's Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) credential, which requires a high school diploma, a training program or supervised work experience, and a passing exam, with renewal every two years. For roles centered on registration, insurance checks and patient access, see our patient services representative page.
Template
Adapt the bracketed lines for your setting. For a clinic, add your scheduling system and payment duties; for a firm, add conflict-check or client intake steps if they apply.
We are hiring a receptionist for our [clinic / firm / office] in [city]. You will be the first person visitors and callers meet: you will greet guests, manage the phones and appointment calendar and keep the front office organized. Hours are [schedule], and you report to [title].
29 metros
BLS metro data for the 29 markets we track. Concentration compares each metro's share of receptionist jobs with the national share; 1.00 is average.
| Market | Jobs | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 74,190 | $44,690+18% | 1.34 |
| Los Angeles | 35,000 | $43,280+14% | 0.95 |
| Chicago | 30,540 | $38,060±0% | 1.16 |
| Philadelphia | 22,210 | $38,030±0% | 1.31 |
| Dallas | 21,380 | $37,060−2% | 0.90 |
| Miami | 19,850 | $37,570−1% | 1.20 |
| Washington, DC | 17,920 | $41,240+8% | 0.98 |
| Houston | 17,140 | $35,350−7% | 0.89 |
| Phoenix | 16,850 | $39,340+3% | 1.21 |
| Atlanta | 15,710 | $37,530−1% | 0.93 |
| Boston | 14,320 | $43,930+16% | 0.91 |
| Seattle | 14,260 | $45,820+21% | 1.17 |
| Detroit | 11,100 | $38,220+1% | 1.00 |
| Tampa | 10,290 | $36,640−4% | 1.22 |
| Minneapolis | 8,780 | $38,000±0% | 0.77 |
| Baltimore | 8,660 | $37,600−1% | 1.09 |
| San Francisco | 8,510 | $49,450+30% | 0.61 |
| Portland | 8,340 | $43,630+15% | 1.18 |
| Austin | 7,480 | $36,690−3% | 0.99 |
| San Diego | 6,690 | $44,390+17% | 0.74 |
| Pittsburgh | 6,100 | $36,300−4% | 0.94 |
| Charlotte | 5,880 | $36,300−4% | 0.74 |
| Providence | 5,550 | $41,720+10% | 1.33 |
| Denver | 5,480 | $43,680+15% | 0.58 |
| Hartford | 4,140 | $38,780+2% | 1.18 |
| Nashville | 4,040 | $36,810−3% | 0.63 |
| Buffalo | 3,930 | $38,960+2% | 1.26 |
| Raleigh-Durham | 3,690 | $36,550−4% | 0.85 |
| Albany | 2,650 | $39,790+5% | 1.01 |
New York City is the largest and most concentrated pool, with 74,190 jobs at 1.34 and a median of $44,690, about 18% above the U.S. Providence (1.33) and Philadelphia (1.31) are nearly as concentrated, and Philadelphia's median ($38,030) is in line with the nation. San Francisco pays most ($49,450, about 30% above) and has one of the thinnest pools (0.61). Denver is the thinnest of all (0.58) with a median of $43,680. Houston has the lowest median ($35,350). Receptionists and Information Clerks, by metro area, sorted by jobs. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; U.S. median $38,010. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job is a bigger share of local employment than nationally.
Outlook
BLS projects receptionist employment to decline 2% from 2025 to 2035, a loss of about 16,000 jobs, as organizations move check-in, scheduling and information requests to software, websites and apps. Turnover still produces about 105,100 openings a year nationally. For employers that means regular rehiring and coverage gaps, which is where temporary staffing helps.
National figures for Receptionists and Information Clerks, as published on O*NET OnLine.
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FAQ
Use a temp for a defined gap: vacation or medical leave, a busy season, a move or the weeks between a resignation and a permanent hire. The front desk cannot sit empty, and a temp keeps phones and check-in covered while you search. If you are unsure whether the role will be permanent, contract-to-hire lets you see the person at your desk before you commit.
Start with your state and local minimum wage, then the local market. Nationally, BLS put the receptionist median at $38,010 in May 2025, with the middle half between $33,960 and $45,130. Medians in our markets range from $35,350 in Houston to $49,450 in San Francisco. Medical, legal and bilingual roles usually price higher. See our receptionist salary guide for more detail.
It can take over routine work. BLS ties the projected decline in receptionist jobs to software, websites and apps that handle tasks people used to call or visit for. What automation handles poorly is the visitor standing at the desk, the upset caller and the judgment call about who gets interrupted. Many employers keep a receptionist and let tools handle reminders and simple scheduling.
No federal license or certification is required. Employers set their own requirements. Some prefer the National Healthcareer Association's CMAA credential, which needs a training program or relevant experience plus an exam. Practical experience with patient check-in, scheduling software and privacy practices usually matters more in the interview. Every new hire should complete your HIPAA privacy training before working the desk.
Working with Careerscape costs you nothing, and we keep your search private from a current employer. Look for front desk and receptionist openings on our job board, or submit your resume so a recruiter can match you with temporary or permanent roles. Mention the settings you know, such as medical, legal or corporate offices, and any languages you speak.
Our recruiters screen receptionists for phone skills, scheduling accuracy and discretion, and you see each candidate in the Employer Portal before they start.
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