2027 Salary Guide · Healthcare · Management
Medical and health services managers, the BLS occupation for healthcare administrators, earned a median of $123,860 in May 2025. At current wage growth that is about $131,500 in 2027. The employer matters as much as the title: the median in hospitals was $133,580, against $100,520 in nursing and residential care facilities.
Pay by setting
BLS publishes median pay for the five industries that employ the most medical and health services managers. The gap between the top and bottom setting is about $35,600.
| Setting | Share of jobs | Median pay (May 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Government (excluding state and local education and hospitals) | 7% | $136,130 |
| Hospitals (state, local and private) | 28% | $133,580 |
| Outpatient care centers | 7% | $116,060 |
| Offices of physicians | 13% | $105,770 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 9% | $100,520 |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical and Health Services Managers. Shares are of all jobs in the occupation in 2025.
Local pay
New York has about 35,260 healthcare administrators, far more than any other metro here, and the highest median at $167,580. The Bay Area ($166,310) and Seattle ($160,100) are close behind. Pittsburgh is the only metro below $110,000, at $101,570, despite a large market of about 5,990.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | $167,580 +35% | $102,450 – $348,010 | 35,260 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $166,310 +34% | $67,320 – $315,430 | 11,980 |
| Seattle | $160,100 +29% | $98,360 – $307,930 | 4,600 |
| Portland | $151,260 +22% | $93,360 – $336,600 | 3,210 |
| Washington, DC | $140,670 +14% | $98,220 – $242,480 | 11,730 |
| San Diego | $138,080 +11% | $78,210 – $290,480 | 6,980 |
| Denver | $137,760 +11% | $88,150 – $240,740 | 4,700 |
| Atlanta | $137,260 +11% | $72,820 – $296,530 | 6,300 |
| Boston | $136,760 +10% | $89,920 – $308,080 | 12,990 |
| Los Angeles | $134,230 +8% | $68,630 – $228,400 | 23,740 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | $132,720 +7% | $82,010 – $287,350 | 1,380 |
| Phoenix | $130,070 +5% | $78,450 – $238,220 | 8,370 |
| Hartford | $128,810 +4% | $81,230 – $206,470 | 2,980 |
| Miami | $128,770 +4% | $75,870 – $219,200 | 12,290 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $126,880 +2% | $80,580 – $211,030 | 7,350 |
| Austin | $126,110 +2% | $64,210 – $269,090 | 5,160 |
| Baltimore | $124,990 +1% | $69,720 – $224,520 | 8,060 |
| Tampa | $124,980 +1% | $66,830 – $214,610 | 7,000 |
| Houston | $124,400 +0% | $73,410 – $206,550 | 12,410 |
| Chicago | $123,090 -1% | $77,120 – $226,080 | 16,680 |
| Philadelphia | $122,920 -1% | $72,850 – $205,060 | 14,060 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $121,640 -2% | $65,520 – $204,840 | 17,140 |
| Albany | $121,470 -2% | $77,210 – $212,020 | 1,880 |
| Providence | $119,260 -4% | $77,630 – $199,430 | 4,150 |
| Nashville | $116,480 -6% | $71,980 – $221,330 | 5,510 |
| Detroit | $114,340 -8% | $67,590 – $206,630 | 7,110 |
| Raleigh | $113,710 -8% | $69,670 – $248,570 | 2,070 |
| Charlotte | $111,080 -10% | $71,840 – $216,300 | 3,630 |
| Pittsburgh | $101,570 -18% | $64,270 – $169,870 | 5,990 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Pay distribution
The 90th percentile, $224,340, is about three times the 10th, $73,390. The low end includes managers of small practices and departments; the top includes directors in large hospital systems.
Typical for the Healthcare Administrator title: $94,700 to $166,100 (25th to 75th percentile of Medical and Health Services Managers)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,390 | $78,000 |
| 25th percentile | $94,700 | $100,500 |
| Median | $123,860 | $131,500 |
| 75th percentile | $166,100 | $176,500 |
| 90th percentile | $224,340 | $238,500 |
Titles and requirements
BLS reports a wide set of management titles together. What separates them, besides setting, is the credential each one needs.
O*NET's sample titles for the occupation include clinical director, nurse manager, nursing director, health information management director, cancer center director and healthcare system director.
BLS says all states require licensure for nursing home administrators, with requirements that vary by state. That limits the candidate pool for the lowest-paying of the five large settings.
BLS says managers typically need a bachelor's degree, though some employers hire with an associate's degree and others prefer a master's. Moving into top executive roles may require a master's.
Nurse managers and nursing directors are counted here, so many administrators come from clinical careers. A clinical license can be an advantage for department-level roles that supervise care staff.
Outlook
BLS projects much faster than average growth from 2025 to 2035 across 640,400 jobs, with about 62,300 openings a year. That is a large pipeline for a management occupation.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Medical and Health Services Managers as a whole.
Compare
The median administrator earns about $26,300 more than the median registered nurse and slightly less than a nurse practitioner. General and operations managers outside healthcare have a lower median ($105,770) but a much wider range.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Administrator | $123,860 | $131,500 | Much faster than average |
| Registered Nurse | $97,550 | $103,500 | Faster than average |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 | $140,500 | Much faster than average |
| Operations Manager | $105,770 | $112,500 | Faster than average |
| Health Information Technician | $51,140 | $54,500 | Much faster than average |
For hiring teams
A physician practice and a hospital department are hiring from the same pool but paying from different medians, about $27,800 apart.
The New York median is about $66,000 above Pittsburgh's. The city table shows each local figure.
For a nursing home administrator role, the candidate needs a license in your state. Ask early if the candidate is relocating.
Size of staff, budget and number of sites are what move an offer from the middle of this range to the top of it. Put them in the posting.
FAQ
BLS reports healthcare administrators as Medical and Health Services Managers. Their median pay was $123,860 in May 2025, and the middle half earned between $94,700 and $166,100. With two years of wage growth at 3.1% a year, the 2027 planning median is about $131,500.
First management jobs in healthcare have no separate BLS wage. The 10th percentile, $73,390 in May 2025, and the 25th, $94,700, are a reasonable range for first management roles such as practice or department manager. Setting matters early on: physician offices and nursing homes have lower medians than hospitals and government.
Hospital administrators do, at the median. BLS reports a median of $133,580 for medical and health services managers in hospitals in May 2025, compared with $100,520 in nursing and residential care facilities. Government had the highest median of the five largest settings at $136,130.
Some employers prefer a master's, but not all require one. BLS says these managers typically need a bachelor's degree, while some employers prefer a master's and advancement to top executive roles may require one. Nursing home administrators are a special case: all states require them to be licensed.
BLS projects much faster than average growth for medical and health services managers from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year across 640,400 jobs. That is one of the larger pipelines for a management occupation, and openings come both from new positions and from managers who retire or change careers.
Careerscape runs executive search and direct hire for healthcare management, with recruiters who specialize in the industry and a pre-screened shortlist. Candidates use our service free.
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