Health Care Administration Salary: Your 2024 Earning Guide

Health care administration ensures that health care facilities operate effectively and efficiently. Health care administrators perform a variety of duties: from training staff to managing facilities, enforcing policies, and creating the infrastructure needed for impactful patient care.

Unsurprisingly, then, there are a lot of jobs that fall under the umbrella of health care administration. And, they're well-rewarded for their efforts.

In this article, you'll explore the salaries you can expect from a variety of health care administration positions. Whether you're interested in an entry-level job or a more senior one, this article has the salary information you need to get a sense of the pay you can expect to earn from this important health care field.

What exactly is health care administration?

Health care administration oversees the daily operations of a health care facility, either of a department or of the entire facility. Covering a wide variety of job titles and responsibilities, health care administration includes facility management, staffing, financial management, policies, and compliance with federal and state regulations.

In health care administration, you won’t work directly with patients, but you will still provide patient care indirectly by ensuring that health care facilities are safe and the providers are highly trained. 

There are a variety of jobs that fall under health care administration, including hospital manager, administrative assistant, and medical records manager.

Read more: What Is Health Care Administration? What You Need to Know in 2023

Health care administration job outlook

As with other health care professions, the job outlook for health care administrators is very positive.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), for example, the number of jobs for medical and health services managers is projected to grow by 28 percent between 2021 and 2031, resulting in approximately 56,000 new job openings a year throughout the decade [1]. Furthermore, this number only includes health care administration positions within a managerial capacity, so the actual number of new jobs for all positions in the field is likely to be even higher.

A few reasons for this positive outlook are an aging population in need of medical care and nursing home facilities, increased demand for medical professionals, and advances in medical and health care technologies.  

Read more: Is Health Care a Good Career Path? Outlook, Jobs, and More

Health care administration jobs and salaries

There are a number of jobs that full under the category of health care administration.

The exact jobs you are eligible for will dependent on your level of education, any experience you hold, certifications you’ve gained, and your overall skills. Some positions may only be available in certain health care facilities, so where you live may also be a factor in the jobs you can get within this sprawling field of health care. 

At a glance, here are some of the jobs you can get with a health care administration degree, and the average base annual salary for each according to Glassdoor: 

Note: All salary data is taken from Glassdoor unless otherwise stated. 

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Health care administration salary by education

Education can greatly impact the jobs you are able to get as a health care administrator.

While the most common degree for the majority of jobs within health care administration is a bachelor's degree, some positions may only ask that applicants possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Other jobs, meanwhile, may prefer candidates with at least an associate degree or require that they possess a master's degree and many years of experience to even be considered.

HS diploma or Associate degree

There are many entry-level positions within health care administration that only require applicants to possess a HS diploma or equivalent. Possessing an associate degree in health care administration or a related field can also make you a more attractive candidate for these positions.

Here are some of the jobs you might pursue with either a HS diploma or an associate degree:

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree in health care administration or a related subject will prepare you for the majority of positions within the field. While some positions may ask that applicants have at least an associate degree, many employers typically prefer that candidates applying to managerial positions possess a bachelor's degree to even be considered.

At a glance, here are some of the jobs in health care administration that usually require applicants to possess a bachelor's degree:

Master's or doctoral degree

Senior-level positions in health care administration will typically require a master’s degree or doctoral degree, along with quality professional experience. If you’d like to progress into one of these top-level positions, set your career pathway accordingly, gaining the education, professional experience, and any certifications you might need, to achieve your goal.

Some senior-level career prospects in health care administration include:

With University of Michigan's Master of Public Health (MPH) in Population and Health Sciences, you’ll learn to tackle complex health challenges such as chronic and infectious diseases, obesity and food insecurity, health care and climate change, and address the many ways socioeconomic inequalities negatively impact health. 

Learn health care administration

Health care administration is in integral part of maintaining the health care systems that provide quality care. If you're interested in the field, then you might consider gaining job-relevant skills by taking a cost-effective specialization through Coursera.

In Rutgers University's Healthcare Organization Operations Specialization, you'll learn how to better contribute to the effective administration of a healthcare organization’s operations.

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