The State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation predicts that the need for health information technologists in Florida will increase by more than 17 percent from 2008 through 2018, creating more than 1,800 new jobs. Health information technologists in the state earned an average of $32,130 per year as of May 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Salaries for health information technologists in Florida were approximately 5 percent below the nationwide average of $33,880, with salary rates varying across the state.
North Florida
The city of Gainesville featured the highest average annual salaries for health information technologists in North Florida at $37,090 as of May 2009, according to the BLS. In the Fort Walton, Crestview and Destin area, technologists made an average of $35,210 annually, while those in Jacksonville averaged $32,240. Health information technologists in the cities of Pensacola, Ferry Pass and Brent earned average salaries just above the state average at $32,170 annually. Throughout the remainder of the region, salaries were 2 to 7 percent below the Florida average, with the lowest average wages in Tallahassee at $29,930 per year.
South Florida
In South Florida, salaries for health information technologists were highest in the area comprised of Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach as of May 2009. Salaries in the cities averaged $38,130 per year. Throughout the remainder of the region, salaries were generally 2 to 6 percent above the statewide average for Florida. The only exception was in the Miami, Miami Beach and Kendall area, where health information technologists earned an average of only $28,850 per year.
East Central Florida
Health information technicians in the Palm Bay, Melbourne and Titusville area enjoyed the highest salaries of those in the East Central region at an annual average of $33,380. The remainder of the region featured salaries that were 2 to 14 percent below the Florida average. With annual salaries that averaged $27,730, health information technologists in Sebastian and Vero Beach were the lowest paid not only in the region, but in the entire state.
West Central Florida
The highest average annual salaries for health information technologists in Florida were found in the West Central cities of Lakeland and Winter Haven. Technologists in those cities enjoyed salaries that averaged $39,880 annually. In the Bradenton, Venice and Sarasota area, technologists made an average of $32,040 per year, while those in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater averaged $31,040. The Punta Gorda area had the lowest wages in West Central Florida at an average of $29,370 per year.
Tags: information technologists, health information technologists, annual salaries, average year, Central Florida
