Health Information Technologists: The 15% Growth Occupation Community Colleges Are Under-Building For

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of health information technologists and medical registrars to grow 15 percent from 2024 to 2034—a rate the BLS classifies as much faster than average—with approximately 3,200 job openings projected each year over that decade. The typical entry-level credential is an associate's degree. That combination puts this occupation squarely in community college territory, yet registered apprenticeship infrastructure and program capacity in this field remain thin at most institutions. The data makes the case for action; the policy environment is opening doors. Here is what institutional leaders need to know.

What the BLS Data Actually Says

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, published August 28, 2025, health information technologists and medical registrars held approximately 41,900 jobs in 2024. Employment is projected to grow 15 percent from 2024 to 2034, representing an employment change of 6,200 positions over the decade. The BLS projects about 3,200 openings per year, on average, over that same period—many of which are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force.

The median annual wage for the occupation was $67,310 in May 2024, and the BLS identifies an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education requirement. Hospitals—state, local, and private—account for 46 percent of employment, making health systems the dominant hiring partner any community college program would need to cultivate.

For context, the BLS Fastest Growing Occupations list published August 28, 2025 does not include health information technologists among the top 20 by percent growth, but the occupation's 15 percent projected growth rate still substantially exceeds the average across all occupations. The combination of associate's-degree entry, a defined median wage, and sustained annual openings makes this a high-value target for workforce program investment.

• 41,900 jobs in 2024 (BLS, August 2025)
• 15% projected employment growth, 2024–2034, classified as much faster than average
• ~3,200 projected annual openings over the decade
• Median annual wage: $67,310 (May 2024)
• Typical entry-level education: associate's degree
• Largest employer sector: hospitals at 46% of employment

The Registered Apprenticeship Infrastructure Already Exists—and Is Growing

Apprenticeship.gov's healthcare industry page notes that in 2025 there were 36,892 registered apprentices served in the healthcare industry, a 43 percent increase over the prior five years. That growth signals employer willingness to invest in earn-and-learn models across healthcare—and the federal infrastructure to support them is in place.

Critically for health information technology specifically, Apprenticeship.gov has published a Competency-Based Occupational Framework (CBOF) for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians and Medical Coders. This means the foundational curriculum architecture for a registered apprenticeship in this occupation is freely available. Institutions do not need to build the framework from scratch; they need to activate it through employer partnerships and program registration.

The SUNY system's experience in manufacturing offers a transferable model. A May 2026 SUNY blog post describes how SUNY Broome Community College anchors registered apprenticeship programs for Amphenol Aerospace, combining on-the-job experience with classroom instruction aligned to New York State Department of Labor standards. The structural elements—employer co-investment, journeyworker mentorship, quarterly progress reviews, and union or industry partner engagement—apply directly to healthcare apprenticeship design. The difference is that health information technology programs can be built around an existing federal CBOF rather than a custom employer framework.

• 36,892 registered healthcare apprentices served in 2025—a 43% increase over five years (Apprenticeship.gov)
• A federal Competency-Based Occupational Framework for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians and Medical Coders is freely available via Apprenticeship.gov
• High-demand apprenticeship occupations listed on Apprenticeship.gov's healthcare page include Medical Assistant, Community Health Worker, and Certified Nursing Aide—signaling broad employer appetite for the apprenticeship model in clinical and health IT settings

The Workforce Pell Policy Window

On May 19, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education published final regulations implementing Workforce Pell Grants under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025. The final rule establishes a new category of eligible program—'eligible workforce programs'—described as high-quality, performance-based, short-term programs that support America's workforce needs.

For health information technology programs, this policy development matters for two reasons. First, if a college structures a health IT credential program to meet the eligible workforce program definition, students in that program may qualify for Workforce Pell funding—lowering the financial barrier that has historically limited enrollment in short-term healthcare credentials. Second, the performance-based framing of the rule creates accountability pressure that aligns with the kind of employer-validated, outcome-tracked design that registered apprenticeship already requires.

Institutional leaders should treat the Workforce Pell final rule as a design constraint and an opportunity simultaneously. Programs built now with employer validation, defined competency outcomes, and labor market alignment will be better positioned for Workforce Pell eligibility than programs retrofitted later. Health information technology—with its associate's-degree entry point, defined credential pathways, and hospital-sector employer base—is a strong candidate for this kind of integrated program design.

The Broader Labor Market Context: Health Care Keeps Adding Jobs

The May 2026 BLS Employment Situation report, released June 5, 2026, shows health care added 35,000 jobs in May, in line with the average monthly gain of 38,000 over the prior 12 months. Ambulatory health care services accounted for 26,000 of those May gains, and hospital employment continued to trend upward. The health care sector's sustained job growth reinforces the structural demand underlying the BLS ten-year projections for health information technologists.

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg noted in a June 5, 2026 statement that the U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May, with health care among the sectors contributing to those gains. The consistency of health care job growth across monthly reports reflects the demographic and systemic pressures—an aging population, expanding electronic health records infrastructure, and ongoing demand for data integrity and compliance—that drive demand for health information technologists specifically.

For workforce development directors and deans, this monthly consistency matters for program enrollment planning. Health information technology is not a cyclical or speculative field. The demand is structural, the credential pathway is associate's-degree level, and the employer base—concentrated in hospitals—is geographically distributed in ways that align with community college service areas.

• Health care added 35,000 jobs in May 2026, consistent with a 12-month average of 38,000 per month (BLS, June 2026)
• Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 172,000 in May 2026; health care was among the contributing sectors

Four Actions Institutional Leaders Should Take Now

The data points toward a specific set of institutional moves. First, audit existing health information technology program capacity against the BLS projection of 3,200 annual openings nationally. If your institution's program seats, completion rates, and employer placement numbers are not proportional to regional demand, that gap is a planning problem—not a market problem.

Second, download and review the Apprenticeship.gov Competency-Based Occupational Framework for Medical Records and Health Information Technicians and Medical Coders before commissioning a new curriculum build. The federal framework exists precisely to reduce the time and cost of standing up a registered apprenticeship. Pairing it with a hospital or health system employer partner converts a curriculum asset into a funded, earn-and-learn pathway.

Third, engage your grants and program planning team on the Workforce Pell final regulations published May 19, 2026. Programs designed now with the eligible workforce program definition in mind will have a structural advantage in student financial aid access once implementation timelines are confirmed.

Fourth, map your regional hospital and ambulatory care employer base against current program advisory board membership. The BLS data shows hospitals employ 46 percent of health information technologists. If your advisory board does not include health information management directors or HIT hiring managers from those systems, the program lacks the employer signal it needs to stay aligned with hiring requirements and certification preferences.