With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a median salary of $105,970 for Arizona’s health services managers in 2021, you would expect the job market in health administration to be crowded and competitive. But Arizona is a state where demand for skilled administrators still far outstrips supply, largely due to the fact that the population is growing at an unprecedented clip, driving up demand for healthcare services and causing an unprecedented level of job growth in every area of the industry, particularly on the administration side.
Areas of Job Growth for Arizona’s Healthcare Administrators
Arizona has long been a destination for retirees from all over the United States looking for amenities and sunshine. With the national population of those age 65 and older expected to double by 2060, it’s pushing a lot of older folks into the state. In fact, Arizona may cross the threshold to 8 million residents by 2028 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a number that represents a key marker for changes in the economic and social make up of the state that everyone from researchers to policymakers have been looking to. Many of those millions of new residents will be over 65, and bringing with them the significant healthcare issues that come with age.
Utilization is going way up, and as it does the number of healthcare administrator jobs is trying to keep pace. 2020 alone saw 190 positions open up in this field, and that annual increase is projected to compound itself at a more-than-double rate through 2028.
A workforce of that size and increasing at that rate calls for a lot of new healthcare administrator positions to be filled. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that it’s the number one profession for job growth in the state according to the ASU W.P. Carey School of Business, while at the same time offering some of the highest paying jobs in the state.
According to the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, the profession will expand by 39 percent in the decade between 2018 and 2028, over twice the national rate. 450 openings are projected annually, both through natural turnover and the creation of new positions.
Salaries for Healthcare Administrators in Arizona by Location
With the Phoenix metro area continuing to boom with an influx of both jobs and residents, the demand for healthcare services is exploding. The sector is scrambling just to find real estate to develop for new hospitals and clinics, particularly urgent care centers. Negotiating leases and coordinating build-outs and move-ins are a natural fit for healthcare administrators, which will keep their ranks flush in both Phoenix and other major markets for the foreseeable future.
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale
- 25th percentile: $80,560
- Median: $108,170
Tucson
- 25th percentile: $82,300
- Median: $106,020
Flagstaff
- 25th percentile: $78,830
- Median: $102,070
- 90th percentile: $184,150
Prescott
- 25th percentile: $82,030
- Median: $109,370
- 90th percentile: $151,080
Phoenix may have the most healthcare administrators, but Prescott has the best paid, with the median salary there breaking six figures at $109,370. Flagstaff is the best place to be for folks in the top ten percent, with a 90th percentile salary of $184,150.
A full breakdown of salary numbers in all areas of Arizona the US Bureau of Labor Statistics tracked in 2021 can be seen here:
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.