Medical Billing & Coding Schools Near Forest City, NC (2026)

Forest City, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering medical billing and coding programs, with tuition ranging from $2,030 to $18,132 per year for indexed programs. Forest City has a population of about 7,368. Median household income is $35,897 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 17.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning medical billing and coding-related role is Health Information Technologist at a median $63,010 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Medical Billing and Coding Schools to Forest City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer medical billing and coding programs near Forest City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Forest City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Forest City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

McDowell Technical Community College

Marion, NC 22.9 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
43.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,035
Avg net price $7,784/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Gaston College

Dallas, NC 38.2 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
51.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,386
Avg net price $6,592/yr
Tuition
In‑state$3,186
Out‑of‑state$9,330
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Catawba Valley Community College

Hickory, NC 41.3 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
50.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,977
Avg net price $10,528/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Southeastern College-Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 56.3 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
46.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,548
Avg net price $30,611/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Central Piedmont Community College

Charlotte, NC 59.2 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
52.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,865
Avg net price $3,345/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Southwestern Community College

Sylva, NC 75.2 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
62.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,145
Avg net price $5,207/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Davidson-Davie Community College

Thomasville, NC 101.8 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
51.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,337
Avg net price $8,753/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Forsyth Technical Community College

Winston-Salem, NC 103.1 miles from Forest City
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
52.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,139
Avg net price $7,200/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina medical billing and coding page.


Medical Billing and Coding Wages Near Forest City

OccupationMedian Annual Wage (North Carolina, statewide)
Medical Records Specialist$49,620
Health Information Technologist$63,010
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$44,190

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Forest City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population7,368Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$35,897Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+17.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)

Other Forest City-Area Cities With Medical Billing and Coding Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited medical billing and coding schools are near Forest City, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering medical billing and coding programs near Forest City. The closest is Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of South Carolina-Upstate (23.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying medical billing and coding roles in North Carolina?

Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying medical billing and coding-related roles in North Carolina are: Health Information Technologist ($63,010), Medical Records Specialist ($49,620), Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($44,190). Wages for Forest City workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.

Should I look at programs in Shelby instead of Forest City?

Shelby, NC is 18.8 miles from Forest City and has its own set of local medical billing and coding programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Forest City an affordable place to study medical billing and coding?

Forest City’s median household income of $35,897 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Forest City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Medical Billing and Coding Programs

Other Programs Available in Forest City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Forest City:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.