Best Medical Billing & Coding Schools Near Altoona, PA (2026)

Altoona, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering medical billing and coding programs. Altoona has a population of about 43,508. Median household income is $50,171 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Pennsylvania, the top-earning medical billing and coding-related role is Health Information Technologist at a median $59,980 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Medical Billing and Coding Schools to Altoona

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer medical billing and coding programs near Altoona, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Altoona 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 Altoona. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College

Johnstown, PA 30.1 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
56.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,752
Avg net price $6,200/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South Hills School of Business & Technology

State College, PA 34.0 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
48.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,539
Avg net price $19,673/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Westmoreland County Community College

Youngwood, PA 64.6 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,439
Avg net price $5,167/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

West Virginia Junior College-United Career Institute

Irwin, PA 69.5 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
63.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,912
Avg net price $19,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Central Penn College

Summerdale, PA 78.6 miles from Altoona
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
47.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 18%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,370
Avg net price $18,953/yr
Tuition
In‑state$19,854
Out‑of‑state$19,854
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Butler County Community College

Butler, PA 82.3 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
54.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,891
Avg net price $6,233/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,910
Out‑of‑state$12,000
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Institute of Medical Careers

Pittsburgh, PA 83.6 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
59.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Avg net price $21,392/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Community College of Allegheny County

Pittsburgh, PA 85.1 miles from Altoona
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
40.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,449
Avg net price $13,970/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 74

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Medical Billing and Coding Wages Near Altoona

Altoona is part of the Altoona, PA metro area (BLS area code 11020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Records Specialist$44,470Altoona, PA$49,687
Health Information Technologist$59,980PA statewide$67,017
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$39,910Altoona, PA$44,592

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.


Altoona at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population43,508Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$50,171Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+19.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)89.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Altoona-Area Cities With Medical Billing and Coding Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited medical billing and coding schools are near Altoona, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering medical billing and coding programs near Altoona. The closest is Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA (11.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pennsylvania State University-World Campus (35.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying medical billing and coding roles near Altoona?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying medical billing and coding-related roles near Altoona are: Health Information Technologist ($59,980), Medical Records Specialist ($44,470), Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($39,910). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Johnstown instead of Altoona?

Johnstown, PA is 30.0 miles from Altoona 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 Altoona an affordable place to study medical billing and coding?

Altoona’s median household income of $50,171 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Altoona while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Altoona

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

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.