Medical Assistant Salary Guide

Becoming a medical assistant is an entry point into healthcare and a bridge to advancement. Pay rises steadily with experience, and most medical assistants get benefits like health insurance, paid vacation, and sick leave. This guide covers average salaries, the highest- and lowest-paying states, how the pay compares to nursing, and how to earn more.

Fast facts, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Employment is projected to grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 112,300 openings a year.
• Salaries range from $35,020 to $57,830.
• Physicians' offices are the largest employers.

Average Salary for Medical Assistants

The BLS reports a median annual salary of $44,200 and a median hourly wage of $21.25 as of May 2024. The bottom 10% earn about $35,020 a year; the top 10% earn about $57,830. Pay depends on location, setting, skills, and experience. Medical assistants out-earn most other healthcare assistants and aides, though licensed practical and vocational nurses earn more.

Measure	Amount
Median Annual Salary	$44,200
Median Hourly Wage	$21.25

Source: BLS, May 2024

Salary Growth

Pay and opportunity climb the longer you stay in the field. New skills, more medical knowledge, clinical specialties, certification, and additional degrees all open doors to higher-level and leadership roles.

A 2020 National Healthcareer Association (NHA) survey of 197 employers found that 35% believe medical assistants now carry more responsibility and perform more advanced skills than the year before. Among those employers, 48% have medical assistants doing phone screening and triage, 39% use them for medical scribing, and 37% use them as health coaches.

Highest- and Lowest-Paying States

Geographic pay gaps usually track cost of living and demand. Top-paying Alaska, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts rank among the highest-cost states, while the lowest-paying states (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas) are among the cheapest to live in. Arizona ranks second nationally for concentration of medical assistant jobs.

State	Average Salary
Alaska	$57,630
Washington	$55,050
District of Columbia	$52,880
California	$52,770
Oregon	$51,120

Source: BLS

Highest-Paying Metro Areas

Metro pay also follows cost of living and demand. The top five cities sit in expensive areas like the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro tops the pay list and also ranks #10 for total medical assistant employment.

City	Average Salary
Vallejo, CA	$66,280
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$63,520
Alaska nonmetropolitan area	$63,310
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$62,560
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$61,760

Source: BLS

Highest-Paying Workplaces

The BLS reports that 57% of medical assistants worked in physicians' offices in 2024, followed by hospitals. In doctors' offices, typical duties include taking vital signs, recording health information, maintaining electronic health records, and assisting with exams, plus administrative work like scheduling and answering phones. Hospital and clinical medical assistants may, where state law allows, run tests, sterilize instruments, advise on medications, and perform basic first aid.

Workplace Setting	Average Salary
Grantmaking and Giving Services	$58,170
Junior Colleges	$54,470
Scientific Research and Development Services	$54,030
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$51,740
Outpatient Care Centers	$51,550

Source: BLS

How Medical Assistant Pay Compares

Licensed practical and vocational nurses earn more than medical assistants, so moving into nursing is a natural advancement step for anyone looking to raise their income.

Four Ways to Increase Your Pay

Get certified. In the NHA employer survey, 89% encourage or require certification, 72% use it as a screening criterion, and 63% raise pay for certified staff. Certifying bodies include American Medical Technologists, the Certifying Board of the AAMA, the NHA, and the National Center for Competency Testing. Most exams require completing an accredited college-level medical assisting program with coursework in anatomy, math, pharmacology, and physiology.

Take per diem work. Per diem medical assistants fill in for staff on leave or cover shortages at clinics, hospitals, and outpatient facilities. ZipRecruiter reported an average per diem salary above $41,370 a year as of December 2025, which beats even the top end of regular medical assistant pay.

Earn a degree. Medical assistants often hold transferable credits, with coursework in anatomy, first aid, medical law and ethics, medical terminology, pharmacology, pathology, and physiology. An ADN or BSN means more job options, advancement, and higher pay. Medical assistant-to-RN bridge programs shorten the path to a license.

Change settings. Among the biggest employers, outpatient care centers pay the most (about $47,560 a year), followed by hospitals (about $45,930). Payscale reports that skills like electronic medical records, phlebotomy, and triage lift pay, as does specializing in dermatology, optometry, or podiatry offices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What benefits do medical assistants get? Per AAMA figures, about 86% of certified medical assistants get paid vacation, 83% have dental coverage, and 74% have major medical coverage, plus options like vision, disability, sick leave, and liability insurance.

Is the job stable? Yes. The projected 12% growth from 2024 to 2034 is driven by an aging population and rising demand for preventive care.

How do I move from medical assistant to nurse? Bridge programs accelerate the path because you've already taken many required courses during medical assisting training.

How do I advance? Earn national certification or a nursing degree, develop skills like EHR, phlebotomy, and triage, pursue a specialization, or build leadership and management experience.