How Much Do Medical Assistants Make? A Guide to Explore Your Salary Potential
Medical assistant specialists are in a field of job stability and high earning potential, and it may interest you to know which areas are paying the most and just how high you can expect your medical assistant salary to be. Compare top salaries and the regions with the best incomes by reading on.
Medical assistants (MAs) are one of the fastest-growing healthcare roles, making it a promising time to start your medical assistant studies or job search. While the industry is growing, you may be uncertain exactly how much you can make as a medical assistant. You’re confident in your passion for healthcare and in your medical assistant career choice, but what can you expect to see in your first paycheck? Gaining financial clarity at the start of your career journey can help you decide the best route to take to succeed as a medical assistant.
Many factors play into how much you can earn as a medical assistant, including specific industry types and geographic areas. These considerations might seem overwhelming, but this guide simplifies it all by outlining the key factors influencing your medical assistant salary to help you make an informed decision about how to achieve your highest earning potential. With the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this guide walks through the areas in the U.S. offering the highest wages for medical assistants and reveals which industries – from hospitals to outpatient care centers – are the most promising. It also answers frequently asked questions about wages, training program costs, and entry-level medical assistant salaries.
Your unique career path as a medical assistant involves understanding your interests, skills, and passions, but earning potential is an important consideration too. Keep reading to discover what a medical assistant salary looks like along with information to help you take the path that is right for you.
A Look at Medical Assistant Salaries
This section looks at how a medical assistant salary looks broadly across the U.S. and how those numbers compare to similar occupations as well as to all occupations throughout the country. The median wage for medical assistants in the U.S. is $42,000, slightly below the median wage for similar healthcare support occupations at $43,330. Nursing assistants and orderlies, in comparison, make a median wage of $38,130 while dental assistants make $46,540.
The 10th percentile for medical assistants earns $33,500, while the 90th percentile earns $56,480, showing there is reasonable room for growth. The 10th and 90th percentiles for other healthcare support occupations are comparable to medical assistants at $31,730 and $59,840 respectively.
Comparing a medical assistant salary to all occupations, the 10th percentile for MAs is a little higher while the median is a bit lower. There is a more drastic difference between the 90th percentile of $56,480 for medical assistants and $121,470 for all occupations. This suggests that medical assistants maintain comparable wages to other entry and mid-level careers but plateau earlier. In other words, the ceiling for growth is understandably higher for other careers.
| Area | Occupation | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Medical Assistants | $33,500 | $42,000 | $56,480 |
| U.S. | Other Healthcare Support Occupations | $31,730 | $43,330 | $59,840 |
| U.S. | All Occupations | $29,050 | $48,060 | $121,470 |
Top Industries and How Much You’ll Make as a Medical Assistant
Medical assistants work in numerous different settings including outpatient care centers, hospitals, physicians’ offices, and other health practitioner offices. While the general work and responsibilities are consistent throughout these facilities, understanding how each of these settings influences an MA’s daily tasks and paycheck is important. Median medical assistant salaries, according to the BLS, in top healthcare industries are as follows:
- Outpatient care centers: $46,090
- Hospitals (state, local, and private): $44,350
- Physicians’ offices: $40,670
- Other health practitioner offices: $36,480
Outpatient care centers generally offer higher wages because of their specialized services. Working as a medical assistant in this field may require additional experience or professional training in specialized areas of healthcare like surgery, rehabilitation, and orthopedics. Compared to other medical offices, outpatient care centers often provide more advanced medical procedures, which explains why medical assistants can find higher wages here.
Hospitals are a close runner-up to MA salaries at outpatient care centers. Hospitals see a high patient volume and require medical assistants to work at a fast pace. Hospital patients experiencing complicated or life-threatening conditions need quick, professional, and experienced medical care, traits that often result in higher wages for healthcare workers.
Physicians and other healthcare practitioners still maintain competitive salaries, albeit lower than other healthcare industries. Typically providing more general, primary care services compared to other specialized facilities like hospitals and outpatient centers, work in a physician’s or other healthcare practitioner’s office is usually slower paced and may involve more administrative tasks. These healthcare offices still maintain steady salaries and rewarding careers for medical assistants at the entry level and beyond.
Highest-Paying Areas in the U.S. for Medical Assistants
In addition to the specific healthcare setting, the location also impacts the medical assistant salary potential. Being aware of which states offer the most competitive medical assistant salaries can help you make decisions now that could affect the trajectory of your career. For instance, you may want to direct your medical assistant program search towards the states with higher earnings or at least keep them in mind when you look for a job.
States with the highest salaries for medical assistants, as the table below indicates, are Washington, Alaska, Minnesota, Oregon, Massachusetts, California, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. Some of these states have large cities and populations, resulting in a high demand for medical services. The large number of medical facilities in some states also creates more potential for specialized and advanced care, which often yields higher salaries.
When researching MA salary by state, be mindful of the specific areas you want to target in your job search. While you can expect comparable salaries throughout the state, different areas of a state provide higher salaries than others. For instance, medical assistants in northwest Minnesota have slightly higher salaries ($46,520) than those in the southwest ($45,730). One of the potential trade-offs of a high-paying state or city is that the cost of living may be higher. The chart below gives you a starting point for making an informed decision about where to pursue the next step in your medical assistance career.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023
Your Salary Questions, Answered
The medical assistance field is growing and offers a variety of good positions that pay well and have advancement opportunities. Numerous variables can impact exactly how much you make as a medical assistant. The top two factors – industry and location – are important, but there are other considerations as well. The program you attend, your professional experience, and your work ethic also play into how you may advance as a medical assistant.
If you’re just beginning your path toward working as a medical assistant and are looking at program options, select a high-quality program that enables you to work toward higher-paying positions later. If you’re trying to find a medical assistant job as quickly as possible, you can accelerate your study options with shorter medical assistant programs. Maybe you’ve already completed your program; if so, consider adding additional training or certifications to increase your chances of achieving higher wages.
Getting your salary questions answered early on is important, so you can make these important decisions related to location, training, and certification. Related considerations include what to expect to make starting out as an MA, how that wage might break down from an hourly perspective, and if there are free training programs that can help you have a bit less financial strain.
What is the average starting salary for an entry-level medical assistant?
Entry-level medical assistants can expect to earn approximately $48,000 per year. This compares to, and is actually a bit higher than, most entry-level jobs across all industries across the U.S. with most of those earning an average of $36,079 annually. While the starting salary for MAs is stable, you have many opportunities for wage growth through specialization and management roles. Once you gain experience in an entry-level MA position, you can pursue these higher-paying positions. You can also become certified as a medical assistant, if you aren’t already, to demonstrate the competency and essential skills needed to move into advanced positions with higher salaries.
What do medical assistants make per hour?
The average hourly median wage for medical assistants is $20.19 (compared to $18.25 for most entry-level jobs across all industries in the U.S.) with workers in the 90th percentile earning $27.15 per hour. Numerous variables influence how your hourly wages may change as a medical assistant. Location and industry type, as well as your professional experience and training, all impact your hourly wage.
Is there free medical assistant training?
There is tuition-free medical assistant training available. Propel America is one example. You must be a high school graduate to apply and cannot be currently enrolled in a higher education institution. Check the state where you want to work for free programs, as there are likely many that cater to their local area. Additionally, some medical facilities are willing to provide on-the-job training for MAs.
If you cannot find free training, many colleges and universities offer MA training at an affordable cost along with financial aid and scholarships. Remember, though, that not all programs offer financial aid, so be sure to confirm you are looking at medical assistant classes with financial aid if that is essential for you. While a degree is not required to obtain a medical assistant job, it can help elevate your resume and increase your earning potential since those who are certified often see a 10% increase in salary.
