How much do medical assistants make?

Medical Assistant salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Medical Assistants (SOC 31-9092) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Medical assistants in the US earned a median of $45,690 a year ($21.97 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $38,470 to $49,180.

Median annual pay: $45,690; Mean $46,120
Median hourly pay: $21.97; Mean $22.17
Typical range (10th–90th): $36.0K–$59.3K; $36,050 to $59,310
US jobs: 817,870; +12.9% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a medical assistant: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Washington

Medical Assistant pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$36,050
25th percentile$38,470
Median$45,690
75th percentile$49,180
90th percentile$59,310

Half of all medical assistants earned more than $45,690 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $36,050; the top 10% made over $59,310. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $38,470 to $49,180.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$36,050	$17.33	$3,004
25th	$38,470	$18.50	$3,206
Median (50th)	$45,690	$21.97	$3,808
75th	$49,180	$23.65	$4,098
90th	$59,310	$28.52	$4,943
Mean (average)	$46,120	$22.17	$3,843

Medical Assistant salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for medical assistants by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Washington $59,290
2. Alaska $52,560
3. District of Columbia $51,050
4. Minnesota $50,480
5. Oregon $50,410

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $35,360
50. Alabama $36,100
49. Louisiana $36,320
48. West Virginia $37,180
47. Arkansas $37,760

Best after cost of living: Washington. Its median of $59,290 is worth about $55,404 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$36,100	50	$40,643	51	$17.35	13,300	6.29
Alaska	$52,560	2	$51,349	6	$25.27	2,140	6.58
Arizona	$45,940	23	$45,631	25	$22.09	21,460	6.63
Arkansas	$37,760	47	$43,434	40	$18.15	5,150	3.95
California	$49,660	6	$44,852	28	$23.88	117,060	6.43
Colorado	$48,400	10	$46,967	15	$23.27	13,160	4.58
Connecticut	$47,430	14	$45,777	24	$22.81	10,250	6.04
Delaware	$44,490	31	$44,576	29	$21.39	2,880	5.94
District of Columbia	$51,050	3	$46,451	18	$24.54	2,260	3.22
Florida	$43,680	33	$42,238	45	$21.00	66,110	6.66
Georgia	$41,600	36	$43,201	42	$20.00	28,780	5.89
Hawaii	$48,410	9	$44,029	36	$23.28	3,890	6.20
Idaho	$44,700	30	$46,809	16	$21.49	5,250	6.12
Illinois	$46,090	21	$46,109	21	$22.16	20,260	3.32
Indiana	$45,110	28	$48,334	11	$21.69	19,630	6.13
Iowa	$45,480	24	$51,822	3	$21.87	5,990	3.84
Kansas	$39,510	43	$43,867	38	$19.00	5,510	3.83
Kentucky	$39,270	44	$43,556	39	$18.88	13,440	6.72
Louisiana	$36,320	49	$41,176	48	$17.46	12,310	6.36
Maine	$47,580	13	$49,026	9	$22.88	4,480	6.99
Maryland	$46,410	20	$44,217	33	$22.31	16,390	5.93
Massachusetts	$49,460	7	$46,768	17	$23.78	14,880	4.09
Michigan	$39,870	40	$41,438	47	$19.17	27,810	6.32
Minnesota	$50,480	4	$51,186	7	$24.27	10,580	3.59
Mississippi	$35,360	51	$40,666	50	$17.00	3,340	2.87
Missouri	$40,440	39	$44,529	30	$19.44	13,050	4.45
Montana	$46,820	19	$49,469	8	$22.51	2,460	4.81
Nebraska	$47,370	15	$52,573	2	$22.78	2,380	2.32
Nevada	$45,200	26	$45,209	26	$21.73	7,760	5.00
New Hampshire	$48,020	11	$46,100	22	$23.09	3,000	4.39
New Jersey	$47,210	17	$43,390	41	$22.70	20,330	4.74
New Mexico	$39,230	45	$42,543	44	$18.86	5,400	6.20
New York	$48,000	12	$44,477	31	$23.08	40,710	4.20
North Carolina	$45,140	27	$47,855	13	$21.70	23,650	4.79
North Dakota	$45,980	22	$51,687	5	$22.11	600	1.40
Ohio	$42,810	34	$46,144	19	$20.58	28,950	5.22
Oklahoma	$38,750	46	$44,113	35	$18.63	10,510	6.15
Oregon	$50,410	5	$48,771	10	$24.24	11,840	6.02
Pennsylvania	$43,920	32	$45,013	27	$21.12	23,050	3.80
Rhode Island	$47,190	18	$46,138	20	$22.69	3,210	6.41
South Carolina	$41,160	37	$43,904	37	$19.79	12,110	5.25
South Dakota	$41,870	35	$47,265	14	$20.13	1,340	2.92
Tennessee	$39,570	41	$43,072	43	$19.02	19,180	5.85
Texas	$39,520	42	$40,718	49	$19.00	75,340	5.35
Utah	$45,360	25	$45,881	23	$21.81	9,990	5.76
Vermont	$47,250	16	$48,235	12	$22.71	1,140	3.76
Virginia	$44,740	29	$44,251	32	$21.51	16,650	4.05
Washington	$59,290	1	$55,404	1	$28.50	19,500	5.49
West Virginia	$37,180	48	$41,543	46	$17.87	4,540	6.47
Wisconsin	$48,680	8	$51,735	4	$23.41	13,810	4.70
Wyoming	$40,920	38	$44,147	34	$19.67	1,040	3.71

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for medical assistants

387 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Vallejo, CA	$77,410	$71,359	1,360
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$64,820	$60,139	1,550
Napa, CA	$62,050	$55,129	320
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$61,970	$58,095	7,410
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$61,940	$56,093	6,400
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$61,870	$60,395	210
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$61,500	$55,339	10,210
Longview-Kelso, WA	$61,480	$63,027	250
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$59,790	$51,716	14,320
Bellingham, WA	$57,410	$55,558	510

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	44,060	$48,370	$42,971
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	39,770	$47,760	$42,055
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	20,560	$43,100	$41,808
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	18,670	$44,930	$39,359
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	18,280	$42,110	$42,695
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	16,910	$46,060	$46,033
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	15,640	$47,270	$45,630
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	15,410	$46,830	$45,327
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	14,320	$59,790	$51,716
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	13,890	$46,640	$42,835

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves medical assistant pay: employers and settings

State is the largest pay factor in our data. Washington leads with a median of $59,290, ahead of Alaska at $52,560, the District of Columbia at $51,050, Minnesota at $50,480, and Oregon at $50,410. The lowest medians are in Louisiana at $36,320, Alabama at $36,100, and Mississippi at $35,360. After adjusting for living costs, Washington still comes out on top, at $55,404 adjusted.

Setting matters too. Outpatient care centers pay a median of $48,560 and general hospitals $46,890. Both are slightly above physicians' offices ($45,520), where most MAs work. Offices of other health practitioners, such as chiropractors and optometrists, are lowest ($38,400), and assisted living and retirement communities pay $39,550. Government jobs pay a little more than private ones: $47,810 in state government and $46,540 in local government versus $45,640 for private employers.

The overall range is narrow compared with many jobs, from $36,050, the 10th percentile, to $59,310, the 90th. BLS does not publish pay by credential, skill or shift. Within that range, the setting and state an MA works in explain more of the difference than anything our data can show about individual skills.

Where medical assistants work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Physicians	55.3%	$45,520
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	16.3%	$46,890
Outpatient Care Centers	10.5%	$48,560
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	7.7%	$38,400
Employment Services	1.4%	$46,350
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	1.2%	$39,550

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	780,270	$45,640
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	12,250	$47,810
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	25,350	$46,540

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Medical Assistant pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$45.7K $30.6K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $30,590 in 2015 to $45,690 in 2025, up 49% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $41,352 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 10% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What medical assistants do

A medical assistant keeps a doctor's office or clinic moving by doing both front-desk and patient-care work. On the clinical side, an MA calls the patient back, checks height, weight, blood pressure and pulse, asks about symptoms and medications, and enters it all in the electronic record before the physician walks in. Depending on the state and employer, MAs also draw blood, give injections, run quick lab tests, do EKGs and take out stitches. On the administrative side they schedule visits, answer phones, handle referrals and help with insurance paperwork.

More than half of medical assistants work in physicians' offices. Hospitals, outpatient care centers and the offices of chiropractors, optometrists and other practitioners employ most of the rest. MAs work under a physician's or other provider's direction and alongside nurses, so the job is closely supervised. Certified medical assistants (CMA) and registered medical assistants (RMA) hold a voluntary credential that many employers ask for.

A typical day

Bring patients to exam rooms and take vital signs, weight and a short history
Update the electronic health record with symptoms, medication lists and test results
Collect blood, urine and swab samples, label them and send them to the lab
Give injections or vaccines and do EKGs when the provider orders them
Hand instruments to the provider during minor procedures and clean and restock rooms afterward
Walk patients through discharge instructions, prescriptions and follow-up appointments
Book appointments, check insurance and answer patient calls and portal messages

Also called: certified medical assistant, certified medical assistant (cma), chiropractor assistant, clinical medical assistant, doctor's assistant, health assistant, ophthalmic assistant, ophthalmological assistant.

How to become a medical assistant

Full guide

Most medical assistants finish a certificate program of about a year or a 2-year associate degree, then take a certification exam such as the CMA (AAMA) or RMA (AMT). Some states require a credential for certain tasks; most do not license MAs.

Typical time: About 1 year; Fastest: A few months (on-the-job training)
Minimum education: High school diploma; most employers prefer a postsecondary certificate from an accredited medical assisting program
License: Not licensed in most states (certification optional); some states require an accredited program or credential for certain duties
Typical training cost: $4.8K–$9.9K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a medical assistant: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: About 1 year; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $4.8K–$9.9K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $45,690; $5,290 below the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 11–22%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

The median for medical assistants is below the median for all US jobs, so the case for training rests on the work itself, entry speed and local pay rather than a pay premium. This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for medical assistants

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +12.9%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 833,900; 941,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 109,700; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 0.2%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects medical assistant employment to grow 12.9% from 2025 to 2035, from 833,900 to 941,500 jobs. That is far faster than the 3.5% expected across all occupations. About 109,700 openings are expected each year, mostly to replace MAs who switch occupations or leave the workforce, for example to retire.

BLS ties the growth to an aging population: older adults tend to have more health problems, which raises demand for medical care. Physicians' offices, hospitals and other care settings will need more MAs to take on routine clinical and office work for their care teams.

Related careers and their pay

Registered Nurse$97,550
LPN$64,400
Cardiovascular Technologist$74,310
CNA$42,260
Dental Assistant$48,070
Medical Billing and Coding Specialist$51,140
Orthopedic Surgeon$358,550
Cardiologist$496,010

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Medical Assistant salary FAQ

How much do medical assistants make an hour?

The median hourly wage for medical assistants was $21.97 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $17.33 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $28.52. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays medical assistants the most?

Washington has the highest median pay for medical assistants, $59,290 a year, followed by Alaska ($52,560) and District of Columbia ($51,050). After adjusting for each state's price level, Washington comes out ahead at about $55,404 in national-average dollars.

Do medical assistants make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of medical assistants earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $45,690, and the top 10% earn more than $59,310. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do certified medical assistants earn more?

BLS does not publish pay separately for certified and uncertified medical assistants, so our figures cover all MAs. Certification can still matter, because many employers require a CMA, RMA or similar credential before they will hire, and some states only let credentialed MAs do certain tasks. Being eligible for more jobs and duties is the main way a credential tends to help.

Which states have the most medical assistant jobs?

California has by far the most, with 117,060 medical assistants. Texas follows with 75,340, then Florida with 66,110, New York with 40,710 and Ohio with 28,950. Large states have more clinics and physician offices. The best-paying states are different: Washington, Alaska and the District of Columbia have the highest medians, so compare pay and living costs before moving.

Has medical assistant pay kept up with inflation?

Yes. The median rose from $30,590 in 2015 to $45,690 in 2025. In 2025 dollars, the 2015 median works out to $41,352. That means the typical medical assistant earns more in real terms than a decade earlier, not just more on paper. These are medians for the whole occupation, so an individual's raise depends on their own employer, setting and state.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 31-9092
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (31-9092.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Medical Assistants, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
CMA (AAMA) Eligibility, American Association of Medical Assistants · checked October 28, 2026
Alternative Pathway, American Association of Medical Assistants · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Medical Assistant Certification (RMA), American Medical Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
Maintain Certification with AMT, American Medical Technologists · checked October 28, 2026
How do I keep my NHA certification current?, National Healthcareer Association · checked October 28, 2026
Transitioning Online FAQ, National Healthcareer Association · checked October 28, 2026
Recertification, American Association of Medical Assistants · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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