How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make?

Medical assistants — sometimes referred to as MAs for short — perform a variety of duties, generally in doctor’s offices and other primary care facilities. Clinically, they’re trained to measure patients’ vital signs, draw blood, and assist physicians with in-office procedures. Administrative tasks a medical assistant can perform include recording patients’ health histories, scheduling appointments, and maintaining inventory supplies.

If you’re interested in working in a medical assistant role, you may wonder what the pay is for this position. Here we do a deep-dive into this subject so you know how much medical assistants make, factors that can impact their wages, the current job outlook for MAs (spoiler: it’s looking good!), and steps you can take to begin to pursue this healthcare role.

Medical Assistant Wages (Annually, Hourly, and Monthly)

As of May 2023, the median pay for medical assistants was $42,000 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), or $20.19 per hour.¹ As a median, half of the workers in this role made more, and half made less.

Additionally, the lowest 10% (lowest decile) of medical assistants had a median annual wage of less than $33,500 as of May 2023 while the highest 10% (highest decile) of earners had a median annual wage of over $56,480.² UMA graduates in the 2022-2023 cohort of its Medical Assistant diploma program reported to UMA that they earned a median hourly wage that is approximately at or slightly higher than the BLS’s lowest decile.³

The BLS indicates that medical assistants generally work full-time⁴ Based on the median pay, this would equate to monthly earnings of around $3,500 before taxes and all other deductions. Monthly pay would be reduced for MAs working part-time or earning less per hour.

Medical Assistant Wages by State

Medical assistant pay can vary depending on the state in which you work. The median annual wages for medical assistants by state, as of May 2023, were as follows:⁵

State	Median Annual Wages
Alabama	$34,160
Alaska	$52,530
Arizona	$43,140
Arkansas	$35,560
California	$50,900
Colorado	$46,270
Connecticut	$46,630
Delaware	$41,340
Florida	$40,530
Georgia	$39,640
Hawaii	$47,840
Idaho	$42,110
Illinois	$42,790
Indiana	$42,260
Iowa	$42,660
Kansas	$39,020
Kentucky	$37,090
Louisiana	$33,610
Maine	$44,580
Maryland	$44,100
Massachusetts	$48,570
Michigan	$39,840
Minnesota	$49,740
Mississippi	$34,630
Missouri	$39,230
Montana	$43,230
Nebraska	$42,280
Nevada	$41,390
New Hampshire	$45,490
New Jersey	$45,190
New Mexico	$39,020
New York	$47,350
North Carolina	$40,880
North Dakota	$40,320
Ohio	$39,620
Oklahoma	$37,480
Oregon	$49,390
Pennsylvania	$42,090
Rhode Island	$43,580
South Carolina	$38,520
South Dakota	$37,760
Tennessee	$38,860
Texas	$38,870
Utah	$41,290
Vermont	$44,710
Virginia	$42,010
Washington	$53,780
West Virginia	$34,660
Wisconsin	$45,160
Wyoming	$40,810
Puerto Rico	$27,060
Washington D.C.	$50,110

Other Factors That Can Impact Medical Assistant Wages

How much you can earn in a medical assistant role can also vary based on a variety of other factors. They include your level of education or experience, and whether you work in a rural or urban area.

Even the healthcare setting within which you work can impact your medical assistant wages. The BLS reports that, as of May 2023, MAs working in outpatient care centers had the highest median annual wage at $46,090 per year. This was followed by MAs employed by hospitals ($44,350), then physician’s offices ($40,670), and — last but certainly not least — those who work in offices of other health practitioners ($36,480).⁶

Earning your certification may impact your earnings as a medical assistant as well. In its 2023 CMA Compensation and Benefits Report, the American Association of Medical Assistants indicated that full-time medical assistants with the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) designation earned roughly $0.80 per hour more than those without this certification.⁷

Medical Assistant Job Outlook

Now is a good time to get into healthcare in general as 1.9 million new positions are projected to open each year between 2023 and 2033.⁸ But what’s the outlook for medical assistants specifically?

The BLS projects a growth rate of 15% from 2023 to 2033, which is a rate that is “much faster than average for all occupations” and would equate to roughly 119,800 projected openings per year, on average, over the decade.⁹

The projected increase in demand for medical assistants is due partly to people leaving the workforce, but also because of an aging population. Older individuals often require more medical care, resulting in a greater need for healthcare workers such as medical assistants to help meet this growing demand.

Ready to Pursue a Career as a Medical Assistant?

If you think that a medical assistant role may be a good fit for you, Ultimate Medical Academy offers a Medical Assistant diploma program. This course includes online coursework, on-campus lab sessions, and hands-on training via a 220-hour externship. UMA’s Medical Assistant diploma program can be completed in 15 months¹⁰ and also prepares learners to sit for the Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) exam, if eligible.

Why choose UMA? We’re proud to offer a variety of support services to our 14,000+ students and 85,000+ alumni. Unsure how to pay for your education? Our Student Finance advisors are here to chat. Need help with a specific course? Our Academic Services team can set you up with one-on-one tutoring. Ready to find a job but want help with your resume or to prepare for an interview? Our Career Services team is glad to step in.

At UMA, we are here for you because we know that if we care for you, you can better care for others. Contact us today and let’s talk about what you want to achieve in your healthcare career. If there’s anything we can do to help, we’ll make it happen!

FAQs:

• What do medical assistants do? These healthcare professionals perform both clinical and administrative duties. Some tasks medical assistants may be assigned include measuring patients’ vital signs, drawing blood, updating health records, and assisting physicians with in-office procedures.
• How do you become a medical assistant? Most employers require or prefer job applicants with some type of postsecondary education, such as completing a diploma or associate degree program.¹¹ These training programs provide the information and technical skills needed to work in this important healthcare role.
• How long does it take to become a medical assistant? Medical assistant training programs generally take one to two years to complete. As an example, UMA’s Medical Assistant diploma program can be completed in 15 months¹⁰
• What is a CMA in healthcare? CMA stands for Certified Medical Assistant. To earn this designation, you must pass a certification exam that tests your competency in areas important to the medical assistant role. The CMA certification may be required by specific employers.