Medical Assistants Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for medical assistantss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Washington$58,590
- Alaska$56,630
- California$55,100
- District of Columbia$54,890
- Oregon$52,400
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Louisiana$36,180
- Mississippi$36,240
- Alabama$36,770
- West Virginia$38,090
- Arkansas$38,930
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $58,590 | $59,290 | $28 | +27% | 19,500 |
| 2 | Alaska | $56,630 | $52,560 | $27 | +22.8% | 2,140 |
| 3 | California | $55,100 | $49,660 | $26 | +19.5% | 117,060 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $54,890 | $51,050 | $26 | +19% | 2,260 |
| 5 | Oregon | $52,400 | $50,410 | $25 | +13.6% | 11,840 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $51,850 | $49,460 | $25 | +12.4% | 14,880 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $51,660 | $50,480 | $25 | +12% | 10,580 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $49,730 | $48,410 | $24 | +7.8% | 3,890 |
| 9 | Colorado | $49,490 | $48,400 | $24 | +7.3% | 13,160 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $49,390 | $48,020 | $24 | +7.1% | 3,000 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $49,280 | $48,680 | $24 | +6.9% | 13,810 |
| 12 | Maine | $49,000 | $47,580 | $24 | +6.2% | 4,480 |
| 13 | New York | $48,750 | $48,000 | $23 | +5.7% | 40,710 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $48,610 | $47,430 | $23 | +5.4% | 10,250 |
| 15 | Vermont | $48,300 | $47,250 | $23 | +4.7% | 1,140 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $48,040 | $47,370 | $23 | +4.2% | 2,380 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $47,550 | $47,190 | $23 | +3.1% | 3,210 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $47,400 | $47,210 | $23 | +2.8% | 20,330 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $46,870 | $45,980 | $23 | +1.6% | 600 |
| 20 | Montana | $46,570 | $46,820 | $22 | +1% | 2,460 |
| 21 | Maryland | $46,390 | $46,410 | $22 | +0.6% | 16,390 |
| 22 | Arizona | $45,790 | $45,940 | $22 | -0.7% | 21,460 |
| 23 | Illinois | $45,770 | $46,090 | $22 | -0.8% | 20,260 |
| 24 | Iowa | $44,930 | $45,480 | $22 | -2.6% | 5,990 |
| 25 | Utah | $44,760 | $45,360 | $22 | -2.9% | 9,990 |
| 26 | Indiana | $44,500 | $45,110 | $21 | -3.5% | 19,630 |
| 27 | Delaware | $44,300 | $44,490 | $21 | -3.9% | 2,880 |
| 28 | Idaho | $44,240 | $44,700 | $21 | -4.1% | 5,250 |
| 29 | Nevada | $44,170 | $45,200 | $21 | -4.2% | 7,760 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $44,090 | $45,140 | $21 | -4.4% | 23,650 |
| 31 | Virginia | $44,050 | $44,740 | $21 | -4.5% | 16,650 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $43,500 | $43,920 | $21 | -5.7% | 23,050 |
| 33 | Florida | $43,290 | $43,680 | $21 | -6.1% | 66,110 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $42,680 | $40,920 | $21 | -7.5% | 1,040 |
| 35 | Ohio | $42,610 | $42,810 | $20 | -7.6% | 28,950 |
| 36 | Georgia | $42,590 | $41,600 | $20 | -7.7% | 28,780 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $42,340 | $41,160 | $20 | -8.2% | 12,110 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $42,170 | $41,870 | $20 | -8.6% | 1,340 |
| 39 | Missouri | $42,030 | $40,440 | $20 | -8.9% | 13,050 |
| 40 | Michigan | $41,550 | $39,870 | $20 | -9.9% | 27,810 |
| 41 | Kansas | $41,490 | $39,510 | $20 | -10% | 5,510 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $41,490 | $39,230 | $20 | -10% | 5,400 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $41,480 | $39,570 | $20 | -10.1% | 19,180 |
| 44 | Texas | $41,240 | $39,520 | $20 | -10.6% | 75,340 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $40,940 | $39,270 | $20 | -11.2% | 13,440 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $40,370 | $38,750 | $19 | -12.5% | 10,510 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $38,930 | $37,760 | $19 | -15.6% | 5,150 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $38,090 | $37,180 | $18 | -17.4% | 4,540 |
| 49 | Alabama | $36,770 | $36,100 | $18 | -20.3% | 13,300 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $36,240 | $35,360 | $17 | -21.4% | 3,340 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $36,180 | $36,320 | $17 | -21.6% | 12,310 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 521 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vallejo, CA | $77,410 | $66,730 | 1,360 |
| 2 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $64,820 | $64,160 | 1,550 |
| 3 | Napa, CA | $62,050 | $62,580 | 320 |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $61,970 | $61,940 | 7,410 |
| 5 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $61,940 | $65,360 | 6,400 |
| 6 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $61,870 | $57,140 | 210 |
| 7 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,500 | $62,210 | 10,210 |
| 8 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $61,480 | $57,500 | 250 |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $59,790 | $63,330 | 14,320 |
| 10 | Bellingham, WA | $57,410 | $55,940 | 510 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing medical assistantss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Junior Colleges, Local Government Owned | $62,650 | $61,530 | 90 |
| 2 | Junior Colleges | $54,370 | $61,460 | 130 |
| 3 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned | $53,760 | $54,130 | 4,160 |
| 4 | Social Advocacy Organizations | $53,720 | $48,760 | 60 |
| 5 | Educational Services, Privately Owned | $53,280 | $53,170 | 4,620 |
| 6 | Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations | $53,190 | $52,620 | 210 |
| 7 | Grantmaking and Giving Services | $53,190 | $53,540 | 130 |
| 8 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Local Government Owned | $51,310 | $56,100 | 170 |
| 9 | State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $50,530 | $50,640 | 1,060 |
| 10 | Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers | $50,200 | $52,370 | 180 |
| 11 | Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals, State Government Owned | $50,200 | $49,020 | 410 |
| 12 | Insurance Carriers | $49,820 | $52,200 | 190 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do medical assistants make in the U.S.?
The median medical assistants salary in the United States is $45,690 per year (mean $46,120), and about 80% earn between $36,050 and $59,310.
How much do medical assistants make per hour?
Roughly $22 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $46,120 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays medical assistants the most?
Washington has the highest average pay for medical assistants at $58,590 per year (median $59,290).
What is the job outlook for medical assistants?
Employment is projected to change +12.5% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 112,300 openings per year.