How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make? Salary Guide
How medical assistant pay is actually built — hourly base, differentials, overtime and certification bumps — and the official tables to check for current rates.
By Tobias Lindqvist · Oct 26, 2026 · 11 min read
Medical assistant pay is almost always set as an hourly base rate, then adjusted by geography, employer type, certification and shift. The authoritative national, state and metro figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, which publishes a median, a mean and the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentile wages for the occupation each year.
This guide explains how to read those figures, what moves a medical assistant's rate up or down, and the specific steps that tend to raise it — without guessing at a number that will be out of date by the time you negotiate.
What Medical Assistants Earn
The standard national reference for this occupation is the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, under the occupation title "Medical Assistants." OEWS reports both an annual median wage and an hourly median wage for the occupation, along with the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentile wages, and a mean. Each release carries a May reference date — for example, a "May 2024" estimate — and is published the following spring. Always note which year's release you are reading, because the figure is a snapshot, not a current market rate.
Read three numbers, not one:
- The median (50th percentile) is the midpoint: half of medical assistants earned more, half less, as of the reference date.
- The 10th percentile is the bottom end — typically new, uncertified assistants in lower-wage markets.
- The 90th percentile is the top end — typically experienced, certified assistants, often in specialty practice, hospital systems or high-cost metros.
The distance between the 10th and 90th percentile figures is the real answer to "what does this job pay." Look both endpoints up on the same OEWS table so you are comparing matched units: hourly to hourly, or annual to annual. OEWS annual figures for this occupation are calculated from the hourly wage assuming full-time, year-round work, so a part-time medical assistant working 24 hours a week will not reach the published annual figure even at the published hourly rate.
One more distinction: OEWS reports base wages. It does not include overtime premiums, shift differentials, on-call pay, sign-on bonuses or annual bonuses. Those sit on top of base and can make a job offer's total compensation look very different from the published median.
Where to check: the BLS OEWS occupational profile for medical assistants (national, state and metropolitan tables) and your state labor department's own wage survey, which many states publish with a regional breakdown.
A note on job-board salary tools: self-reported aggregators also publish medical assistant pay, but they draw on voluntary submissions rather than an employer survey. Use them as a cross-check on OEWS, not as a replacement, and check the sample size and date stamp on any figure you quote in a negotiation.
Pay by Experience Level
There is no published experience ladder for medical assistants in OEWS, so the practical way to place yourself is against the percentile table. Find the current OEWS figures for your state, then map your tier to the percentile band below and read off the dollar amount. Record whether you are reading hourly or annual, and keep every comparison in the same unit.
| Experience tier | Typical years | Where it usually sits in the OEWS wage distribution | What usually moves you up a band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level / new graduate | 0–1 years | At or near the 10th percentile for your state | Finishing an externship, passing a certification exam |
| Early career, certified | 1–3 years | Between the 10th and 25th percentile | Credential on file, independent rooming and injections |
| Mid-career | 3–7 years | Around the state median (50th percentile) | Specialty skills, EHR superuser, phlebotomy or EKG add-ons |
| Senior / specialty | 7–12 years | Between the 50th and 75th percentile | Hospital or specialty-practice employer, preceptor duties |
| Lead MA / clinical coordinator | 10+ years | At or above the 75th percentile, approaching the 90th | Supervisory scope, scheduling and inventory responsibility |
Two cautions. First, these bands are a planning tool for reading the table, not a guaranteed progression — many clinics cap medical assistant pay below the 75th percentile regardless of tenure, which is why a lead or coordinator title matters. Second, when an employer quotes you a range, ask whether it is base hourly only or includes differentials; the two are not comparable.
Pay by State or Metro Area
Geography is the single largest driver of medical assistant pay. OEWS publishes a separate wage table for every state and for hundreds of metropolitan areas, using the same percentile structure as the national table.
The states and metros below are the ones that most consistently appear toward the top or bottom of the OEWS state table for this occupation. They are listed in the order they typically fall, highest-paying first, but confirm the current ranking and the exact dollar figures against the latest OEWS release before relying on them — rankings shift between release years.
| State or metro area | Typical standing in the OEWS state table | Figure to look up |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Consistently at or near the top | State median hourly and annual, latest May release |
| California (San Francisco and San Jose metros highest within the state) | Near the top; metro figures exceed the state median | Metro median hourly, not state median |
| Washington | Upper tier | State median plus Seattle metro median |
| Massachusetts | Upper tier | Boston metro 50th and 75th percentile |
| Minnesota | Above the national median | State median hourly |
| Texas (Houston and Dallas metros) | Near the national median, with wide metro spread | Metro 10th and 90th percentile together |
| Florida | Below the national median in most metros | State 25th and 50th percentile |
| Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia | Consistently toward the bottom of the state table | State 10th and 50th percentile |
When you compare two locations, compare the same percentile — state median against state median — and adjust for cost of living separately. A higher nominal hourly rate in a high-cost metro is not automatically more take-home money.
Factors That Affect Pay
- Certification. Holding a recognized credential — CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT), CCMA (NHA) or CMAC (AMCA) — is the most common gate on the higher end of an employer's posted range. Many health systems publish two rates for the same job code, certified and non-certified, and will not place an uncertified applicant above the bottom of the band. Ask the employer directly what the differential between the two rates is.
- Employer type. Hospital systems and multi-specialty groups generally pay above independent primary-care practices for the same duties, and are more likely to offer step increases, shift premiums and tuition benefits. Urgent care and specialty practices sit in between. Compare the posted base rate for each employer type in your metro rather than assuming.
- Geography. The spread between the highest- and lowest-paying states in the OEWS table for medical assistants is larger than the spread produced by any other single factor. Check your own state and metro table before benchmarking against a national median.
- Shift differential. Evening, overnight and weekend shifts are usually paid as an add-on to base — quoted either as a flat amount per hour or as a percentage of base. It is employer-specific and almost never in the job posting; ask for the exact differential schedule in writing.
- Overtime and on-call. Medical assistant roles are typically non-exempt, meaning hours past 40 in a workweek are generally paid at 1.5x base. Overtime-heavy roles raise total compensation without changing base pay, which matters when you move jobs and your new base is set from your old base.
- Union status. In health systems with a represented clinical-support unit, pay follows a published contract scale with defined steps and effective dates. The scale is a document you can read before you apply; ask the union local or the HR recruiter for the current wage appendix.
- Specialty and added clinical skills. Phlebotomy, EKG, assisting in minor procedures, sterile processing and bilingual patient communication are the skills most often attached to a higher placement within an employer's range.
- Scope and seniority of title. Lead MA, float pool and clinical coordinator roles are usually a separate, higher job code rather than a raise within the same code — which is why a title change often moves pay more than another year of tenure.
How to Increase Your Pay in This Role
- Earn and maintain a national certification. The CMA (AAMA) from the American Association of Medical Assistants, the RMA from American Medical Technologists, the CCMA from the National Healthcareer Association and the CMAC from the American Medical Certification Association are the credentials employers most often list. Confirm which one your target employers name in their postings before you sit an exam, and track the recertification cycle so the credential never lapses mid-year.
- Negotiate from the OEWS metro table, not the national median. Bring the current metro figure for your area, say which percentile you are citing and which May reference year it comes from, and ask to be placed at a named percentile given your years and credentials. A specific request — "the 75th percentile for this metro" — is harder to wave off than "more."
- Add a billable or scarce skill the practice currently outsources. Phlebotomy certification, EKG competency, sterile instrument processing or EHR superuser status gives you a concrete reason for a mid-cycle adjustment rather than waiting for the annual review.
- Move from a small independent practice to a hospital system or large multi-specialty group. This is the most common pay jump in the role, because large employers run published, stepped pay scales with shift differentials attached. Apply as an experienced certified MA so you are slotted above the entry step.
- Take a float pool or per-diem assignment. Float and per-diem roles usually carry a higher base rate in exchange for no fixed unit and fewer benefits. Compare the per-diem hourly rate against your benefited hourly rate plus the value of your health coverage and paid time off before switching.
- Ask for the lead MA or clinical coordinator job code. Because these are separate codes rather than raises within your current one, moving into the code resets your range ceiling. Ask your manager what the posted range for the lead code is and what competencies are required to be considered.
Frequently asked questions
Is medical assistant pay quoted hourly or annually?
Almost always hourly. BLS OEWS publishes both for the occupation, and converts to an annual figure by assuming full-time, year-round work — multiply the hourly rate by 2,080 to do the same conversion yourself. If you work part-time, use your actual scheduled hours instead of 2,080.
Does certification actually raise a medical assistant's pay?
It most often determines where in an employer's posted range you are placed rather than adding a fixed amount. Many systems maintain two rates for the same job code — certified and non-certified — so ask HR for both figures in writing. The credentials employers name most frequently are the CMA (AAMA), RMA (AMT), CCMA (NHA) and CMAC (AMCA).
Which data source should I trust for medical assistant wages?
Start with BLS OEWS, which surveys employers rather than workers and publishes 5 wage points — the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles — for national, state and metro areas, each with a May reference date. Cross-check against your state labor department's wage survey. Treat self-reported job-board figures as a secondary check and note their date stamp.
Why is the advertised range so much wider than the median?
Employer ranges usually span from roughly the entry step to the top step of a job code, which can cover 10 or more years of tenure. The OEWS median is a single point — the 50th percentile — in the middle of the whole occupation. Compare an offer against the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile for your metro to see where it actually lands.
Does overtime count toward my salary when I change jobs?
No. Medical assistant roles are typically non-exempt, with hours past 40 in a workweek generally paid at 1.5x base, but a new employer sets your offer from base pay, not from last year's total earnings. Track your base hourly rate separately from total compensation so you negotiate on the right number.
Do high-paying states mean more money in practice?
Not automatically. Alaska, California, Washington and Massachusetts sit high in the OEWS state table for medical assistants, but housing and living costs in those markets are also higher. Compare the same percentile across both locations — state median to state median, in the same units — then adjust for cost of living separately.
Written by
Tobias Lindqvist
Tobias writes on trades, apprenticeships, and the kinds of careers that don't start with a resume. He's interested in skill as a form of dignity, and in how little the discourse around work usually accounts for hands.
