Medical Assistant Salary: How Much Do Medical Assistants Make?
Median pay, percentiles and employment for medical assistants — nationally, in all 50 states, and by metro.
Short answer: the median medical assistant salary in the United States is $45,690 a year ($21.97 an hour). The middle of the market runs $38,470 to $49,180, and the 10th to 90th percentile spans $36,050 to $59,310. Location matters more than most people expect: the median is $59,290 in Washington and $35,360 in Mississippi — a $23,930 gap for the same job. About 817,870 people work as medical assistants nationally.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Public-domain federal data, surveyed from employers.
Medical Assistant salary by state
Annual wages for Medical Assistants (BLS occupation code 31-9092). Percentiles show the spread within each state.
| State | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,630 | $36,100 | $45,040 | 13,300 |
| Alaska | $46,060 | $52,560 | $65,040 | 2,140 |
| Arizona | $38,100 | $45,940 | $51,310 | 21,460 |
| Arkansas | $30,840 | $37,760 | $46,060 | 5,150 |
| California | $39,290 | $49,660 | $77,300 | 117,060 |
| Colorado | $39,130 | $48,400 | $59,760 | 13,160 |
| Connecticut | $38,480 | $47,430 | $59,530 | 10,250 |
| Delaware | $36,540 | $44,490 | $57,280 | 2,880 |
| District of Columbia | $39,620 | $51,050 | $76,900 | 2,260 |
| Florida | $35,880 | $43,680 | $49,040 | 66,110 |
| Georgia | $34,270 | $41,600 | $51,430 | 28,780 |
| Hawaii | $38,580 | $48,410 | $60,030 | 3,890 |
| Idaho | $35,500 | $44,700 | $56,740 | 5,250 |
| Illinois | $36,400 | $46,090 | $56,590 | 20,260 |
| Indiana | $37,060 | $45,110 | $50,480 | 19,630 |
| Iowa | $36,730 | $45,480 | $54,960 | 5,990 |
| Kansas | $35,140 | $39,510 | $48,300 | 5,510 |
| Kentucky | $32,950 | $39,270 | $47,940 | 13,440 |
| Louisiana | $28,970 | $36,320 | $44,460 | 12,310 |
| Maine | $40,220 | $47,580 | $59,220 | 4,480 |
| Maryland | $36,930 | $46,410 | $57,250 | 16,390 |
| Massachusetts | $43,280 | $49,460 | $61,870 | 14,880 |
| Michigan | $35,000 | $39,870 | $48,330 | 27,810 |
| Minnesota | $40,110 | $50,480 | $60,100 | 10,580 |
| Mississippi | $29,210 | $35,360 | $45,070 | 3,340 |
| Missouri | $35,810 | $40,440 | $48,360 | 13,050 |
| Montana | $38,670 | $46,820 | $56,770 | 2,460 |
| Nebraska | $37,940 | $47,370 | $59,450 | 2,380 |
| Nevada | $37,400 | $45,200 | $55,120 | 7,760 |
| New Hampshire | $39,640 | $48,020 | $60,100 | 3,000 |
| New Jersey | $37,010 | $47,210 | $58,070 | 20,330 |
| New Mexico | $34,600 | $39,230 | $47,850 | 5,400 |
| New York | $37,280 | $48,000 | $59,480 | 40,710 |
| North Carolina | $36,010 | $45,140 | $50,850 | 23,650 |
| North Dakota | $37,650 | $45,980 | $58,230 | 600 |
| Ohio | $36,050 | $42,810 | $48,560 | 28,950 |
| Oklahoma | $31,880 | $38,750 | $47,640 | 10,510 |
| Oregon | $43,760 | $50,410 | $62,160 | 11,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,810 | $43,920 | $48,500 | 23,050 |
| Rhode Island | $39,280 | $47,190 | $56,840 | 3,210 |
| South Carolina | $34,730 | $41,160 | $49,110 | 12,110 |
| South Dakota | $35,980 | $41,870 | $48,960 | 1,340 |
| Tennessee | $34,840 | $39,570 | $48,540 | 19,180 |
| Texas | $31,200 | $39,520 | $49,260 | 75,340 |
| Utah | $35,890 | $45,360 | $56,260 | 9,990 |
| Vermont | $40,570 | $47,250 | $58,420 | 1,140 |
| Virginia | $37,090 | $44,740 | $52,000 | 16,650 |
| Washington | $46,540 | $59,290 | $74,200 | 19,500 |
| West Virginia | $30,890 | $37,180 | $45,350 | 4,540 |
| Wisconsin | $39,480 | $48,680 | $57,990 | 13,810 |
| Wyoming | $31,200 | $40,920 | $51,840 | 1,040 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. “Not released” means BLS suppressed the estimate, usually because the state sample was too small — this page shows that rather than guessing.
Highest-paying metro areas for medical assistants
| Metro area | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $77,410 | $77,800 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $64,820 | $79,890 |
| Napa, CA | $62,050 | $79,730 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $61,970 | $78,090 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $61,940 | $79,620 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $61,870 | $64,720 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $61,500 | $76,360 |
| Longview-Kelso, WA | $61,480 | $62,700 |
| Ponce, PR | $59,990 | $60,230 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $59,790 | $79,750 |
Top 10 of the 393 metro areas BLS publishes. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average medical assistant salary?
The median medical assistant salary in the United States is $45,690 a year as of May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Half of medical assistants earn more than that and half earn less. The 10th percentile is $36,050 and the 90th percentile is $59,310.
Which state pays medical assistants the most?
Washington, with a median of $59,290. The lowest of the states BLS publishes is Mississippi at $35,360, a gap of $23,930. Higher-paying states also tend to have higher housing costs, so compare take-home pay and rent rather than the headline figure alone.
How much do medical assistants make an hour?
The median hourly wage is $21.97 as of May 2025.
Is this data self-reported?
No. These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which collects wage data from employers rather than from workers submitting their own salaries. It is public-domain federal data.