How much does a Medical Assistants make?

The median annual wage for Medical Assistants is $45,690 ($22 per hour). Pay ranges from about $36,050 at the 10th percentile to $59,310 at the 90th percentile.

What is the average salary for a Medical Assistants?

The average (mean) annual salary is $46,120, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.

Which state pays Medical Assistantss the most?

Washington has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $59,290.

Is Medical Assistants a growing occupation?

BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 818K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.

What does a Medical Assistants do?

Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.; Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.; Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic..

Medical Assistants Salary

Healthcare Support Occupations · 818K employed in the U.S.

Median annual

$45,690

Median hourly

$22

Average annual

$46,120

Typical range

$36,050–$59,310

Pay distribution

10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.

10th$36,050

25th$38,470

Median$45,690

75th$49,180

90th$59,310

What this role pays

The median annual salary for Medical Assistants is $45,690 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $22 an hour at a full-time schedule.

Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.

Most earn between $36,050 and $59,310 a year. There are roughly 818K people employed as medical assistants in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.

Salary calculator

Convert your pay and see where it lands for Medical Assistants.

Pay amountPay period

Hours / weekWeeks / year

Hourly: $21.97
Daily: $176
Weekly: $879
Bi-weekly: $1,757
Monthly: $3,808
Annual: $45,690

$45,690 a year is around the 50th percentile for Medical Assistantss. The median is $45,690.

Medical Assistants — U.S., May 2025
Percentile	Hourly	Annual
10th percentile	$17.30	$36,050
25th percentile	$18.50	$38,470
Median	$22.00	$45,690
75th percentile	$23.60	$49,180
90th percentile	$28.50	$59,310
Average (mean)	$22.20	$46,120
Employment	817,870 people

Key skills

Social Perceptiveness
Active Listening
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Coordination
Service Orientation
Writing
Active Learning

Highest-paying states

Median annual wage by state.

1Washington$59,290
2Alaska$52,560
3District of Columbia$51,050
4Minnesota$50,480
5Oregon$50,410
6California$49,660
7Massachusetts$49,460
8Wisconsin$48,680
9Hawaii$48,410
10Colorado$48,400
11New Hampshire$48,020
12New York$48,000

Top-paying metro areas

Median annual wage by metro area.

1Vallejo, CA$77,410
2Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$64,820
3Napa, CA$62,050
4Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$61,970
5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$61,940
6Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA$61,870
7Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$61,500
8Longview-Kelso, WA$61,480
9Ponce, PR$59,990
10San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$59,790
11Bellingham, WA$57,410
12Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$56,240

Related job titles

Employers advertise Medical Assistants roles under these titles.

Related occupations

What a Medical Assistants does

Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.
Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.
Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.
Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests.
Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean.
Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Medical Assistants make?: The median annual wage for Medical Assistants is $45,690 ($22 per hour). Pay ranges from about $36,050 at the 10th percentile to $59,310 at the 90th percentile.
What is the average salary for a Medical Assistants?: The average (mean) annual salary is $46,120, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
Which state pays Medical Assistantss the most?: Washington has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $59,290.
Is Medical Assistants a growing occupation?: BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 818K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
What does a Medical Assistants do?: Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients.; Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician.; Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic..