Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
31-9092 Medical Assistants
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. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician. Excludes "Physician Assistants" (29-1071).
National estimates for Medical Assistants
Industry profile for Medical Assistants
Geographic profile for Medical Assistants
National estimates for Medical Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Medical Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 710,200 |
0.9 % |
$ 17.75 |
$ 36,930 |
0.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Medical Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 12.95 |
$ 14.59 |
$ 17.23 |
$ 19.85 |
$ 24.32 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 26,930 |
$ 30,360 |
$ 35,850 |
$ 41,280 |
$ 50,580 |
Industry profile for Medical Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Medical Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Medical Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Medical Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Physicians |
404,670 |
15.61 |
$ 17.59 |
$ 36,580 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
106,290 |
1.90 |
$ 18.37 |
$ 38,200 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
59,610 |
6.21 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,330 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
56,810 |
6.29 |
$ 15.97 |
$ 33,210 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
13,930 |
1.48 |
$ 14.84 |
$ 30,870 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Medical Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Offices of Physicians |
404,670 |
15.61 |
$ 17.59 |
$ 36,580 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners |
56,810 |
6.29 |
$ 15.97 |
$ 33,210 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
59,610 |
6.21 |
$ 20.35 |
$ 42,330 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
106,290 |
1.90 |
$ 18.37 |
$ 38,200 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
13,930 |
1.48 |
$ 14.84 |
$ 30,870 |
Top paying industries for Medical Assistants:
Geographic profile for Medical Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Medical Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Medical Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Medical Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
95,690 |
5.82 |
1.14 |
$ 20.67 |
$ 42,990 |
| Texas |
72,640 |
6.00 |
1.18 |
$ 16.20 |
$ 33,700 |
| Florida |
56,010 |
6.64 |
1.30 |
$ 16.73 |
$ 34,800 |
| Pennsylvania |
27,740 |
5.03 |
0.99 |
$ 16.67 |
$ 34,670 |
| Ohio |
26,250 |
5.11 |
1.00 |
$ 16.48 |
$ 34,270 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New Mexico |
7,230 |
9.20 |
1.80 |
$ 15.55 |
$ 32,340 |
| Alaska |
2,500 |
8.45 |
1.65 |
$ 22.41 |
$ 46,610 |
| Hawaii |
4,190 |
7.29 |
1.43 |
$ 19.49 |
$ 40,530 |
| Oregon |
12,480 |
6.91 |
1.35 |
$ 20.05 |
$ 41,700 |
| Arizona |
19,460 |
6.86 |
1.34 |
$ 17.15 |
$ 35,670 |
Top paying states for Medical Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
2,500 |
8.45 |
1.65 |
$ 22.41 |
$ 46,610 |
| Washington |
15,870 |
4.97 |
0.97 |
$ 21.97 |
$ 45,700 |
| District of Columbia |
1,860 |
2.71 |
0.53 |
$ 21.80 |
$ 45,340 |
| Massachusetts |
14,160 |
4.23 |
0.83 |
$ 20.72 |
$ 43,090 |
| Minnesota |
9,320 |
3.44 |
0.67 |
$ 20.72 |
$ 43,090 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Medical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
32,000 |
3.62 |
0.71 |
$ 19.24 |
$ 40,020 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
30,120 |
5.17 |
1.01 |
$ 19.11 |
$ 39,750 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
22,500 |
6.27 |
1.23 |
$ 16.97 |
$ 35,300 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
17,070 |
5.75 |
1.13 |
$ 17.43 |
$ 36,250 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
16,720 |
6.67 |
1.31 |
$ 17.89 |
$ 37,200 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
16,590 |
3.80 |
0.74 |
$ 18.30 |
$ 38,060 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
15,850 |
6.02 |
1.18 |
$ 17.19 |
$ 35,750 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
14,770 |
7.00 |
1.37 |
$ 17.37 |
$ 36,130 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
14,090 |
5.22 |
1.02 |
$ 17.55 |
$ 36,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
12,620 |
5.42 |
1.06 |
$ 25.94 |
$ 53,960 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Redding, CA |
820 |
12.71 |
2.49 |
$ 19.20 |
$ 39,940 |
| Sebring, FL |
300 |
12.37 |
2.42 |
$ 15.64 |
$ 32,530 |
| The Villages, FL |
370 |
12.18 |
2.39 |
$ 15.23 |
$ 31,670 |
| Florence, SC |
1,000 |
11.97 |
2.34 |
$ 12.48 |
$ 25,960 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
4,400 |
11.75 |
2.30 |
$ 15.50 |
$ 32,240 |
| Ocala, FL |
1,200 |
11.67 |
2.29 |
$ 14.72 |
$ 30,620 |
| Waco, TX |
1,290 |
11.26 |
2.20 |
$ 15.61 |
$ 32,480 |
| Anchorage, AK |
1,830 |
11.15 |
2.18 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,790 |
| Las Cruces, NM |
760 |
11.11 |
2.18 |
$ 14.12 |
$ 29,360 |
| Gainesville, GA |
980 |
11.02 |
2.16 |
$ 18.62 |
$ 38,730 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Medical Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
12,620 |
5.42 |
1.06 |
$ 25.94 |
$ 53,960 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
1,130 |
8.50 |
1.67 |
$ 25.80 |
$ 53,660 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
1,670 |
8.60 |
1.68 |
$ 25.25 |
$ 52,520 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
8,700 |
4.45 |
0.87 |
$ 23.59 |
$ 49,070 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
4,960 |
4.50 |
0.88 |
$ 23.57 |
$ 49,020 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
7,270 |
7.51 |
1.47 |
$ 23.37 |
$ 48,600 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA |
670 |
6.19 |
1.21 |
$ 22.85 |
$ 47,530 |
| Anchorage, AK |
1,830 |
11.15 |
2.18 |
$ 22.02 |
$ 45,790 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
960 |
10.57 |
2.07 |
$ 21.63 |
$ 44,980 |
| Longview, WA |
160 |
4.28 |
0.84 |
$ 21.53 |
$ 44,780 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Medical Assistants:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
1,470 |
4.71 |
0.92 |
$ 15.40 |
$ 32,040 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
1,460 |
3.86 |
0.76 |
$ 14.28 |
$ 29,700 |
| Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area |
1,300 |
6.87 |
1.35 |
$ 17.70 |
$ 36,810 |
| Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area |
1,150 |
4.66 |
0.91 |
$ 16.20 |
$ 33,690 |
| Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area |
1,070 |
5.92 |
1.16 |
$ 16.11 |
$ 33,500 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Assistants:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Medical Assistants:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
