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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
727,760 0.8 % $ 18.36 $ 38,190 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Medical Assistants:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.98 $ 14.52 $ 17.88 $ 20.91 $ 23.16
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,070 $ 30,200 $ 37,190 $ 43,490 $ 48,170


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 421,960 15.65 $ 18.08 $ 37,610
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 106,640 1.91 $ 19.02 $ 39,550
Outpatient Care Centers 64,650 6.55 $ 21.48 $ 44,680
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 58,920 6.06 $ 16.21 $ 33,710
Employment Services 13,850 0.40 $ 18.67 $ 38,840

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 421,960 15.65 $ 18.08 $ 37,610
Outpatient Care Centers 64,650 6.55 $ 21.48 $ 44,680
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 58,920 6.06 $ 16.21 $ 33,710
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 106,640 1.91 $ 19.02 $ 39,550
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 4,490 1.44 $ 18.92 $ 39,350

Top paying industries for Medical Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (8) (8) $ 25.46 $ 52,970
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $ 23.53 $ 48,940
Outpatient Care Centers 64,650 6.55 $ 21.48 $ 44,680
Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (8) (8) $ 21.36 $ 44,420
Insurance Carriers 220 0.02 $ 21.34 $ 44,390


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.



Map of employment of medical assistants by state, May 2021


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 97,640 5.91 1.14 $ 21.53 $ 44,780
Texas 69,370 5.67 1.10 $ 16.66 $ 34,660
Florida 57,210 6.65 1.29 $ 17.06 $ 35,480
New York 31,360 3.62 0.70 $ 20.24 $ 42,100
Georgia 26,610 6.08 1.18 $ 17.05 $ 35,470


Map of location quotient of medical assistants by state, May 2021


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 6,980 8.99 1.74 $ 16.57 $ 34,470
Arizona 19,970 6.93 1.34 $ 18.17 $ 37,790
Kentucky 12,670 6.89 1.33 $ 16.04 $ 33,360
Rhode Island 3,130 6.84 1.32 $ 18.94 $ 39,390
Maine 3,970 6.71 1.30 $ 18.74 $ 38,990


Map of annual mean wages of medical assistants by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Medical Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 17,360 5.41 1.05 $ 22.75 $ 47,320
District of Columbia 1,960 2.96 0.57 $ 22.45 $ 46,690
Alaska 1,700 5.74 1.11 $ 22.30 $ 46,390
California 97,640 5.91 1.14 $ 21.53 $ 44,780
Massachusetts 13,730 4.04 0.78 $ 21.25 $ 44,200



Map of employment of medical assistants by area, May 2021


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 36,500 4.21 0.81 $ 20.38 $ 42,390
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 30,700 5.37 1.04 $ 19.90 $ 41,390
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 19,170 5.34 1.03 $ 17.64 $ 36,690
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 16,720 3.95 0.76 $ 18.71 $ 38,910
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 15,810 6.11 1.18 $ 17.73 $ 36,870
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 15,660 5.41 1.05 $ 17.75 $ 36,920
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 15,310 6.24 1.21 $ 18.25 $ 37,950
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 14,480 6.84 1.32 $ 18.57 $ 38,630
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 13,670 6.10 1.18 $ 26.41 $ 54,930
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 13,360 5.03 0.97 $ 18.97 $ 39,450


Map of location quotient of medical assistants by area, May 2021


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)
Rochester, MN 1,560 13.50 2.61 $ 20.94 $ 43,540
Macon, GA 1,100 11.69 2.26 $ 15.83 $ 32,930
Florence, SC 950 11.21 2.17 $ 13.49 $ 28,070
Gainesville, GA 1,000 11.16 2.16 $ 18.61 $ 38,710
Albuquerque, NM 4,010 11.01 2.13 $ 16.64 $ 34,610
Redding, CA 690 10.58 2.05 $ 19.82 $ 41,230
Las Cruces, NM 710 10.35 2.00 $ 14.95 $ 31,100
Gadsden, AL 330 10.29 1.99 $ 14.26 $ 29,650
Carbondale-Marion, IL 510 9.94 1.92 $ 15.77 $ 32,800
Medford, OR 840 9.81 1.90 $ 19.69 $ 40,940


Map of annual mean wages of medical assistants by area, May 2021


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)
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 1,240 9.54 1.85 $ 28.21 $ 58,670
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 13,670 6.10 1.18 $ 26.41 $ 54,930
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 5,060 4.73 0.92 $ 25.90 $ 53,870
Santa Rosa, CA 1,610 8.40 1.63 $ 25.74 $ 53,530
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 6,180 6.29 1.22 $ 24.78 $ 51,530
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 9,720 5.07 0.98 $ 24.43 $ 50,820
Napa, CA 380 5.56 1.08 $ 24.27 $ 50,480
Fairbanks, AK 160 4.51 0.87 $ 22.62 $ 47,060
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 6,300 5.62 1.09 $ 22.41 $ 46,620
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 650 5.84 1.13 $ 21.95 $ 45,650

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)
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 1,400 7.31 1.42 $ 18.81 $ 39,130
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 1,340 5.29 1.02 $ 16.69 $ 34,710
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 1,340 4.25 0.82 $ 16.45 $ 34,220
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,320 8.07 1.56 $ 14.88 $ 30,940
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 1,260 6.90 1.34 $ 18.53 $ 38,540

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Medical Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 890 9.30 1.80 $ 14.93 $ 31,050
South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 1,320 8.07 1.56 $ 14.88 $ 30,940
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 870 7.91 1.53 $ 19.10 $ 39,730
Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area 500 7.42 1.44 $ 17.47 $ 36,350
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 1,400 7.31 1.42 $ 18.81 $ 39,130

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Medical Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 350 3.55 0.69 $ 23.65 $ 49,190
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 550 4.60 0.89 $ 20.71 $ 43,070
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 210 3.60 0.70 $ 20.66 $ 42,970
Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area 590 5.05 0.98 $ 20.12 $ 41,860
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 550 5.84 1.13 $ 20.08 $ 41,770


About May 2021 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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022