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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Junior Colleges 50 0.01 $ 23.42 $ 48,720
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (8) (8) $ 21.11 $ 43,910
Outpatient Care Centers 59,610 6.21 $ 20.35 $ 42,330
Computer Systems Design and Related Services (8) (8) $ 19.95 $ 41,490
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 170 0.03 $ 19.65 $ 40,870


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:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 990 9.07 1.78 $ 16.05 $ 33,390
Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area 940 8.89 1.74 $ 17.73 $ 36,870
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 770 8.34 1.63 $ 20.50 $ 42,650
Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area 550 8.26 1.62 $ 16.86 $ 35,080
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 780 8.12 1.59 $ 14.91 $ 31,000

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 440 4.35 0.85 $ 24.61 $ 51,200
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 530 4.50 0.88 $ 20.65 $ 42,950
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 770 8.34 1.63 $ 20.50 $ 42,650
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 290 5.23 1.02 $ 20.45 $ 42,530
Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 80 2.04 0.40 $ 20.34 $ 42,310


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