Medical Assistant Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Government estimates of jobs for medical assistants total about 417,000. This career is ranked low for jobless rates in comparison to other careers. The unemployment rate for employees was about 4% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Relative to population, you will find the most employees in St. George (Utah), Hanford (California), and Yuba City (California), and the least in Fort Smith (Arkansas), Charlottesville (Virginia), and Danville (Virginia).

Statistics show that you can earn the most in this career in Vallejo (California), San Francisco (California), and Rochester (Minnesota), and will have the lowest earnings in Monroe (Louisiana), Lake Charles (Louisiana), and Lubbock (Texas).

Training and Education

People often have moderate-term on-the-job training before landing a job in this field. Four year degrees are held by 10% of employees. About 59% of medical assistants started college but did not get a 4 year degree. A high school education is the highest level achieved by 31% of workers. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time workers represent 23% of all medical assistants.

Medical Assistants: An Introductory Video

Medical Assistants Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of medical assistants compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for medical assistants.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$27,000	1,690
Mobile	$22,000	670
Montgomery	$25,000	670
Huntsville	$24,000	630
Dothan	$26,000	310
Tuscaloosa		250
Anniston	$25,000	240
Florence	$23,000	190
Gadsden	$24,000	170
Auburn	$24,000	130
Decatur	$23,000	130

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$36,000	590
Fairbanks	$33,000	110

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$30,000	8,190
Tucson	$27,000	2,390
Kingman	$28,000	310
Prescott	$27,000	280
Yuma	$30,000	260
Flagstaff	$31,000	120

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$27,000	810
Fayetteville	$28,000	370
Hot Springs	$24,000	180
Fort Smith	$25,000	130
Jonesboro	$23,000	90

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Riverside	$28,000	7,500
Santa Ana	$32,000	6,820
San Diego	$30,000	6,590
Oakland	$35,000	4,600
San Francisco	$38,000	3,370
Sacramento	$31,000	3,260
San Jose	$36,000	3,170
Oxnard	$32,000	2,040
Fresno	$28,000	1,950
Bakersfield	$26,000	1,930
Vallejo	$47,000	1,130
Stockton	$27,000	1,000
Salinas	$36,000	950
Santa Rosa	$32,000	940
Modesto	$26,000	890
Visalia	$28,000	840
Santa Barbara	$31,000	840
San Luis Obispo	$29,000	710
Chico	$28,000	560
Santa Cruz	$36,000	550
Redding	$28,000	520
Merced	$26,000	450
Yuba City	$27,000	340
Hanford	$27,000	250
Napa	$33,000	220
Madera	$29,000	200
El Centro	$26,000	110

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$32,000	3,610
Colorado Springs	$29,000	890
Boulder	$33,000	600
Fort Collins	$33,000	530
Pueblo	$28,000	270
Greeley	$30,000	260
Grand Junction	$30,000	140

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$34,000	2,260
Bridgeport	$35,000	1,280
New Haven	$36,000	800
Norwich	$30,000	430
Waterbury	$31,000	350
Danbury	$32,000	290

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$32,000	720
Dover	$29,000	330

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$34,000	5,090

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$27,000	4,950
Miami	$28,000	4,510
Orlando	$28,000	3,980
Fort Lauderdale	$29,000	3,550
West Palm Beach	$30,000	3,080
Jacksonville	$28,000	2,860
Palm Bay	$27,000	1,380
Cape Coral	$30,000	1,240
Sarasota	$29,000	950
Deltona	$27,000	840
Pensacola	$24,000	790
Port St Lucie	$29,000	780
Lakeland	$25,000	750
Gainesville	$27,000	660
Ocala	$25,000	580
Naples	$33,000	540
Tallahassee	$28,000	510
Sebastian	$26,000	220
Fort Walton Beach	$28,000	210
Panama City	$25,000	180
Punta Gorda	$28,000	140
Palm Coast	$27,000	100

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$30,000	7,340
Augusta	$27,000	1,190
Columbus	$25,000	620
Macon	$26,000	610
Savannah	$26,000	480
Gainesville	$31,000	370
Rome	$28,000	310
Athens	$29,000	310
Albany	$24,000	280
Valdosta	$26,000	250
Warner Robins	$25,000	200
Dalton	$27,000	120
Brunswick	$25,000	70

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$31,000	2,110

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$33,000	1,030
Coeur Dalene	$30,000	110
Lewiston	$28,000	50
Pocatello	$25,000	50

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$31,000	10,290
Peoria	$29,000	680
Springfield	$30,000	350
Champaign	$28,000	290
Rockford	$29,000	260
Bloomington	$28,000	180
Decatur	$28,000	120
Danville	$23,000	120

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$29,000	2,970
Gary	$26,000	1,340
Fort Wayne	$26,000	800
Evansville	$25,000	540
South Bend	$27,000	510
Muncie	$25,000	370
Elkhart	$27,000	290
Lafayette	$27,000	280
Bloomington	$27,000	250
Michigan City	$28,000	200
Terre Haute	$28,000	160
Anderson	$26,000	120
Kokomo	$31,000	110
Columbus	$29,000	90

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$31,000	970
Iowa City	$30,000	390
Cedar Rapids	$29,000	300
Waterloo	$31,000	220
Sioux City	$25,000	210
Dubuque	$29,000	120
Ames	$30,000	90

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$25,000	940
Topeka	$25,000	250
Lawrence	$27,000	90

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$29,000	2,600
Lexington	$30,000	700
Bowling Green	$24,000	230
Owensboro	$24,000	190
Elizabethtown	$24,000	170

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$27,000	1,380
Baton Rouge	$25,000	890
Shreveport	$26,000	520
Houma	$23,000	260
Lafayette	$25,000	250
Lake Charles	$20,000	230
Alexandria	$23,000	180
Monroe	$22,000	150

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$33,000	660
Bangor	$29,000	280
Lewiston	$28,000	240

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$31,000	3,990
Bethesda	$32,000	1,780
Hagerstown	$28,000	390
Salisbury	$27,000	140
Cumberland	$21,000	90

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$36,000	6,410
Springfield	$32,000	1,360
Worcester	$34,000	870
Lowell	$35,000	400
New Bedford	$31,000	320
Barnstable Town	$37,000	310
Framingham	$37,000	290
Brockton	$33,000	280
Haverhill	$32,000	250
Leominster	$31,000	170
Lawrence	$35,000	160
Taunton	$29,000	120
Pittsfield	$27,000	120

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$29,000	7,210
Detroit	$27,000	3,190
Grand Rapids	$28,000	1,200
Flint	$27,000	1,100
Ann Arbor	$30,000	1,040
Saginaw	$25,000	620
Lansing	$28,000	610
Kalamazoo	$28,000	500
Holland	$29,000	390
Jackson	$30,000	310
Muskegon	$27,000	280
Battle Creek	$29,000	250
Niles	$30,000	240
Monroe	$28,000	170
Bay City	$24,000	90

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$33,000	4,780
Duluth	$29,000	410
Rochester	$37,000	230
St Cloud	$30,000	190

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$26,000	400
Gulfport	$28,000	280
Hattiesburg	$24,000	250
Pascagoula	$25,000	140

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$28,000	5,030
Kansas City	$29,000	3,130
Springfield	$24,000	710
Joplin	$25,000	330
Jefferson City	$24,000	130
Columbia	$26,000	130
St Joseph	$27,000	80

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$28,000	220
Great Falls	$26,000	170
Missoula	$29,000	80

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$29,000	1,840
Lincoln	$27,000	590

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$32,000	2,890
Reno	$34,000	710
Carson City	$31,000	150

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$30,000	270
Manchester	$30,000	220
Rochester	$30,000	160
Portsmouth	$31,000	110

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$34,000	3,230
Edison	$33,000	2,870
Camden	$30,000	1,930
Trenton	$32,000	550
Atlantic City	$28,000	330
Vineland	$29,000	240
Ocean City	$27,000	50

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$27,000	1,740
Las Cruces	$24,000	360
Farmington	$27,000	180
Santa Fe	$31,000	120

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$33,000	12,080
Nassau	$32,000	4,550
Buffalo	$29,000	1,090
Poughkeepsie	$31,000	670
Albany	$31,000	650
Rochester	$27,000	610
Syracuse	$28,000	560
Binghamton	$25,000	240
Utica	$25,000	220
Kingston	$29,000	120
Glens Falls	$26,000	90
Ithaca	$28,000	50
Elmira	$24,000	50

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$28,000	1,530
Greensboro	$29,000	1,100
Raleigh	$30,000	900
Asheville	$27,000	810
Wilmington	$29,000	650
Winston Salem	$29,000	570
Durham	$30,000	560
Hickory	$28,000	540
Fayetteville	$22,000	400
Greenville	$28,000	270
Burlington	$31,000	180
Jacksonville	$25,000	140
Rocky Mount	$25,000	140
Goldsboro	$24,000	110

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Bismarck	$27,000	140

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cincinnati	$28,000	4,320
Columbus	$29,000	3,570
Cleveland	$27,000	3,380
Dayton	$27,000	1,720
Akron	$27,000	1,420
Youngstown	$24,000	1,140
Toledo	$28,000	1,050
Canton	$26,000	930
Springfield	$26,000	280
Lima	$29,000	280
Mansfield	$28,000	140
Sandusky	$29,000	130

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$25,000	2,540
Tulsa	$27,000	1,530
Lawton	$21,000	170

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$33,000	4,360
Salem	$30,000	830
Eugene	$32,000	600
Medford	$30,000	580
Bend	$30,000	320
Corvallis	$32,000	220

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$30,000	8,590
Pittsburgh	$26,000	4,670
Allentown	$27,000	1,560
Harrisburg	$28,000	1,450
York	$27,000	700
Erie	$24,000	620
Lancaster	$27,000	620
Scranton	$28,000	540
Reading	$27,000	460
Altoona	$24,000	300
Lebanon	$27,000	170
Williamsport	$34,000	150
State College	$24,000	110

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$30,000	2,170

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$26,000	1,860
Greenville	$28,000	1,480
Columbia	$29,000	960
Anderson	$27,000	370
Spartanburg	$28,000	280
Florence	$25,000	280
Myrtle Beach	$28,000	270
Sumter	$23,000	120

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$26,000	310
Rapid City	$26,000	220

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Memphis	$27,000	2,790
Nashville	$28,000	2,790
Knoxville	$27,000	1,290
Chattanooga	$28,000	1,250
Kingsport	$25,000	420
Jackson	$24,000	300
Johnson City	$26,000	270
Clarksville	$23,000	260
Morristown	$25,000	150
Cleveland	$27,000	120

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$27,000	10,200
Dallas	$30,000	8,410
San Antonio	$24,000	4,800
Fort Worth	$27,000	2,930
Austin	$28,000	2,730
Mcallen	$21,000	1,640
Corpus Christi	$23,000	810
Beaumont	$24,000	630
Brownsville	$24,000	590
Tyler	$27,000	570
Lubbock	$20,000	470
Laredo	$22,000	450
Waco	$27,000	360
College Station	$24,000	290
Wichita Falls	$26,000	230
Killeen	$27,000	230
Sherman	$27,000	230
Longview		180
Texarkana	$27,000	170
San Angelo	$22,000	150
Odessa	$24,000	140
Abilene	$23,000	140
Midland	$31,000	100
Victoria	$23,000	80

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$28,000	2,420
Provo	$24,000	810
Ogden	$26,000	790
St George	$28,000	480
Logan	$24,000	120

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$31,000	350

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$26,000	3,070
Richmond	$29,000	1,490
Roanoke	$27,000	470
Lynchburg	$26,000	170
Blacksburg	$25,000	170
Winchester	$28,000	120
Harrisonburg	$25,000	100
Charlottesville	$28,000	100
Danville	$23,000	30

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$35,000	4,460
Tacoma	$33,000	1,330
Spokane	$29,000	920
Olympia	$33,000	490
Bremerton	$32,000	430
Yakima	$32,000	350
Kennewick	$29,000	310
Mount Vernon	$32,000	250
Bellingham	$31,000	240
Wenatchee	$30,000	220
Longview	$32,000	140

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$24,000	720
Huntington	$24,000	540
Parkersburg	$22,000	280
Morgantown	$22,000	250
Wheeling	$22,000	200
Weirton	$23,000	80

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$30,000	2,560
Madison	$32,000	1,100
Green Bay	$29,000	560
Appleton	$28,000	490
Oshkosh	$28,000	470
Eau Claire	$29,000	380
Janesville	$29,000	360
La Crosse	$28,000	310
Wausau	$30,000	260
Sheboygan	$31,000	220
Racine	$31,000	210
Fond	$30,000	60

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper	$27,000	100
Cheyenne	$29,000	70

Our medical assistant career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.