How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in the United States in 2026?

Medical offices and clinics keep hiring. A clinical medical assistant, often shortened to MA, handles the tasks that keep a patient visit moving, from vitals and injections to charting and scheduling. Typical pay is $21.97 an hour, or $45,690 a year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025).

Pay varies meaningfully from one state to the next, and from one work setting to the next. Experience and national certification move the number as well. The field is large enough for those differences to matter, with 817,870 people working as Medical Assistants nationwide.

A typical Medical Assistant earns $21.97 per hour. Across a full year that works out to $45,690. Calculated from that annual figure, monthly pay comes to about $3,808 and weekly pay to about $879. Real paychecks land on both sides of those numbers depending on scheduled hours and employer.

Entry-level positions typically offer around $17.33 an hour, or $36,050 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $28.52 an hour, or $59,310 a year. That leaves a spread of $23,260 between the two ends. Years on the job, the type of facility, and the state account for most of the difference.

Entry-level positions typically offer around $17.33 an hour, or $36,050 a year. The lower quarter of the field reaches $18.50 an hour and $38,470 a year. Within a few years, pay tends to move toward the typical figure of $21.97 an hour and $45,690 a year. Steady clinical hours and a completed certification both help that shift along.

Experienced Medical Assistants often earn upwards of $23.65 an hour, or $49,180 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $28.52 an hour, or $59,310 a year. Reaching that group usually takes several years in a hospital clinic or a specialty practice, national certification, and a state or metro area that pays well.

Medical Assistant pay has climbed steadily for a decade. Typical annual pay was $30,590 in 2015 and reached $45,690 in 2025. That is a gain of $15,100, a rise of 49.4%. The most recent year alone added $1,490, or 3.4%.

The pace picked up in the second half of that stretch. Pay rose $4,210 between 2015 and 2019, then $8,500 between 2021 and 2025, roughly double the earlier gain. Demand for these workers rose over those years, and employers raised offers to fill roles. National figures move slowly, and a single state or metro area can run well ahead of or behind them.

Where you live is often the single biggest factor in what you take home. Washington leads the states at $59,290 a year, or $28.50 an hour, followed by Alaska at $52,560, the District of Columbia at $51,050, Minnesota at $50,480, and Oregon at $50,410. Metro figures run higher. Vallejo pays $77,410 a year ($37.22 an hour), ahead of Santa Rosa-Petaluma at $64,820, Napa at $62,050, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom at $61,970, and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at $61,940.

Mississippi sits at the bottom at $35,360 a year ($17.00 an hour), with Alabama at $36,100 ($17.35) and Louisiana at $36,320 ($17.46). The gap between the highest-paying and lowest-paying state runs $23,930. The largest workforces are in California (117,060 Medical Assistants, typical pay $49,660), Texas (75,340, $39,520), and Florida (66,110, $43,680). Higher-paying states usually cost more to live in. The table below has every state.

Most Medical Assistants work in physicians' offices: 452,150 of them, at a typical $21.88 an hour, or $45,520 a year. General medical and surgical hospitals come second, employing 133,400 at $22.55 an hour and $46,890 a year, about 3% above the national figure. Between them, those two settings hold most of the field.

Outpatient care centers pay the most among the common settings: $23.35 an hour, or $48,560 a year, roughly 6% above the national figure, across 85,840 jobs. Pay runs lower in offices of other health practitioners ($18.46 an hour, $38,400 a year), chiropractic offices ($18.04 and $37,520), and offices of all other health practitioners ($19.10 and $39,720). Pay differs by facility type, and the table below shows each setting.

Clinics that staff evenings, weekends, or overnight hours often add a shift differential to the base rate. It is extra pay for less convenient hours, set by the employer rather than by any rule. Hospital-based departments with round-the-clock coverage are the most likely to offer one. Amounts and qualifying hours vary, so ask how a differential is calculated before accepting an offer.

Most states do not license medical assistants, though employers commonly prefer or require national certification. The main options are the CMA through AAMA, the RMA through AMT, the CCMA through NHA, and the NCMA through NCCT. A few states regulate specific tasks; Washington, for example, registers medical assistants. Confirm the rules with your state before enrolling in a program.

The setting matters more than the job title. Outpatient hospital clinics and specialty practices commonly pay more than small physician offices, so the same skills can bring different pay across town. The training route matters too: certificate programs commonly run 9 to 12 months, associate programs about 2 years, and some employers train on the job.

Medical Assistants earn a typical $45,690 a year, and the roles just past it pay more. LPNs and LVNs earn a typical $64,400, some $18,710 higher, with practical nursing programs commonly running about 12 months. Registered Nurses earn a typical $97,550, another $33,150 above that; an ADN takes about 2 years and a BSN about 4.

People commonly make the move while working, taking prerequisites part time and scheduling clinicals around shifts. Some employers offer tuition assistance, and whether yours does is worth asking. Time spent as a medical assistant counts once you arrive, since patient contact, charting, and clinic workflow carry over directly into the next role.

Medical Assistants earn a typical $45,690 a year, or $21.97 an hour, up 49.4% from $30,590 in 2015, and BLS projects 12.9% growth through 2035. Two practical steps follow from that. Check your state's salary page for local figures, since the gap between states runs close to $24,000. Then confirm the training and certification requirements where you plan to work.