How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Buffalo, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Medical Assistants in Buffalo, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area
A typical Medical Assistant in Buffalo, New York earns $21.47 per hour, or $44,650 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $3,721 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $35,420, and the top 10% of earners make over $55,760.
That pay is 7% below the New York figure of $48,000 and 2% below the national figure of $45,690. Buffalo ranks 6th of 13 metro areas in New York for Medical Assistant pay. About 2,310 Medical Assistants work in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area. Buffalo is part of the Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Cheektowaga share these figures.
Medical Assistant pay in Buffalo at a glance
- Typical pay is $21.47 an hour, or $44,650 a year.
- That is 7% below the New York figure, ranking 6th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $35,420; the top 10% make over $55,760.
- Typical pay rose +33% from 2015 to 2025, against +42% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Medical Assistant make in Buffalo?
Pay in Buffalo runs from entry-level positions at around $17.03 an hour to more than $26.81 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the New York and national figures.
Medical Assistant pay by career stage in Buffalo
| Career stage | Buffalo | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $35,420$17.03 an hour | $37,280$17.92 an hour | $36,050$17.33 an hour |
| First years | $38,420$18.47 an hour | $43,600$20.96 an hour | $38,470$18.50 an hour |
| Typical Medical Assistant | $44,650$21.47 an hour | $48,000$23.08 an hour | $45,690$21.97 an hour |
| Experienced | $48,930$23.52 an hour | $55,120$26.50 an hour | $49,180$23.65 an hour |
| Top 10% | $55,760$26.81 an hour | $59,480$28.60 an hour | $59,310$28.52 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area as BLS defines it
Medical Assistant pay growth in Buffalo
Typical (median) annual wage for Medical Assistants in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Medical Assistant pay in Buffalo was $33,500 a year. By 2025 it had reached $44,650, a change of +33%, compared with +42% for New York over the same years.
How Buffalo compares with other New York cities
Ithaca pays Medical Assistants the most in New York at $53,760 a year, $9,110 more than Buffalo. The lowest-paying area in the state is Fort Drum at $39,110.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Buffalo | Medical Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ithaca | $53,760 | $25.85 | +20% | 390 |
| 2 | New York | $48,370 | $23.26 | +8% | 44,060 |
| 3 | Glens Falls | $47,860 | $23.01 | +7% | 190 |
| 4 | Kiryas Joel metro incl. Newburgh · Poughkeepsie | $45,450 | $21.85 | +2% | 1,060 |
| 5 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $44,870 | $21.57 | 0% | 1,390 |
| 6 | Buffalo metro incl. Cheektowaga | $44,650 | $21.47 | this city | 2,310 |
| 7 | Syracuse | $44,250 | $21.27 | -1% | 1,230 |
| 8 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $44,020 | $21.16 | -1% | 330 |
| 9 | Kingston | $42,620 | $20.49 | -5% | 90 |
| 10 | Rochester | $41,710 | $20.05 | -7% | 1,890 |
| 11 | Binghamton | $41,110 | $19.76 | -8% | 290 |
| 12 | Elmira | $40,010 | $19.23 | -10% | 190 |
| 13 | Watertown metro incl. Fort Drum | $39,110 | $18.80 | -12% | 70 |
Every metro area in New York with Medical Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $48,000
Is Buffalo a good place to work as a Medical Assistant?
Medical Assistant pay in Buffalo sits close to the national figure: $44,650 a year, 2% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area, about 4.3 are Medical Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 5.3. That makes Medical Assistants a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Medical Assistant make in Buffalo, NY?
- A typical Medical Assistant in Buffalo earns $44,650 a year, or $21.47 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $35,420 and the top 10% earn over $55,760.
- How much does a Medical Assistant make an hour in Buffalo?
- Typical hourly pay for Medical Assistants in Buffalo is $21.47. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $17.03, and the top 10% earn over $26.81 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Medical Assistant in Buffalo?
- Entry-level Medical Assistant positions in Buffalo typically offer around $17.03 an hour, or $35,420 a year.
- Is Medical Assistant pay in Buffalo higher than in the rest of New York?
- Buffalo pay is 7% below the New York figure of $48,000 a year, ranking 6th of 13 metro areas in the state. Ithaca pays the most in New York at $53,760.