How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Rochester, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Medical Assistants in Rochester, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Rochester metro area
A typical Medical Assistant in Rochester, New York earns $20.05 per hour, or $41,710 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $3,476 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $38,140, and the top 10% of earners make over $48,010.
That pay is 13% below the New York figure of $48,000 and 9% below the national figure of $45,690. Rochester ranks 10th of 13 metro areas in New York for Medical Assistant pay. About 1,890 Medical Assistants work in the Rochester area.
Medical Assistant pay in Rochester at a glance
- Typical pay is $20.05 an hour, or $41,710 a year.
- That is 13% below the New York figure, ranking 10th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $38,140; the top 10% make over $48,010.
- Typical pay rose +44% from 2015 to 2025, against +42% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Medical Assistant make in Rochester?
Pay in Rochester runs from entry-level positions at around $18.34 an hour to more than $23.08 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 Rochester
| Career stage | Rochester | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $38,140$18.34 an hour | $37,280$17.92 an hour | $36,050$17.33 an hour |
| First years | $39,260$18.88 an hour | $43,600$20.96 an hour | $38,470$18.50 an hour |
| Typical Medical Assistant | $41,710$20.05 an hour | $48,000$23.08 an hour | $45,690$21.97 an hour |
| Experienced | $46,310$22.26 an hour | $55,120$26.50 an hour | $49,180$23.65 an hour |
| Top 10% | $48,010$23.08 an hour | $59,480$28.60 an hour | $59,310$28.52 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Rochester area as BLS defines it
Medical Assistant pay growth in Rochester
Typical (median) annual wage for Medical Assistants in the Rochester area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Medical Assistant pay in Rochester was $29,050 a year. By 2025 it had reached $41,710, a change of +44%, compared with +42% for New York over the same years.
How Rochester compares with other New York cities
Ithaca pays Medical Assistants the most in New York at $53,760 a year, $12,050 more than Rochester. The lowest-paying area in the state is Fort Drum at $39,110.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Rochester | Medical Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ithaca | $53,760 | $25.85 | +29% | 390 |
| 2 | New York | $48,370 | $23.26 | +16% | 44,060 |
| 3 | Glens Falls | $47,860 | $23.01 | +15% | 190 |
| 4 | Kiryas Joel metro incl. Newburgh · Poughkeepsie | $45,450 | $21.85 | +9% | 1,060 |
| 5 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $44,870 | $21.57 | +8% | 1,390 |
| 6 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $44,650 | $21.47 | +7% | 2,310 |
| 7 | Syracuse | $44,250 | $21.27 | +6% | 1,230 |
| 8 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $44,020 | $21.16 | +6% | 330 |
| 9 | Kingston | $42,620 | $20.49 | +2% | 90 |
| 10 | Rochester | $41,710 | $20.05 | this city | 1,890 |
| 11 | Binghamton | $41,110 | $19.76 | -1% | 290 |
| 12 | Elmira | $40,010 | $19.23 | -4% | 190 |
| 13 | Watertown metro incl. Fort Drum | $39,110 | $18.80 | -6% | 70 |
Every metro area in New York with Medical Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $48,000
Is Rochester a good place to work as a Medical Assistant?
Medical Assistants in Rochester earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $41,710 a year, 9% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Rochester area, about 3.8 are Medical Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 5.2. 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 Rochester, NY?
- A typical Medical Assistant in Rochester earns $41,710 a year, or $20.05 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $38,140 and the top 10% earn over $48,010.
- How much does a Medical Assistant make an hour in Rochester?
- Typical hourly pay for Medical Assistants in Rochester is $20.05. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $18.34, and the top 10% earn over $23.08 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Medical Assistant in Rochester?
- Entry-level Medical Assistant positions in Rochester typically offer around $18.34 an hour, or $38,140 a year.
- Is Medical Assistant pay in Rochester higher than in the rest of New York?
- Rochester pay is 13% below the New York figure of $48,000 a year, ranking 10th of 13 metro areas in the state. Ithaca pays the most in New York at $53,760.