The Starting Wage for a Medical Assistant

Medical assistants' job responsibilities may include clerical and clinical duties.

Medical assistants provide a variety of clinical and clerical support in medical offices. They answer phones, update patient medical records, bill insurance and schedule appointments, among other clerical duties. They may also take patients' vital signs and assist with some medical procedures. The starting wage for a medical assistant will vary, depending on location, employer and whether the individual has completed a formal post-secondary medical assisting program, among other factors.

Range

A medical assistant can expect to earn a salary on the low end of the typical salary range overall. Based on a 2009 survey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the hourly wage of medical assistants earning in the 10th percentile for salary (90 percent earn more) is $9.98, and that the annual salary for those earning in this percentile is $20,750. The hourly wage of a medical assistant earning in the 25th percentile (75 percent earn more) is $11.57, or $24,060 per year. The median hourly wage is $13.77, and the median annual salary is $28,650. Those earning in the 75th percentile (25 percent earn more), earn $16.23, or $33,760, while those in the 90th percentile (10 percent earn more) earn $19.21, or $39,970 per year.

Experience

According to the salary survey site PayScale.com, a medical assistant with less than a year of experience earns between $9.44 and $12.38 per hour. With one to four years of experience, the pay increases to between $10.18 and $13.29 per hour. A medical assistant with five to nine years of experience earns in the range of $11.97 to $15.13 per hour. With 10 to 19 years of experience, the pay range is $12. 61 to $16.28, and with over 20 years of experience, the range is $13.41 to $17.37 per hour.

Industries and Employers

The highest-paying industry for a medical assistant, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, where the average hourly wage is $22.32, and the average annual salary is $46,430. The second highest-paying industry is dentists' offices, where the average wage is $17.27 per hour or $35,920 per year. PayScale reports that medical assistants in private practices or firms earn in the range of $10.75 to $14.55 per hour and that hospital medical assistants earn between $10.89 and $14.57 per hour.

Cities

Medical assistants in Vallejo-Fairfield, California, earn an average hourly wage of $20.68, or $43,010 per year. Medical assistants in Salinas, California, have the second-highest average salary among U.S. metropolitan areas, with an hourly wage of $19.70, or $40,970 per year. The third highest-paying metro area is Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, where the average hourly wage is $19.56, or $40,690 per year.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical Assistants
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2009-Medical Assistants
• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Medical Assistant Jobs - By Years Experience
• PayScale: Hourly Rate Snapshot for Medical Assistant Jobs -- By Employer Type