Medical Assistants
With 110,350 professionals, Medical Assistants is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Medical Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
110,350 Workforce in 2023
The Medical Assistants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Medical Assistants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$54,270 Average Wage
In 2023, Medical Assistants earned an average of $54,270.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Medical Assistants.
Salary distribution for Medical Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
492,942 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.9%
556,760 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 27.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Medical Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Medical Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Medical Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Medical Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Medical Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Medical Assistants.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 102,020 employees, $54,513 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Medical Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 24,130 employees, $50,434 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 11,180 employees, $46,989 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 10,450 employees, $49,159 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 8,810 employees, $64,697 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 8,590 employees, $51,864 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 7,610 employees, $63,125 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 6,060 employees, $65,326 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 5,300 employees, $63,563 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 3,410 employees, $49,262 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 2,650 employees, $47,256 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Medical Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Medical Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Medical Assistants in 2023 was 110,350 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Medical Assistants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Medical Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Medical Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Medical Assistants in 2023 were Health Sciences, Medical Assisting, Biology.
Common majors for Medical Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Medical Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Medical Assistants.
Skills
Medical Assistants need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Medical Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Medical Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Medical Assistants include English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Administrative, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Medical Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Medical Assistants include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Medical Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Medical Assistants.
Daily Activities
Medical Assistants spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Working with Computers, Documenting/Recording Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Assisting and Caring for Others.
Most important work activities for Medical Assistants.
About
Medical Assistants
The average yearly wage for Medical Assistants was $54,270 in 2023.
SOC Code
31-9092 - Medical Assistants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Medical Assistants reports an average salary of $54,270.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 110,350 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.