Average Certified Medical Assistant Salary (Annually & Hourly)

Certified medical assistants are in high demand all over the United States. They are one of the fastest-growing careers and earn decent pay. You can prepare to take the exam to become a certified medical assistant in as little as 4 months and work in a variety of healthcare settings.

So what is the average certified medical assistant salary?

The average certified medical assistant earns $40,658 which comes out to about $20.84 per hour. This can change based on where you live and the type of office you work in, as well as any additional training or certifications you have. 

This guide will go over salary ranges for certified medical assistants based on the type of medical assisting, type of certification, and location of your workplace. 

Certified Medical Assistant Salary Overview

The American Association of Medical Assistants released a 2023 report stating that certified medical assistants earn about $40,658 per year, or $20.84 per hour. About 96% of full-time medical assistants also receive some kind of benefits package from their employer. Indeed.com also shows an average of $20.23 per hour for certified medical assistant pay. 

PayScale.com shows an average salary of $18.21 per hour for certified medical assistants while Glassdoor.com shows an average of $24.51 per hour. 

The type of office you choose has a large impact on potential salaries. Certified medical assistants working in specialty outpatient clinics earn closer to $41,940, while chiropractic assistants earn closer to $35,194 per year. 

The BLS shows that medical assisting is a growing field with a great job outlook. Medical assisting jobs are expected to increase by 16% by 2030. This higher demand for medial assistants is likely to result in increased wages for both new and experienced medical assistants. 

>> Read More: Highest-Paying Medical Assistant Specialties

Medical Assistant Salaries by Certification Type (CMA, RMA, CCMA)

CMAs are paid slightly more than RMAs, according to medical-assisting.us.  

On the popular job search site Indeed.com, the average salary for both a CMA and CCMA is $17.56 per hour and the average pay for an RMA is $17.94 per hour, accordion to PayScale.com

>> Learn More: CMA vs RMA vs CCMA

Certified Medical Assistant Salary Based on Where You Work

When you become a certified medical assistant, you can choose a specialty. 

Types of medical assistants include primary care, chiropractic offices, geriatrics, pediatrics, research, and outpatient clinics. Each of these specialties vary in what they will pay their medical assistants, and some require additional training. 

Medical assistants working in research generally have the highest salaries. They can start as high as $25 per hour. 

Outpatient clinics are another high-paying medical assistant option with an average salary of $24 per hour. 

Primary care clinics generally pay the least, with starting salaries around $21 per hour. 

If you want to work in a lower paying specialty like primary care of pediatrics, you might be able to earn more money by earning extra certifications or completing extra education. Certifications in phlebotomy, EKG, medical coding, or learning a second language are all skills that can increase your value as a medical assistant and help you earn a higher salary. 

>> Read More: Highest-Paying Medical Assistant Specialties

Certified Medical Assistant Salary by State

Here is the most recently available state-specific data for medical assistant salaries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Note that the data is for medical assistants, in general, not necessarily CMAs.

State Hourly Median Annual Median
Alabama $16.37 $34,050
Alaska $24.12 $50,160
Arizona $21.04 $43,770
Arkansas $16.85 $35,050
California $22.45 $46,690
Colorado $22.01 $45,770
Connecticut $22.01 $45,780
Delaware $19.35 $40,250
District of Columbia $23.42 $48,710
Florida $18.43 $38,340
Georgia $18.30 $38,060
Hawaii $22.56 $46,930
Idaho $19.55 $40,670
Illinois $20.60 $42,850
Indiana $19.56 $40,680
Iowa $20.67 $42,980
Kansas $18.11 $37,670
Kentucky $17.86 $37,140
Louisiana $16.48 $34,280
Maine $21.45 $44,610
Maryland $21.16 $44,010
Massachusetts $22.97 $47,770
Michigan $18.41 $38,300
Minnesota $23.51 $48,890
Mississippi $16.36 $34,040
Missouri $18.40 $38,260
Montana $21.17 $44,040
Nebraska $19.17 $39,870
Nevada $19.20 $39,940
New Hampshire $22.23 $46,240
New Jersey $21.80 $45,340
New Mexico $18.10 $37,640
New York $21.85 $45,440
North Carolina $19.32 $40,190
North Dakota $19.65 $40,880
Ohio $18.40 $38,280
Oklahoma $17.91 $37,240
Oregon $23.25 $48,350
Pennsylvania $18.98 $39,480
Rhode Island $21.15 $43,980
South Carolina $17.99 $37,420
South Dakota $17.44 $36,280
Tennessee $17.96 $37,350
Texas $18.06 $37,570
Utah $19.36 $40,270
Vermont $21.39 $44,480
Virginia $19.34 $40,240
Washington $25.29 $52,600
West Virginia $16.51 $34,340
Wisconsin $22.27 $46,320
Wyoming $18.62 $38,730
Guam $14.50 $30,160
Puerto Rico $11.82 $24,590
Virgin Islands $18.18 $37,810

Certified Medical Assistant Salary by City

Below you can see average medical assistant salaries at some large cities across the U.S. according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Note that the data is for medical assistants, in general, not necessarily CMAs.

Metro Area Primary State Hourly Median Annual Median
Albuquerque, NM NM $18.42 $38,310
Ann Arbor, MI MI $20.54 $42,710
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA GA $19.10 $39,720
Austin-Round Rock, TX TX $21.58 $44,880
Bakersfield, CA CA $18.94 $39,400
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD MD $21.02 $43,720
Baton Rouge, LA LA $17.08 $35,530
Birmingham-Hoover, AL AL $17.36 $36,110
Boise City, ID ID $19.86 $41,300
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY NY $19.63 $40,820
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL FL $18.84 $39,190
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC NC $20.78 $43,230
Chattanooga, TN-GA TN $17.86 $37,150
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI IL $21.64 $45,010
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN OH $19.16 $39,860
Cleveland-Elyria, OH OH $18.73 $38,960
Colorado Springs, CO CO $20.88 $43,420
Columbus, OH OH $18.83 $39,170
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX TX $18.87 $39,240
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO CO $22.29 $46,370
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI MI $18.23 $37,920
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC NC $20.27 $42,160
Fresno, CA CA $21.61 $44,940
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI MI $18.99 $39,510
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX TX $18.66 $38,810
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN IN $20.68 $43,010
Jacksonville, FL FL $18.37 $38,210
Kansas City, MO-KS MO $19.49 $40,530
Knoxville, TN TN $17.90 $37,230
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV NV $18.66 $38,810
Lexington-Fayette, KY KY $18.36 $38,190
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CA $21.51 $44,740
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN KY $18.66 $38,800
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX TX $13.77 $28,650
Memphis, TN-MS-AR TN $18.05 $37,550
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL FL $19.05 $39,620
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI WI $22.83 $47,490
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MN $24.33 $50,610
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN TN $19.11 $39,760
New Orleans-Metairie, LA LA $17.27 $35,920
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA NY $22.37 $46,530
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL FL $20.58 $42,800
Oklahoma City, OK OK $18.19 $37,840
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL FL $17.98 $37,400
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD PA $21.49 $44,700
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ AZ $21.75 $45,250
Pittsburgh, PA PA $18.39 $38,240
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA OR $23.96 $49,850
Provo-Orem, UT UT $17.99 $37,410
Raleigh, NC NC $19.50 $40,570
Richmond, VA VA $19.04 $39,610
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $19.00 $39,520
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA CA $28.61 $59,520
St. Louis, MO-IL MO $18.83 $39,160
Salt Lake City, UT UT $20.59 $42,820
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX TX $18.05 $37,550
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA CA $22.52 $46,850
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA CA $28.74 $59,770
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA CA $29.09 $60,500
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA WA $28.20 $58,660
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL FL $18.53 $38,540
Tucson, AZ AZ $18.72 $38,930
Tulsa, OK OK $17.97 $37,380
Urban Honolulu, HI HI $22.29 $46,360
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC VA $18.67 $38,830
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV DC $22.39 $46,570
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH MA $23.06 $47,960
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT CT $22.41 $46,620
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT CT $21.96 $45,670
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA RI $21.15 $43,980

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