Dental Assistants
Median $48,070
Occupation · SOC 31-9092
Medical Assistants: pay and where the jobs are
What medical assistants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$45,690 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $46,120
- Median hourly wage
- $21.97
- Mean hourly wage
- $22.17
- Employment
- 817,870
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9092.
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See where your pay falls among medical assistants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do medical assistants make?
The median annual wage for medical assistants was $45,690 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,050 and the highest-paid 10% more than $59,310. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.97. About 817,870 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($59,290), Alaska ($52,560) and District of Columbia ($51,050). Washington also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for medical assistants looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,050 | $17.33 | $3,004 | $2,596 |
| 25th percentile | $38,470 | $18.50 | $3,206 | $2,758 |
| Median | $45,690 | $21.97 | $3,808 | $3,241 |
| 75th percentile | $49,180 | $23.65 | $4,098 | $3,475 |
| 90th percentile | $59,310 | $28.52 | $4,943 | $4,153 |
Medical Assistants: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$45,786 take-home in national prices
2
$43,981 take-home in national prices
3
$43,246 take-home in national prices
Where a median medical assistant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 19,500 | $59,290 | $46,540 | $74,200 | $48,997 | $45,786 |
| Alaska | 2,140 | $52,560 | $46,060 | $65,040 | $44,149 | $43,132 |
| District of Columbia | 2,260 | $51,050 | $39,620 | $76,900 | $41,302 | $37,581 |
| Minnesota | 10,580 | $50,480 | $40,110 | $60,100 | $40,609 | $41,177 |
| Oregon | 11,840 | $50,410 | $43,760 | $62,160 | $39,146 | $37,873 |
| California | 117,060 | $49,660 | $39,290 | $77,300 | $40,417 | $36,504 |
| Massachusetts | 14,880 | $49,460 | $43,280 | $61,870 | $39,441 | $37,294 |
| Wisconsin | 13,810 | $48,680 | $39,480 | $57,990 | $39,783 | $42,279 |
| Hawaii | 3,890 | $48,410 | $38,580 | $60,030 | $38,925 | $35,402 |
| Colorado | 13,160 | $48,400 | $39,130 | $59,760 | $39,435 | $38,267 |
| New Hampshire | 3,000 | $48,020 | $39,640 | $60,100 | $40,764 | $39,134 |
| New York | 40,710 | $48,000 | $37,280 | $59,480 | $38,514 | $35,688 |
| Maine | 4,480 | $47,580 | $40,220 | $59,220 | $38,631 | $39,805 |
| Connecticut | 10,250 | $47,430 | $38,480 | $59,530 | $38,169 | $36,839 |
| Nebraska | 2,380 | $47,370 | $37,940 | $59,450 | $38,966 | $43,246 |
| Vermont | 1,140 | $47,250 | $40,570 | $58,420 | $38,996 | $39,809 |
| New Jersey | 20,330 | $47,210 | $37,010 | $58,070 | $38,664 | $35,535 |
| Rhode Island | 3,210 | $47,190 | $39,280 | $56,840 | $38,425 | $37,569 |
| Montana | 2,460 | $46,820 | $38,670 | $56,770 | $38,356 | $40,526 |
| Maryland | 16,390 | $46,410 | $36,930 | $57,250 | $37,632 | $35,854 |
| Puerto Rico | 660 | $46,120 | $22,380 | $60,200 | — | — |
| Illinois | 20,260 | $46,090 | $36,400 | $56,590 | $37,077 | $37,092 |
| North Dakota | 600 | $45,980 | $37,650 | $58,230 | $39,125 | $43,981 |
| Arizona | 21,460 | $45,940 | $38,100 | $51,310 | $38,338 | $38,080 |
| Iowa | 5,990 | $45,480 | $36,730 | $54,960 | $37,647 | $42,896 |
| Utah | 9,990 | $45,360 | $35,890 | $56,260 | $37,221 | $37,649 |
| Nevada | 7,760 | $45,200 | $37,400 | $55,120 | $38,498 | $38,506 |
| North Carolina | 23,650 | $45,140 | $36,010 | $50,850 | $37,158 | $39,393 |
| Indiana | 19,630 | $45,110 | $37,060 | $50,480 | $37,125 | $39,778 |
| Virginia | 16,650 | $44,740 | $37,090 | $52,000 | $36,370 | $35,973 |
| Idaho | 5,250 | $44,700 | $35,500 | $56,740 | $36,836 | $38,574 |
| Delaware | 2,880 | $44,490 | $36,540 | $57,280 | $35,957 | $36,027 |
| Pennsylvania | 23,050 | $43,920 | $36,810 | $48,500 | $36,091 | $36,989 |
| Florida | 66,110 | $43,680 | $35,880 | $49,040 | $37,277 | $36,046 |
| Ohio | 28,950 | $42,810 | $36,050 | $48,560 | $35,844 | $38,636 |
| South Dakota | 1,340 | $41,870 | $35,980 | $48,960 | $35,823 | $40,438 |
| Georgia | 28,780 | $41,600 | $34,270 | $51,430 | $34,278 | $35,598 |
| South Carolina | 12,110 | $41,160 | $34,730 | $49,110 | $34,725 | $37,041 |
| Wyoming | 1,040 | $40,920 | $31,200 | $51,840 | $35,059 | $37,824 |
| Missouri | 13,050 | $40,440 | $35,810 | $48,360 | $33,710 | $37,119 |
| Michigan | 27,810 | $39,870 | $35,000 | $48,330 | $32,772 | $34,060 |
| Tennessee | 19,180 | $39,570 | $34,840 | $48,540 | $33,974 | $36,981 |
| Texas | 75,340 | $39,520 | $31,200 | $49,260 | $33,934 | $34,963 |
| Kansas | 5,510 | $39,510 | $35,140 | $48,300 | $32,521 | $36,108 |
| Kentucky | 13,440 | $39,270 | $32,950 | $47,940 | $32,477 | $36,021 |
| New Mexico | 5,400 | $39,230 | $34,600 | $47,850 | $32,982 | $35,767 |
| Oklahoma | 10,510 | $38,750 | $31,880 | $47,640 | $32,117 | $36,562 |
| Virgin Islands | 120 | $38,130 | $34,790 | $45,560 | — | — |
| Arkansas | 5,150 | $37,760 | $30,840 | $46,060 | $31,611 | $36,360 |
| West Virginia | 4,540 | $37,180 | $30,890 | $45,350 | $31,100 | $34,750 |
| Louisiana | 12,310 | $36,320 | $28,970 | $44,460 | $30,660 | $34,759 |
| Alabama | 13,300 | $36,100 | $29,630 | $45,040 | $29,729 | $33,470 |
| Mississippi | 3,340 | $35,360 | $29,210 | $45,070 | $29,909 | $34,397 |
| Guam | 270 | $33,570 | $28,430 | $36,410 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9092. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.