What will you make as a medical assistant? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind. It’s nice to know what you will need to do to become a medical assistant, but the main question that most people have is what their medical assistant salary is going to be. This varies from person to person, but there are some averages that you can keep in mind. Most medical assistants make good money for the limited education they need to get into this job sector, but some make significantly more than others. Here is a look at what you may earn if you choose to have a career in medical assisting.

Note that all the salaries below are based on averages from PayScale.com.

Medical Assisting Wages

Medical assistants make pretty good money when they first enter the work force. The average medical assistant earns between $9.67 and $16.64 an hour. Overtime rates usually range from $12.78 an hour to $25.14 an hour. Most medical assistants only work 40 hours a week, but there are those that work 60+ hours a week. If you dedicated a ton of time to this career, you could make very good money with overtime hours.

Women make up 95% of medical assistants in the industry at the moment, but they do not make much more or less than men. The average hourly rates between men and women only vary by $.60 per hour, with women making slightly more than men. Medical assistants with bachelor’s degrees make slightly more than those with associate’s degrees, but perhaps not enough to justify spending two extra years in an educational program.

Medical assistant salary levels vary based on location, so you may make more in some areas of the country than others. The city with the highest hourly rates in the country is Everett, Washington, where medical assistants earn between $14.87 and $19.95 an hour. Employees in San Francisco, California earn between $14.00 and $23.28 per hour, and those in Bellevue, Washington earn between $13.81 and $20.95 an hour. Washington seems to be the highest paying state to work in, but you can find high pay rates along both cost lines. You just have to think about the cost of living in those areas. At the end of the day, you may take home the same amount in the Midwest as you would along the east or west coast.

Medical Assistant Salary Levels

If you are more interested in finding out what medical assistants make in a year, you need to learn about medical assistant salary levels. These typically vary by experience level, where more experienced medical assistants earn more money. You will likely earn $16,570 to $36,082 when you first start your career, and then you could earn between $16,585 and $373591 a year if you have one to four years of experience. Between five to nine years of experience, you may see salary levels between $19,661 and $39,034 a year. Once you reach 10 to 19 years of experience, that pay rate will jump to $22,587 and $45,147 a year. Medical assistants with 20 years of experience or more usually earn $24,730 to $56,236 a year.

Medical Assistant Salaries Compared to Other Salaries

Medical assistants somewhat represent the bottom of the totem pole in the medical world. Thus they do not make as much money as some other workers in this field. The average certified medical assistant makes more than the average uncertified medical assistant, which may persuade you to earn a license before you enter this career. Registered nurses typically earn between $39,828 and $80,468 a year, but they have to go through a lot of extra training. Many medical assistants go to school online to become RNs so they can earn more money in their work.

Medical office managers usually make between $24,964 and $56,847 a year. That is comparable to the overall average salary for medical assistants, which ranges from $20,116 to $36,234 a year. As a whole, medical assistants get paid well compared to other workers, especially for the limited training they go through to gain employment in medical assisting.

Conclusion

Your medical assistant salary will depend on the place you work for and the overall experience you have as a medical assistant. The New England area usually offers high paying job opportunities, but there are job openings throughout the country. This is a thriving field, so you should have no trouble finding work when you complete your training. At least now you know how much you can make as a result of that.