Medical assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

549k

Average Age

36.6

Estimated Job Growth

19.2%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$32,585

Average Male Salary

$41,571

Average Female Salary

$31,660

About

Medical assistants are most often employed by the Offices of physicians industry. The average yearly wage for Medical assistants was $32,585 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Medical assistants by wage are Office clerks, general, Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood, and Adhesive bonding machine operators & tenders.

Medical assistants are part of the Healthcare Support Occupations, along with Home health aides, Personal care aides, Nursing assistants, Orderlies and psychiatric aides, Occupational therapy assistants & aides, and 9 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Medical assistants are Union City, Newark & Fremont (West) Cities PUMA, CA, Jacksonville City PUMA, NC, and Osceola County (West) PUMA, FL. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Medical assistants are Alamo & Donna Cities PUMA, TX, Weslaco & Mercedes Cities PUMA, TX, and Portsmouth & Norfolk (Southwest) Cities PUMA, VA.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Medical assistants and on wages and locations for those in the field. Offices of physicians is the industry that employs the most Medical assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Medical assistants, by average wage, is Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals. Medical assistants are paid most in Westpark Tollway, West of Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX but are relatively concentrated in Alamo & Donna Cities PUMA, TX.

Yearly Wage

$32,585

AVERAGE SALARY

± $740

In 2020, Medical assistants earned an average of $32,585, $23,369 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Adhesive bonding machine operators & tenders make somewhat more than Medical assistants while Office clerks, general make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Medical assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.28

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Medical assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.28, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Medical assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Medical assistants.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Medical assistants

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Medical assistants.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Medical assistants, by number of employees, are Offices of physicians, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, Offices of chiropractors, Offices of optometrists, Offices of other health practitioners, Nursing Care Facilities, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, U. S. Navy, and Home health care services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Medical assistants, by average wage, are Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, National security & international affairs, and Executive offices & legislative bodies.

Industries by Share

549k

2020 Workforce

± 18,162

1.35%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.63%

The number of people employed as Medical assistants has been growing at a rate of 1.35%, from 541,988 people in 2019 to 549,295 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Medical assistants employed by various industries. Offices of physicians employs the largest share of Medical assistants at 40.3%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 24.6% and Outpatient care centers with 16.2%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Medical assistants in the US. The average age of male Medical assistants in the workforce is 35.2 and of female Medical assistants is 36.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Medical assistants is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

51.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,559

498k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 17,297

90.7% of Medical assistants are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Medical assistants.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Medical assistants

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

48.7% of Medical assistants are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 16.4% of Medical assistants, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Medical assistants.

Age by Sex

35.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.37

36.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.417

The median age of Medical assistants is 36.6, and Male employees are generally 1.56 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Medical assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Medical assistants is Health but a relatively high number of Medical assistants hold a major in Health.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Medical assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medical assistants need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Medical assistants need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, and Science.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Medical Assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Medical Assistants are expected to see a growth of 19.2% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

19.2%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Medical Assistants. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.