Medical assistants

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Total Workforce

556k

Average Age

Average Salary

$31,031

Average Male Salary

$39,140

Average Female Salary

$30,258

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Medical assistants are most often employed by the Offices of physicians industry. The average yearly wage for Medical assistants was $31,031 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Medical assistants by wage are Telephone operators, Retail salespersons, and Counter & rental clerks.

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 Bakersfield City (West) PUMA, CA, Salem City (South) & Four Corners PUMA, OR, and South Coast Region PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Medical assistants are Salem City (South) & Four Corners PUMA, OR, San Antonio City (Central) PUMA, TX, and Portsmouth & Norfolk (Southwest) Cities PUMA, VA.

Photo by Fort Belvoir Community Hospital

Healthcare Support Occupations Healthcare Support Occupations Service Occupations

Employment

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 I-94 Corridor PUMA, MI but are relatively concentrated in Salem City (South) & Four Corners PUMA, OR.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$31,031

AVERAGE SALARY

± $656

In 2018, Medical assistants earned an average of $31,031, $22,858 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Retail salespersons make somewhat more than Medical assistants while Telephone operators make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Medical assistants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.259

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Medical assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.259, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Medical assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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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.

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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.

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Industries

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, and Outpatient care centers.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Medical assistants, by average wage, are Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, Employment services, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Scientific research & development services, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, and Other health care services.

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Industries by Share

556k

2018 Workforce

± 18,265

7.17%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.42%

The number of people employed as Medical assistants has been growing at a rate of 7.17%, from 518,369 people in 2017 to 555,549 people in 2018.

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 24.2% and Outpatient care centers with 16.3%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Medical assistants in the US. The average age of male Medical assistants in the workforce is 36.1 and of female Medical assistants is 37.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Medical assistants is White.

Gender Composition

48.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,398

507k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 17,455

91.3% of Medical assistants are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Medical assistants.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Medical assistants

White
Black
Other

67.3% of Medical assistants are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 14.7% of Medical assistants, Black is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Medical assistants.

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Age by Gender

36.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.4

37.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.414

The median age of Medical assistants is 37, and Male employees are generally 0.941 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

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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

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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, Science, and Speaking.