31
Medical Assistants is a notable career in the 31 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Medical Assistants against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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| soc | 31-9092 |
| title | Medical Assistants |
| onet code | 31-9092.00 |
| description | Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician. |
| job zone | 3 |
| major group | 31 |
| tot emp | 793,460 |
| a mean | 44,720 |
| a median | 44,200 |
| a pct10 | 35,020 |
| a pct25 | 37,610 |
| a pct75 | 48,160 |
| a pct90 | 57,830 |
| h mean | 21 |
| h median | 21 |
The day-to-day work of a medical assistants typically centers on interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, and Active Listening. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.63 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working medical assistants, the most common entry qualification is a Post (44.7%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 17% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Washington at $55,120 and lowest in Mississippi at $34,800 — a 1.6× spread. The top five states (Washington, Alaska, Oregon, District of Columbia, Minnesota) average $51,200. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $55,120 | $55,050 | $43,810 | $69,320 | 18,430 |
| Alaska | $51,860 | $57,630 | $43,680 | $66,820 | 2,420 |
| Oregon | $49,900 | $51,120 | $40,830 | $61,100 | 11,610 |
| District of Columbia | $49,740 | $52,880 | $39,000 | $62,630 | 2,530 |
| Minnesota | $49,380 | $50,190 | $39,560 | $58,910 | 9,930 |
| Hawaii | $48,820 | $50,030 | $39,090 | $58,690 | 3,830 |
| Massachusetts | $48,540 | $50,390 | $40,190 | $60,850 | 16,210 |
| California | $48,050 | $52,770 | $37,610 | $75,180 | 110,350 |
| New Hampshire | $48,040 | $47,770 | $38,300 | $57,580 | 2,990 |
| Wisconsin | $47,610 | $47,230 | $38,440 | $55,880 | 12,900 |
| Colorado | $47,270 | $47,650 | $38,010 | $57,990 | 12,910 |
| Maine | $46,540 | $46,940 | $38,480 | $57,060 | 4,120 |
| Connecticut | $46,500 | $47,280 | $37,710 | $58,880 | 9,750 |
| New Jersey | $46,280 | $46,000 | $35,150 | $57,470 | 22,530 |
| Nebraska | $46,080 | $45,090 | $35,620 | $56,990 | 2,560 |
| New York | $46,040 | $48,050 | $36,980 | $58,250 | 39,250 |
| Rhode Island | $45,820 | $45,670 | $38,390 | $51,430 | 3,270 |
| Illinois | $45,490 | $44,870 | $35,560 | $54,960 | 22,990 |
| Arizona | $45,440 | $45,010 | $37,840 | $50,580 | 23,300 |
| Montana | $45,440 | $45,060 | $37,750 | $53,010 | 2,290 |
| Vermont | $45,330 | $45,610 | $39,310 | $52,720 | 1,090 |
| Maryland | $45,060 | $45,260 | $37,040 | $55,500 | 14,700 |
| Iowa | $43,670 | $43,500 | $36,190 | $50,950 | 5,260 |
| Nevada | $43,450 | $42,740 | $35,280 | $49,260 | 7,440 |
| Idaho | $43,400 | $43,600 | $35,340 | $55,700 | 5,090 |
| Utah | $43,040 | $42,710 | $34,990 | $50,930 | 9,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,810 | $42,940 | $35,720 | $49,890 | 23,650 |
| North Carolina | $42,600 | $42,520 | $34,920 | $51,720 | 23,970 |
| Indiana | $42,390 | $42,490 | $35,930 | $48,550 | 22,090 |
| Virginia | $42,310 | $42,260 | $35,040 | $48,510 | 15,990 |
| Delaware | $41,830 | $42,500 | $34,270 | $51,170 | 2,980 |
| Florida | $41,380 | $42,970 | $35,320 | $48,520 | 59,870 |
| North Dakota | $41,040 | $43,450 | $35,430 | $56,620 | 650 |
| Ohio | $40,430 | $41,830 | $35,270 | $48,300 | 23,210 |
| South Dakota | $39,350 | $40,190 | $31,450 | $47,840 | 1,170 |
| Missouri | $39,310 | $40,500 | $33,370 | $46,940 | 11,860 |
| Wyoming | $39,240 | $40,830 | $31,340 | $49,180 | 1,010 |
| Kansas | $39,090 | $40,700 | $33,030 | $47,920 | 4,920 |
| Georgia | $39,000 | $40,890 | $31,130 | $48,950 | 26,800 |
| New Mexico | $39,000 | $40,760 | $33,140 | $50,220 | 6,320 |
| Texas | $38,930 | $40,470 | $30,160 | $48,350 | 72,280 |
| Michigan | $38,840 | $40,600 | $35,090 | $47,280 | 23,620 |
| South Carolina | $38,820 | $40,070 | $31,240 | $47,120 | 11,750 |
| Kentucky | $38,750 | $39,420 | $30,220 | $47,100 | 14,070 |
| Tennessee | $38,150 | $40,070 | $32,180 | $48,080 | 19,940 |
| Oklahoma | $37,580 | $38,650 | $31,200 | $46,310 | 9,960 |
| Arkansas | $37,150 | $38,060 | $30,620 | $45,750 | 4,990 |
| Louisiana | $35,870 | $34,900 | $26,580 | $42,450 | 14,030 |
| West Virginia | $35,860 | $35,990 | $28,620 | $43,190 | 4,510 |
| Alabama | $34,980 | $34,860 | $28,280 | $43,530 | 12,760 |
| Mississippi | $34,800 | $35,620 | $28,080 | $44,600 | 3,700 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for medical assistants. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Autopsy Assistant or Bilingual Medical Assistant frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Medical Assistants compares to others in the 31 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Medical Assistants
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
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