Medical Assistants in California
Get the information you need to know about working as a Medical Assistant.
You’re in luck! Jobs for Medical Assistants in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.
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Projected employment for Medical Assistants in California is growing faster than average.
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Medical Assistants in California earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.
What Major Will Prepare You For a Medical Assistant Career?
- Health Professions
- Health & Medical Administrative Services
- Medical Office Assistant/Specialist
- Medical Reception/Receptionist
- Medical Insurance Coding Specialist/Coder
- Medical Administrative/Executive Assistant & Medical Secretary
- Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services
- Medical/Clinical Assistant
- Anesthesiologist Assistant
- Chiropractic Assistant/Technician
How Many Medical Assistants Work in California?
There were approximately 92,960 workers employed as Medical Assistants in this state in 2018.
There were 89,910 Medical Assistants employed in this state in 2017.
That’s growth of 3,050 jobs between 2017 and 2018.
The typical state has 8,970 Medical Assistants working in it, which means California has more Medical Assistants than average.
Job Projections for California
Jobs for Medical Assistants in this state are growing at a rate of 29.2% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 29.0%.
California Annual Job Openings
The BLS is projecting 12,720 annual Medical Assistants job openings in California, and 109,600 total jobs in the year 2026.
Nationwide, the prediction is 94,900 annual jobs and 818,400 total jobs in 2026.
What do Medical Assistants Make in California?
In 2018 wages for Medical Assistants ranged from $25,600 to $55,830 with $36,080 being the median annual salary.
Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $12.31 to $26.84. The median hourly rate was $17.34.
Workers in this field were paid a median of $16.66 an hour in 2017.
The hourly rate grew by $0.68.
The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.
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Top California Metros for Medical Assistants
The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Medical Assistants.
Metro | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 33,280 | $34,810 |
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 11,960 | $45,130 |
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 8,590 | $31,650 |
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 7,350 | $37,190 |
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 6,340 | $37,730 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 4,410 | $43,040 |
Fresno, CA | 2,900 | $32,860 |
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 1,980 | $36,900 |
Bakersfield, CA | 1,760 | $29,400 |
Stockton-Lodi, CA | 1,600 | $36,420 |
Modesto, CA | 1,520 | $34,320 |
Santa Rosa, CA | 1,330 | $41,780 |
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 1,050 | $33,810 |
Salinas, CA | 1,000 | $36,680 |
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | 980 | $51,620 |
Visalia-Porterville, CA | 920 | $31,450 |
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | 750 | $38,760 |
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 680 | $43,210 |
Redding, CA | 610 | $33,170 |
Chico, CA | 490 | $33,390 |
Merced, CA | 420 | $29,310 |
Napa, CA | 340 | $40,640 |
Yuba City, CA | 340 | $35,340 |
El Centro, CA | 320 | $29,960 |
Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 290 | $30,220 |
Madera, CA | 250 | $29,230 |
Top States for Medical Assistants Employment
View the list below to see where most Medical Assistants work.
State | Number Employed | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|---|
California | 92,960 | $36,080 |
Texas | 59,930 | $31,030 |
Florida | 55,330 | $32,170 |
Pennsylvania | 27,590 | $31,830 |
New York | 26,080 | $36,640 |
Georgia | 24,570 | $31,790 |
Ohio | 23,930 | $31,680 |
Illinois | 23,830 | $34,640 |
Michigan | 23,680 | $31,900 |
New Jersey | 19,110 | $35,290 |
North Carolina | 18,340 | $32,710 |
Arizona | 18,250 | $32,880 |
Indiana | 14,810 | $32,110 |
Washington | 14,450 | $40,620 |
Virginia | 14,170 | $33,710 |
Tennessee | 14,070 | $31,220 |
Massachusetts | 13,710 | $39,240 |
Oregon | 12,960 | $38,200 |
Maryland | 12,630 | $35,270 |
Wisconsin | 11,350 | $36,430 |
Below are the states where Medical Assistants get paid the most:
State | Annual Median Salary |
---|---|
Alaska | $44,230 |
District of Columbia | $41,500 |
Washington | $40,620 |
Minnesota | $39,880 |
Massachusetts | $39,240 |
Oregon | $38,200 |
Hawaii | $37,420 |
Connecticut | $36,950 |
New York | $36,640 |
North Dakota | $36,480 |
Related Careers in California
You may also be interested in the following careers:
Occupation | California Employment Total |
---|---|
Dental Assistants | 53,110 |
Healthcare Support Workers | 12,680 |
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 12,410 |
Phlebotomists | 12,190 |
Pharmacy Aides | 9,480 |
Medical Equipment Preparers | 6,300 |
Medical Transcriptionists | 4,920 |
References
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
More about our data sources and methodologies.