Medical assistants are a large U.S. healthcare occupation with strong projected growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 811,000 medical assistant jobs in 2024 and projects 12% growth from 2024 to 2034. The available statistics also show a predominantly female workforce, physician offices as the main workplace, and a May 2024 median annual wage of $44,200.
Table of contents
- Workforce demographics
- Employment scale and outlook
- Pay levels and wage distribution
- Where medical assistants work
- States with the largest employment
- Training and occupational structure
Workforce demographics
The 2024 annual-average Current Population Survey (CPS) estimated 630,000 employed medical assistants age 16 and over in the United States. This household-survey estimate describes people who were employed during the year, while other BLS employment measures count jobs using different methods. The CPS estimate should therefore be read as a distinct measure rather than treated as interchangeable with the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook job count.
Women made up 90.7% of employed medical assistants in the 2024 annual-average CPS estimate. The same estimate reported that White workers represented 71.6% of the occupation, Black or African American workers represented 21.0%, and Asian workers represented 4.7%. Hispanic or Latino workers represented 31.9% of employed medical assistants. These race and ethnicity categories describe separate reported characteristics and should not be added together as a single total.
The age distribution in the 2024 annual-average CPS was concentrated among workers ages 25 to 44:
| Age group | Employed medical assistants |
|---|---|
| 16 to 19 | 5,000 |
| 20 to 24 | 95,000 |
| 25 to 34 | 207,000 |
| 35 to 44 | 150,000 |
| 45 to 54 | 104,000 |
| 55 to 64 | 59,000 |
| 65 and over | 11,000 |
The median age was 35.4 years. The age counts above come from the 2024 annual-average CPS and are useful for describing the survey’s workforce profile; they are not a forecast of how the occupation’s age structure will change.
The CPS counted 539,000 full-time wage-and-salary medical assistants in 2024. Median weekly earnings for that group were $792. Among full-time female wage-and-salary medical assistants, the survey counted 490,000 workers and reported median weekly earnings of $779. It counted 48,000 full-time male wage-and-salary medical assistants. The male count and the female count should be understood within the survey’s reported full-time wage-and-salary categories, not as a complete count of every employed medical assistant.
Source: Household survey data, 2024 annual averages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment scale and outlook
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reported 811,000 medical assistant jobs in 2024. It projects 912,200 jobs in 2034, a numeric increase of 101,200 jobs. The projected growth rate is 12% from 2024 to 2034, and the BLS projects an average of 112,300 openings per year during that period. Annual openings can include opportunities created by growth as well as openings associated with workers leaving the occupation; the supplied BLS figures report the annual total but do not separate those components here.
The BLS Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics table provides a newer projection frame with a different base year. In the 2025 National Employment Matrix, medical assistants numbered 833,900 in 2025. That matrix projects 941,500 medical assistants in 2035, a 107,600-job increase and 12.9% growth from 2025 to 2035. It projects 109,700 openings per year on average from 2025 through 2035.
These two outlooks should not be combined into one time series. The first covers 2024 to 2034 from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; the second covers 2025 to 2035 from the 2025 National Employment Matrix. Their different base years, endpoint years, job counts, growth rates, and annual-opening estimates reflect the measurement periods specified by BLS.
| BLS projection measure | Base | Projected endpoint | Increase | Growth | Average annual openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Outlook Handbook | 811,000 jobs in 2024 | 912,200 in 2034 | 101,200 | 12% | 112,300, 2024–2034 |
| 2025 National Employment Matrix | 833,900 in 2025 | 941,500 in 2035 | 107,600 | 12.9% | 109,700, 2025–2035 |
Sources: Medical Assistants: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational projections and worker characteristics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pay levels and wage distribution
In May 2024, the median annual wage for medical assistants was $44,200, and the median hourly wage was $21.25. The median divides the reported wage distribution into two equal halves: half of workers earned less than the median and half earned more, subject to the scope of the BLS wage estimate.
The May 2024 wage distribution reported that the lowest-paid 10% of medical assistants earned less than $35,020 annually. The highest-paid 10% earned more than $57,830 annually. These figures show the distance between the lower and upper ends of the reported distribution, but they do not identify an individual’s likely wage. Experience, location, employer, duties, and other factors can affect actual pay; the supplied figures quantify the distribution without assigning those factors specific effects.
Workplace also corresponds to different reported median wages. Medical assistants in outpatient care centers had a $47,560 median annual wage in May 2024. Those in state, local, and private hospitals had a $45,930 median annual wage. Both figures are higher than the occupation-wide median annual wage of $44,200, but they represent industry-specific medians and should not be interpreted as a guarantee for every worker in those settings.
Source: Medical Assistants: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 wage data.
Where medical assistants work
Offices of physicians employed 57% of medical assistants in 2024, making them the largest reported employment setting. State, local, and private hospitals employed 17%; outpatient care centers employed 10%; and offices of other health practitioners employed 7%. The percentages identify the largest listed settings and do not by themselves account for every industry category.
The May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data also provide employment counts for selected industries:
| Industry | Medical assistants employed | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of physicians | 448,400 | May 2024 OEWS |
| General medical and surgical hospitals | 125,990 | May 2024 OEWS |
| Outpatient care centers | 79,050 | May 2024 OEWS |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 59,410 | May 2024 OEWS |
The percentage figures from the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the industry counts from OEWS are related but not identical presentations. The BLS reports the first set as shares of 2024 medical assistant employment and the second set as May 2024 OEWS employment counts for named industries. Keeping the labels and measurement periods visible avoids treating them as a single dataset.
Sources: Medical Assistants: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; OEWS Chart, May 2024.
States with the largest employment
May 2024 OEWS data identified the following state employment counts for medical assistants:
- California: 110,350
- Texas: 72,280
- Florida: 59,870
- New York: 39,250
- Georgia: 26,800
- North Carolina: 23,970
- Pennsylvania: 23,650
- Michigan: 23,620
- Arizona: 23,300
- Ohio: 23,210
California had the largest count among the listed states, followed by Texas and Florida. These are employment counts, not pay rankings, concentration rates, or forecasts. A state with a larger total can have more medical assistants because of its overall employment scale; the supplied data do not provide a state-by-state comparison of population-adjusted concentration or wages.
Source: Data tables for OEWS charts, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024.
Training and occupational structure
According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, medical-assistant programs typically take about 1 or 2 years to complete. This is a typical program timeline, not a requirement that every program or student follows the same schedule. The supplied statistic describes the length of programs and does not quantify completion rates, certification rates, tuition, or licensing requirements.
The 2025 National Employment Matrix reported that medical assistants represented 0.5% of total employment in 2025 and are projected to represent 0.5% of total employment in 2035. It also reported that medical assistants accounted for 0.2% of self-employed workers in 2025. These figures place the occupation within the broader employment structure; they do not state that 0.2% of medical assistants are self-employed. The wording concerns the occupation’s share of the relevant matrix categories.
For someone comparing training options with employment prospects, the statistics point to a defined entry timeline and a broad employment base: typical programs take about one or two years, physician offices account for the largest reported workplace share, and BLS projections show continued growth in both projection frames. The exact outlook depends on which BLS series and measurement period is being used, so the 2024–2034 and 2025–2035 figures should remain separate when evaluating career plans.
Sources: Medical Assistants: Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational projections and worker characteristics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.