Medical Assistant Salary by State (2026)

Medical Assistants earn the most in Washington at $59,290 a year and the least in Guam at $33,570 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $45,690. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.

Highest median
$59,290

Washington

National median
$45,690

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Lowest median
$33,570

Guam

States reporting
54

of 54 OEWS areas

Top 5 states for Medical Assistants

  1. 1. Washington$59,290 median · $55,404 adjusted · 19,500 employed
  2. 2. Alaska$52,560 median · $51,349 adjusted · 2,140 employed
  3. 3. District of Columbia$51,050 median · $46,451 adjusted · 2,260 employed
  4. 4. Minnesota$50,480 median · $51,186 adjusted · 10,580 employed
  5. 5. Oregon$50,410 median · $48,771 adjusted · 11,840 employed

Lowest-paying states for Medical Assistants

  1. 54. Guam$33,570 median · no price parity · 270 employed
  2. 53. Mississippi$35,360 median · $40,666 adjusted · 3,340 employed
  3. 52. Alabama$36,100 median · $40,643 adjusted · 13,300 employed
  4. 51. Louisiana$36,320 median · $41,176 adjusted · 12,310 employed
  5. 50. West Virginia$37,180 median · $41,543 adjusted · 4,540 employed

Medical Assistant salary in every state

Sort by any column. Employment is the number of medical assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.

Annual wages by state, sortable by median, quartiles, employment and cost-of-living adjusted median
#
1Washington$59,290$49,310$63,59019,500$55,404
2Alaska$52,560$48,930$61,5102,140$51,349
3District of Columbia$51,050$47,740$59,8502,260$46,451
4Minnesota$50,480$47,220$58,54010,580$51,186
5Oregon$50,410$47,170$59,16011,840$48,771
6California$49,660$46,240$61,870117,060$44,852
7Massachusetts$49,460$46,910$58,10014,880$46,768
8Wisconsin$48,680$46,370$55,00013,810$51,735
9Hawaii$48,410$45,290$55,9403,890$44,029
10Colorado$48,400$45,280$55,57013,160$46,967
11New Hampshire$48,020$45,090$51,5803,000$46,100
12New York$48,000$43,600$55,12040,710$44,477
13Maine$47,580$45,420$51,4604,480$49,026
14Connecticut$47,430$45,180$50,21010,250$45,777
15Nebraska$47,370$42,860$50,0102,380$52,573
16Vermont$47,250$45,550$50,1301,140$48,235
17New Jersey$47,210$42,150$49,92020,330$43,390
18Rhode Island$47,190$45,370$48,6303,210$46,138
19Montana$46,820$40,900$48,9602,460$49,469
20Maryland$46,410$39,390$49,11016,390$44,217
21Puerto Rico$46,120$28,900$59,990660N/A
22Illinois$46,090$38,970$49,46020,260$46,109
23North Dakota$45,980$39,090$54,620600$51,687
24Arizona$45,940$40,370$48,45021,460$45,631
25Iowa$45,480$38,980$48,0305,990$51,822
26Utah$45,360$38,460$48,1709,990$45,881
27Nevada$45,200$38,270$47,3307,760$45,209
28North Carolina$45,140$38,490$47,50023,650$47,855
29Indiana$45,110$39,160$47,29019,630$48,334
30Virginia$44,740$38,840$46,57016,650$44,251
31Idaho$44,700$37,780$48,1605,250$46,809
32Delaware$44,490$38,750$46,8902,880$44,576
33Pennsylvania$43,920$38,950$46,49023,050$45,013
34Florida$43,680$37,830$46,80066,110$42,238
35Ohio$42,810$38,060$46,27028,950$46,144
36South Dakota$41,870$37,730$45,8701,340$47,265
37Georgia$41,600$36,910$46,87028,780$43,201
38South Carolina$41,160$37,290$46,95012,110$43,904
39Wyoming$40,920$36,770$46,9001,040$44,147
40Missouri$40,440$37,380$46,60013,050$44,529
41Michigan$39,870$37,420$46,02027,810$41,438
42Tennessee$39,570$37,160$45,58019,180$43,072
43Texas$39,520$36,520$46,18075,340$40,718
44Kansas$39,510$37,050$46,3805,510$43,867
45Kentucky$39,270$36,560$45,94013,440$43,556
46New Mexico$39,230$37,240$45,9705,400$42,543
47Oklahoma$38,750$36,600$45,63010,510$44,113
48U.S. Virgin Islands$38,130$36,230$41,180120N/A
49Arkansas$37,760$35,700$42,9005,150$43,434
50West Virginia$37,180$35,540$41,1404,540$41,543
51Louisiana$36,320$32,020$38,55012,310$41,176
52Alabama$36,100$32,390$38,36013,300$40,643
53Mississippi$35,360$31,200$38,1903,340$40,666
54Guam$33,570$29,460$36,220270N/A

How the cost-of-living adjustment works

The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.

For Medical Assistants, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $59,290, while Washington leads once prices are taken into account at $55,404.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.

Medical Assistant pay by state: FAQ

Which state pays Medical Assistants the most?

Washington reports the highest median wage for Medical Assistants at $59,290 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($52,560) and District of Columbia ($51,050).

Which state pays Medical Assistants the least?

Guam reports the lowest median for Medical Assistants at $33,570 a year, $25,720 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Where do Medical Assistants earn the most after cost of living?

Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Washington first at $55,404 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $59,290. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

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