Medical Assistants
SOC 31-9092 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $50,918per year
- Projected openings
- 175,850
- Projected change
- +22.7%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth · Numerous Job Openings
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $77,317 | 2,020 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $64,688 | 2,480 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $64,349 | 12,320 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $64,061 | 9,570 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $63,812 | 1,490 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $62,557 | 13,970 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $60,173 | 7,750 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $59,927 | 470 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $51,123 | 2,170 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $50,465 | 1,330 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $49,889 | 870 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $49,714 | 2,900 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $49,560 | 440 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $49,509 | 1,370 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $49,138 | 13,410 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $48,974 | 610 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $48,881 | 1,280 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $48,511 | 850 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $48,079 | 2,240 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $47,387 | 35,860 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $47,308 | 860 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $47,174 | 660 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $47,143 | 2,360 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $46,949 | 15,950 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $46,670 | 820 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $46,526 | 3,960 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $45,971 | 5,150 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $43,935 | 16,890 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $40,695 | 680 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $40,314 | 1,030 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $40,314 | 2,490 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $81,982 | 81,600 | +15% |
| Ophthalmic Medical Technicians | $56,015 | 4,340 | +33.3% |
| Registered Nurses | $144,197 | 228,840 | +13.5% |
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | $80,358 | 4,280 | +15.5% |
| Physical Therapist Aides | $39,301 | 12,050 | +20.3% |
| Dental Assistants | $51,379 | 81,180 | +10% |
Leads to — 196
Clinical Medical Assistant
Merced Adult School · Merced · $3,245
Medical Office Assistant
East Los Angeles Skills Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $2,968
Medical Coder
East Los Angeles Skills Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $2,960
Medical Assistant
East Los Angeles Skills Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $3,101
Medical Secretary/Medical Front Office Assistant
East Los Angeles Skills Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $1,965
Medical Assistant
Grossmont Adult School · El Cajon · $800
Medical Assisting (Hybrid)
NIU College · Woodland Hills · $10,800
Clinical Medical Assisting - Back Office/ Front Office
Monrovia Community Adult School · Monrovia · $3,395
Clinical Medical Assisting - Back/Front office (Hybrid)
Monrovia Community Adult School · Monrovia · $3,395
Medical Assisting Certificate
Shasta College · Redding · $3,954
Clinical Medical Assistant-Front and Back Office (Hybrid)
Downey Adult School · Downey · $5,342
Medical Assistant and Phlebotomy
Downey Adult School · Downey · $6,501
Clinical Medical Assistant Front /Back Office
Downey Adult School · Downey · $5,401
Medical Assistant
North-West College · West Covina · $19,995
AS Degree Medical Assisting
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $5,262
Cert. of Achievement Medical Assisting
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $3,691
Medical Office Assistant
Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $3,230
Medical Assistant
Maxine Waters Employment Prep Center - LAUSD · Los Angeles · $2,725
Medical Assistant with Medical Terminology
North Orange County Regional Occupational Program · Anaheim · $4,050
Medical Assistant: Clinical & Administrative
North Orange County Regional Occupational Program · Anaheim · $3,350
Clinical Medical Assistant
Watsonville/Aptos/Santa Cruz Adult Education · Watsonville · $3,860
Medical Administrative Assistant/Billing and Coding Specialist
Contra Costa Medical Career College · Antioch · $7,895
Medical Assisting
Contra Costa Medical Career College · Antioch · $11,202
Clinical Medical Assisting
Contra Costa Medical Career College · Antioch · $6,942
Medical Assisting with Phlebotomy
Contra Costa Medical Career College · Antioch · $11,849
Medical Assisting - Medical Assisting AS Degree
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $4,129
Medical Assisting - Medical Assisting Certificate of Achievement
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $3,215
MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Sacramento City USD-Charles A. Jones · Sacramento · $6,520
Clinical Medical Assistant
Antelope Valley Adult School · Lancaster · $3,245
Medical Billing and Coding
Antelope Valley Adult School · Lancaster · $2,630
Medical Assisting (Certificate of Achievement)
Lassen Community College · Susanville · $1,593
Medical Assistant Program
Los Angeles Career College - Main · Northridge · $7,500
Clinical Medical Assistant
SF State, College of Professional & Global Education · San Francisco · $2,599
Medical Assisting Program w/ Phlebotomy
Bay Area Medical Academy · San Francisco · $16,850
Medical Assisting
Medical Career College of Northern California · Roseville · $16,248
Medical Assisting with Limited Permit X-ray Technician
Medical Career College of Northern California · Roseville · $27,020
Clinical Medical Assistant
Fresno City College · Fresno · $1,527
Medical Assisting / Patient Services Specialist
Stellar Career College · Modesto · $14,000
Clinical Medical Assistant - days (textbooks not included)
San Juan Adult School - Sunrise Tech · Citrus Heights · $1,270
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
Kern Valley Career Center · Bakersfield · $3,500