Medical Assistants: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Healthcare Support · SOC 31-9092 · O*NET 31-9092.00
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.
Medical Assistants fall under the Healthcare Support category in the U.S. occupational classification. Medical Assistants earn a median salary of $44,200 per year, ranking in the top 78% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +12.5% job growth through 2034, projected to grow faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do medical assistants earn?
The median annual wage for medical assistants is $44,200. That puts medical assistants at #633 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $35,020 |
| 25th percentile | $37,610 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $44,200 |
| 75th percentile | $48,160 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $57,830 |
| Median hourly wage | $21.25/hr |
Is medical assistants a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for medical assistants is +12.5%, projected to grow faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 811K positions in 2024 to 912K in 2034, a net change of 101K. Faster-than-average growth means hiring is consistently outpacing the labor market overall. New entrants generally find their first roles faster than peers in stable fields.
What do medical assistants do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working medical assistants, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records.
- 2.Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing.
- 3.Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses.
- 4.Schedule appointments for patients.
- 5.Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
- 6.Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies.
- 7.Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic.
- 8.Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies.
Top skills for medical assistants
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become medical assistant?
Entry into medical assistants typically requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, often coupled with state licensing exams or clinical hours. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Licensing requirements for medical assistants
Medical Assistants are regulated at the state level in the United States. Practicing without a current license is not legal in most jurisdictions.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about medical assistants
What is the median salary for medical assistants?
The median annual salary for medical assistants is $44,200 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is medical assistants a growing career?
BLS projects +12.5% growth for medical assistants from 2024 through 2034, which is fast growth projected to grow faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become medical assistant?
The typical entry path requires an associate degree or accredited postsecondary certificate, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to medical assistants?
Related occupations within the Healthcare Support category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.