Medical assistant salary in California

Think of the median as the midpoint. Half of medical assistants bring in more than that number, and half bring in less. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, California's lowest-paid 10% make $39,290 or less, while the top 10% make $77,300 or more.

The bulk of workers fall somewhere in between. Across the state, the middle 50% of medical assistants earn from $46,240 up to $61,870 a year.

The average wage, at $55,100 a year, tells a slightly different story. An average totals every wage and divides it equally, so a handful of big paychecks push it higher than the median.

Out of 51 (the 50 states plus Washington, DC), California comes in 6th for median medical assistant pay. The role is also widespread in the state. Roughly 117,060 Californians hold medical assistant jobs, equal to 6.4 out of every 1,000 jobs. California ranks 7th of 51 for how common the job is, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Your location within California can shift your yearly pay by tens of thousands of dollars.

Pay is highest around Vallejo, where the median reaches $77,410 a year, and lowest around Merced, at $39,800. If you're after the most openings, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim has about 39,770 medical assistant jobs, more than any other metro area in the state.

Working as a medical assistant is one of a few ways to get started in health care. The California figures below are drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In California, medical assistants earn slightly more than nursing assistants, while phlebotomists and nurses bring in higher pay.

The state's labor agency projects medical assistant employment growing from 113,600 jobs in 2024 to 139,400 by 2034. That growth of 22.7% compares with 12.5% nationwide, per Projections Central. For projected growth in this occupation, California ranks 9th of 51.

Each year, the state should see roughly 17,580 openings for medical assistants. That figure covers both newly created roles and positions vacated by workers moving on.

Career schools often charge a single price for the full program. Nationwide, career schools that price the whole program charge a median of $17,257 for tuition, fees and books (2023-24). At public colleges across the country, a year of full-time study costs a median of $4,346 in local tuition and fees, based on federal college data.

Career school programs tend to be brief. The median length is 9 months, with programs running anywhere from 2 months to 32 months.

Certain programs offer online coursework. The hands-on clinical portion, where you practice with real patients under supervision, still happens face to face.

Our directory covers 151 California schools whose medical assistant graduates appear in the federal College Navigator survey. Of these, 36 run an accredited program, meaning an outside organization, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets their standards.

California expects about 17,580 medical assistant openings every year, and most career programs take around 9 months. Choose an accredited program on our California programs page, then use the Request information form after the program tables to contact that one school today.