Medical assistant salary in Georgia

Half of Georgia's medical assistants earn between $36,910 and $46,870 a year. That spread covers the middle half of everyone doing this work, so it gives you a realistic idea of a typical paycheck.

The average lands slightly above the median. The source for these numbers is the wage survey run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Out of 51, counting the 50 states plus Washington, DC, Georgia comes in at 36 for median medical assistant pay. The role is fairly common in the state, with roughly 28,780 medical assistants working here, or 5.9 out of every 1,000 jobs. By that measure, Georgia stands 21st for how widespread the job is, according to the BLS.

Your location matters. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell offers the highest pay, with median pay of $46,060 a year; it also holds the largest share of jobs.

Among Georgia's metro areas, Valdosta shows the lowest median. The Atlanta area has the highest metro median pay in Georgia and the most medical assistant jobs, about 16,910, so it is a strong place to look.

Yes, and fast. The state's labor agency projects medical assistant jobs climbing from 26,040 in 2024 up to 33,080 by 2034, a 27.1% increase. The national projection is 12.5%, meaning Georgia is growing at more than double the pace and ranks 6th out of 51, per Projections Central.

Georgia should see about 4,210 openings each year. That figure includes brand-new jobs along with spots that open up when workers move on.

In Georgia, medical assistants earn more than nursing assistants ($37,680) and less than phlebotomists, who take blood for testing ($45,840), and less than nurses.

Nursing pays better. Each of these figures appears in the BLS wage tables.

Our list covers 39 Georgia schools that report medical assistant graduate numbers to the federal education survey. Among them, 21 run an accredited program. Accreditation means a recognized national body, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets their standards.

Across the US, career school programs take a median of 9 months to complete. The median published cost for the full program, covering tuition, fees and books, comes to $17,257. At a public college, one year of full-time study for in-district students carries a median price of $4,346, based on IPEDS.

With about 4,210 openings a year and jobs growing more than twice as fast as the national pace, now is a good time to start. Some programs let you take classes online, with the supervised clinical practice, or externship, done in person. Compare accredited programs on our Georgia programs page, choose one school, and send its short Request information form.