Medical assistant salary in New York
The typical medical assistant salary in New York is about $48,000 a year, or roughly $23.08 an hour. That median is the middle point: half of the state's medical assistants earn above it and half earn below it.
- Yearly median: $48,000
- Hourly median: $23.08
- Bottom 10%: $37,280 or under
- Top 10%: $59,480 or above
- Expected job growth 2024–2034: 13.3%
With about 5,920 medical assistant openings in New York every year, now is a good time to start. Choose one of the state's 12 accredited programs on our New York medical assistant programs page and send the brief "Request information" form just below the program table. Your request goes straight to that school, so you can ask about cost, schedule and start dates.
- Median a year
- $48,000
- Lowest-paid tenth
- $37,280 or less
- Best-paid tenth
- $59,480 or more
- Medical assistant jobs
- 40,710
- Job growth 2024 to 2034
- +13.3%
How does New York pay stack up against the rest of the US?
The state's median comes in 5% higher than the national median of $45,690. For medical assistant pay, the state comes in at 12 out of 51, a ranking that covers the 50 states plus Washington, DC.
The average wage runs slightly higher than the median, at $48,750 per year. A few high earners pull the average up, so the median gives you the clearest picture of what a typical medical assistant actually takes home.
Medical assistant pay in each New York metro area
| Metro area | Median a year | Median an hour | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca, NY | $53,760 | $25.85 | 390 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $48,370 | $23.26 | 44,060 |
| Glens Falls, NY | $47,860 | $23.01 | 190 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $45,450 | $21.85 | 1,060 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $44,870 | $21.57 | 1,390 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $44,650 | $21.47 | 2,310 |
| Syracuse, NY | $44,250 | $21.27 | 1,230 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $44,020 | $21.16 | 330 |
| Kingston, NY | $42,620 | $20.49 | 90 |
| Rochester, NY | $41,710 | $20.05 | 1,890 |
| Binghamton, NY | $41,110 | $19.76 | 290 |
| Elmira, NY | $40,010 | $19.23 | 190 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $39,110 | $18.80 | 70 |
Medical assistant pay range in New York
The middle half of New York medical assistants take home from $43,600 up to $55,120 annually. This span covers the middle half of workers, leaving out the quarter at the bottom and the quarter at the top.
At the bottom of the scale, one in ten earns $37,280 or under. At the top, one in ten earns $59,480 or above.
Where in New York does pay run highest?
Location matters quite a bit. Ithaca offers the state's highest median, while Watertown-Fort Drum sits at the bottom.
| Metro area | Yearly median | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ithaca, NY | $53,760 | Top median statewide |
| Watertown–Fort Drum, NY | $39,110 | Lowest pay in the state |
Ithaca and Watertown-Fort Drum sit far apart on yearly pay. The New York–Newark–Jersey City metro area has the most medical assistant jobs among New York metro areas, with about 44,060.
Medical assistant pay compared with other health jobs
In New York, medical assistants earn roughly the same as nursing assistants and slightly less than phlebotomists. Nursing jobs that require a license pay quite a bit higher.
| Role in New York | Yearly median |
|---|---|
| Medical assistant | $48,000 |
| Nursing assistant | $48,590 |
| Phlebotomist | $50,530 |
| Licensed practical or vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) | $67,180 |
| Registered nurse | $109,440 |
Employment and annual openings across the state
Around 40,710 medical assistants work in New York, which comes to 4.2 per 1,000 jobs. That puts New York 36th out of 51 in terms of how widespread this role is.
The state's labor agency projects medical assistant jobs will climb from 42,340 in 2024 up to 47,960 by 2034. This works out to a 13.3% increase, slightly ahead of the US rate of 12.5%. For this projected growth, New York ranks 31st out of 51.
Roughly 5,920 openings are expected annually. That figure covers both new jobs and people leaving the job.
Training cost and length
Across the US, career school programs take a median of 9 months, although some finish in as little as 2 months and others stretch beyond 2 years. Nationwide, the median published cost for a complete career school program is $17,257, a figure that covers tuition, fees and books. For public colleges, the median price of one year of full-time study comes to $4,346 for local students.
Some programs teach classes by distance education, but the supervised clinical practice (externship) is always in person. Ready to take the next step? Pick an accredited New York program and send the short "Request information" form.
Schools across New York
Our list covers 33 schools in New York that report their medical assistant graduates to the federal government. Twelve of them run an accredited program. Accreditation means an approved national body, either CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets those standards.
You can compare all 33 schools using our page dedicated to medical assistant programs in New York. Once you find an accredited program that fits, fill out the short "Request information" form that follows the program table, and your details will go to the school.
Pay: Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey, May 2025. Growth: Projections Central, from New York’s labor market office. The job itself: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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