Medical assistant salary in Rhode Island

The one Rhode Island school we list does not have an accredited medical assistant program, so the quickest way forward is an accredited online program. Pick one on our online programs page and send that school the short "Request information" form below the program table. Online classes still include supervised clinical practice in person.

1. On the online programs page, look through the program table and choose the accredited program you'd like to contact.
2. Open the "Request information" form just past the table.
3. Fill in your name, email, phone number, ZIP code and preferred start time, so they know how to get in touch and when you hope to begin.

Only that school receives your request.

Pay for most medical assistants in Rhode Island lands near the median. Half of them fall between $45,370 and $48,630 a year.

Out at the ends, the lowest-paid 10% take home $39,280 or less, while the best-paid 10% make at least $56,840 a year. If you total up all the pay and divide by the number of workers, you get an average wage of $47,550 a year, just above the median (BLS).

For medical assistants in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA area pays the most of any metro area and also has the most jobs. Its median comes to $47,020 a year, with roughly 4,120 medical assistant jobs (BLS).

In Rhode Island, medical assistants make slightly more than nursing assistants and phlebotomists. Nursing jobs that call for a license pay far higher.

The source is the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with figures current as of May 2025.

About 3,210 medical assistants work in Rhode Island, which works out to 6.4 per 1,000 jobs. That puts Rhode Island 8th of 51 for how common the job is (BLS).

The growth picture is weaker. According to the state's labor agency, medical assistant jobs should climb over the decade, going from 3,380 in 2024 up to 3,630 by 2034, up 7.3%, while the US rate is 12.5%. That places Rhode Island 50th of 51 for expected growth (Projections Central). Still, the state should see about 440 openings a year, from both newly created jobs and workers moving on.

We list just one Rhode Island school reporting medical assistant graduates in the federal education survey (College Navigator). The one Rhode Island school we list does not have a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited medical assistant program. Accreditation means an outside organization has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets its standards for teaching and training.

Studying online is another option. We list 30 programs nationwide that you can finish through distance education, and 14 of those are accredited (IPEDS). Coursework happens online, though the externship happens face to face. An externship is hands-on practice under supervision in an actual clinic or doctor's office, working with patients before you graduate.

At career schools that report program length, the median time to finish is 9 months, and most programs run 7 to 9 months. A full program at a career school has a median price of $17,257, which covers the cost of classes, required fees and textbooks. At public colleges, the median in-district cost for one year of full-time study is $4,346 (IPEDS).