Medical assistant salary in West Virginia

Medical assistants in West Virginia earn less than their peers in most other places. At 19% under the US median of $45,690, the state sits at 48 of 51 when you line up all 50 states plus Washington, DC, going by federal wage data.

The average wage is $38,090 a year, a little above the median.

The lowest-paid 10% of medical assistants in West Virginia earn $30,890 or less, and the best-paid 10% earn $45,350 or more. The middle half of West Virginia medical assistants earn between $35,540 and $41,140 a year.

These numbers are drawn from the wage tables published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Where you work matters quite a bit. Among metro areas covering part of West Virginia, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV pays the most, at a median of $46,640 annually. It also employs the largest number of medical assistants, roughly 13,890.

Of the metro areas in the state, Beckley shows the lowest median, $36,190 a year, according to federal wage data.

Medical assistants earn a little more than nursing assistants and a little less than phlebotomists.

Looking at median pay in West Virginia, registered nurses top the list at $80,130 a year, with licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses next at $55,360. Phlebotomists come in at $39,250, just ahead of medical assistants at $37,180, while nursing assistants earn $36,720.

All of these numbers come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Yes. West Virginia ranks 11 of 51 for projected growth, well ahead of the national rate of 12.5%. The state's labor agency projects employment climbing from 4,560 jobs in 2024 up to 5,520 by 2034, which is a 21.1% increase, per Projections Central.

Each year should bring about 690 openings, once you count both newly created positions and workers moving on. The role is already a familiar one here, with around 4,540 medical assistants, or 6.5 out of every 1,000 jobs. On that measure, the state ranks 6 of 51.

Our listings include 15 schools in West Virginia with medical assistant graduates on record in the federal College Navigator. Six of those schools run an accredited program. Accreditation means a national body, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program and verified that it meets its standards.

Among 378 career schools nationwide that report program length, the median is 9 months, per federal school data. Across the country, career schools that charge one price for the whole program have a typical price of $17,257, including tuition, fees and books. Public colleges come in lower: a year of full-time study at the in-district rate carries a median cost of $4,346.

Some programs let you take your classes online, with your supervised clinical training done in person. When you've found one that fits, pick it on our West Virginia programs page and send the Request information form found after the program tables.