National Salary Info » Medical Assistants

Highest Paying Industries for Medical Assistants

The top 100 highest paying industries for medical assistants (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $40,330, manufacturing is the highest paying industry for medical assistants. It is followed by general medical and surgical hospitals - state government owned industry (average annual salary $35,920). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of medical assistants in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest Paying Industries for Medical Assistants

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Manufacturing	$40,330	$25,330	70
2	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$35,920	$24,910	7,150
3	Hospitals - State government owned	$35,430	$24,660	7,500
4	Personal Care Services	$35,330	$31,090	n/a
5	Personal and Laundry Services	$35,330	$31,090	n/a
6	Insurance Carriers	$35,010	$24,390	200
7	Insurance Carriers and Related Activities	$34,910	$24,540	210
8	Scientific Research and Development Services	$34,840	$22,960	1,280
9	Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)	$34,790	$27,680	210
10	Finance and Insurance	$34,390	$24,690	220
11	Educational Services - Local government owned	$34,330	$25,400	890
12	Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers	$34,310	$24,500	160
13	Offices of Dentists	$33,810	$20,880	3,750
14	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$33,450	$24,530	2,410
15	State government, including schools and hospitals	$33,320	$22,960	12,040
16	Educational Services - Privately owned	$33,120	$23,980	2,520
17	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$33,070	$24,300	5,470
18	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$33,020	$25,180	60
19	Educational Services	$32,850	$24,000	6,200
20	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$32,820	$24,020	1,030
21	Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences	$32,680	$22,220	1,030
22	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$32,660	$23,670	2,530
23	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$32,540	$24,850	430
24	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$32,510	$24,700	560
25	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$32,450	$23,480	2,660
26	Grantmaking and Giving Services	$32,380	$25,470	40
27	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$32,350	$22,560	2,520
28	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$32,310	$24,270	600
29	Office Administrative Services	$31,830	$22,720	1,510
30	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$31,810	$23,540	2,770
31	Educational Services - State government owned	$31,800	$23,540	2,790
32	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$31,470	$22,260	26,560
33	Outpatient Care Centers	$31,100	$22,660	38,880
34	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$31,050	$22,900	88,500
35	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$31,030	$22,920	85,040
36	Hospitals - Privately owned	$30,880	$23,020	70,670
37	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$30,840	$23,030	67,590
38	Junior Colleges (including private, state, and local government schools)	$30,690	$19,290	60
39	Administrative and Support Services	$30,420	$21,700	8,610
40	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$30,420	$21,700	8,610
41	Temporary Help Services	$30,410	$22,330	5,050
42	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$30,370	$24,680	110
43	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$30,270	$21,470	3,280
44	Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services	$30,270	$20,920	40
45	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$30,240	$21,800	14,510
46	Employment Services	$30,170	$21,570	7,030
47	Offices of Physicians	$30,160	$21,770	349,370
48	Health Care and Social Assistance	$29,930	$21,540	559,360
49	Junior colleges - Local government owned	$29,880	$18,790	50
50	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$29,870	$21,770	10,300
51	Hospitals - Local government owned	$29,870	$21,770	10,330
52	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$29,840	$21,430	456,530
53	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$29,450	$21,170	5,050
54	Federal, State, and Local Government	$29,450	$21,170	5,050
55	Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	$29,450	$21,760	2,730
56	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - Privately owned	$29,210	$21,190	550
57	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$29,190	$21,970	40
58	Specialty hospitals - State government owned	$29,050	$21,560	110
59	Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries	$29,000	$25,160	40
60	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$29,000	$25,160	40
61	Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services	$28,910	$20,810	750
62	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$28,800	$20,450	2,500
63	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$28,770	$19,510	2,730
64	All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$28,760	$20,430	2,440
65	Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)	$28,730	$21,640	300
66	Social Assistance	$28,700	$20,840	950
67	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$28,450	$21,030	800
68	Offices of All Other Health Practitioners	$28,370	$20,590	15,180
69	Individual and Family Services	$28,310	$20,590	780
70	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$28,130	$20,920	1,050
71	Other Residential Care Facilities	$28,060	$20,600	150
72	Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	$28,040	$18,930	90
73	Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods	$28,040	$18,930	90
74	Wholesale Trade	$28,040	$18,930	90
75	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$27,860	$20,440	1,760
76	Home Health Care Services	$27,580	$19,000	1,440
77	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$27,280	$20,640	240
78	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$27,250	$19,930	57,870
79	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$27,030	$19,580	500
80	Offices of Optometrists	$27,030	$19,750	14,510
81	Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	$26,940	$20,450	6,640
82	Department Stores	$26,780	$19,460	n/a
83	Offices of Chiropractors	$26,550	$19,720	25,160
84	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$26,450	$20,200	13,370
85	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$26,390	$19,790	800
86	Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	$25,670	$20,020	5,780
87	Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities	$25,620	$18,830	240
88	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities	$25,340	$19,990	300
89	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$25,070	$19,490	n/a
90	Other Schools and Instruction	$25,070	$19,490	n/a
91	General Merchandise Stores	$24,590	$18,140	n/a
92	Retail Trade	$24,450	$17,830	1,240
93	Health and Personal Care Stores	$24,320	$17,550	610
94	Other General Merchandise Stores	$24,070	$17,890	n/a