How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Washington?
The following table shows medical assistant salaries in Washington for 2020 according to various sources, including the government source BLS on top. It reported the yearly salary to be $43,760 and hourly wage to be $21.04, as of March 31, 2020.
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $21.04 | $43,760 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $19.43 | $44,962 | December 1, 2020 |
| Ziprecruiter | $15 | $30,372 | November 22, 2020 |
| Salary.com | $19 | $38,746 | November 25, 2020 |
If you’ve wondered how much medical assistants make in Washington’s different cities, this top 10 list will answer it according to two popular sources, indeed.com and salary.com.
Average Medical Assistant Salaries in Washington
The average hourly salary of MAs in Washington, as of July 14, 2020, was $19.04, as per indeed.com. It is considerably higher than the national average.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of May 2019) estimates the mean hourly and annual salary of medical assistants in Washington as $21.04 and $43,760, respectively.
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Washington) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $33,140 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $37,300 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $43,470 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $49,840 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $57,140 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of May 2019)
It is clear from the above table that the average annual salary of MAs in Washington was more than the mean national wages at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in WA
If you’ve wondered how much medical assistants make in Washington’s different cities, this top 10 list will answer it according to two popular sources, indeed.com and salary.com.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Wenatchee | $26.87 | $17 |
| Seattle | $23.22 | $19 |
| Kirkland | $21.26 | $19 |
| Everett | $20.31 | $19 |
| Bellevue | $19.73 | $19 |
| Tacoma | $18.78 | $18 |
| Vancouver | $18.31 | $18 |
| Silverdale | $18.27 | $19 |
Source: indeed.com (as of December 1, 2020) & salary.com (as of November 25, 2020)
Wenatchee came out on top, paying $26.87to its medical assistants, according to indeed.com. Other cities like Seattle, Edmonds, Kirkland, Everett, and Bellevue paid between $23.22/hour and $19.71/hour, according to indeed.com and $19 according to salary.com.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Washington Medical Assistants
An MA’s salary in Washington’s various metropolitan areas at different stages of their career is listed in the table below.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,140 | $36,560 | $46,950 | $60,070 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA | $43,630 | $33,410 | $42,720 | $57,820 |
| Bellingham, WA | $42,170 | $33,840 | $41,000 | $51,090 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | $41,770 | $33,300 | $41,840 | $50,980 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $41,690 | $33,970 | $41,200 | $51,480 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $41,670 | $31,740 | $42,010 | $51,930 |
| Longview, WA | $41,160 | $29,300 | $42,020 | $52,370 |
| Wenatchee, WA | $38,000 | $31,100 | $37,400 | $48,590 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $37,530 | $28,520 | $36,680 | $49,340 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $37,240 | $28,640 | $36,790 | $48,400 |
| Yakima, WA | $36,890 | $30,250 | $36,810 | $43,060 |
| Walla Walla, WA | $36,590 | $27,400 | $36,360 | $47,380 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | $34,290 | $26,120 | $34,770 | $43,290 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue stood at first rank paying $47,140 average annual wage to its medical assistants, while Olympia-Tumwater was second, paying $43,630 annually. Other metropolitan areas like Bellingham, Bremerton-Silverdale, Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Longview, and Wenatchee paid between $42,170 and $38,000 per year.
Top 10 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
The following 5 areas of Washington employ the highest number of medical assistants, according to BLS.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 8,570 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 7,540 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 1,510 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 720 |
| Yakima, WA | 710 |
| Olympia-Tumwater, WA | 600 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA | 490 |
| Bellingham, WA | 390 |
| Wenatchee, WA | 370 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 210 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue stood first, employing 8,570 medical assistants in Washington, while Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro came second, hiring 7,540. Other areas on the list, like Spokane-Spokane Valley, Kennewick-Richland, and Yakima, stood third, fourth, and fifth, employing a total of 2,940 medical assistants.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Washington
A medical assistant’s pay in Washington’s top 10 healthcare companies is given in the table below, according to the data provided by indeed.com.
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Sutter Health | $26.55 |
| AE Business Solutions | $26.00 |
| ExamOne, A Quest Diagnostics Company | $25.00 |
| Jefferson Healthcare | $24.33 |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | $23.81 |
| The Polyclinic | $23.52 |
| Medely | $23.50 |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | $23.34 |
| Seattle Pain Relief | $23.22 |
| University Of Washington | $22.62 |
Source: indeed.com (as of December 1, 2020)
Sutter Health took the top spot in this list of Washington, like many other states, paying $26.55 an hour to its medical assistants. AE Business Solutions was second, paying $26/hour, and ExamOne, A Quest Diagnostics Company stood third with an average hourly wage of $25 for its MAs.
Benefits for Washington Medical Assistants other than Salaries
A medical assistant’s base salary in Washington is about $38,746, and adding a bonus of 0.1% ($45), it makes up about 67.8% of their total remuneration, which is $57,204. This is including other benefits of $18,391/year, which make up about 32.2% of their total yearly income.
(Source: salary.com as of November 25, 2020)
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Healthcare
Working as a medical assistant will enable you to receive one of the best healthcare packages costing about $6,371 a year to your employer. It will comprise a whopping 11.1% of your total compensation for the year.
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Time-Off
Your time off will make up about 8.6% of your total compensation when its monetary value is considered, which is about $4,924 a year.
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Social Security
Employers help make social security payments of medical assistants in Washington for about $2,968 a year, making up 5.2% of their total remuneration.
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401K/403B
Retirement is not easy, but this fund will help you stay afloat after you stop working, and your employer will contribute to it for about $1,901 a year, which is about 3.3% of your total remuneration.
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Pension
Another retirement fund that will help you in old age; it receives yearly payments of about $1,629, making up 2.8% of the whole compensation.
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Disability
To replace one’s income partially in case of permanent disability, this fund is set up and contributed to by employers of medical assistants in Washington yearly. The amount comes to about $621 a year, making up almost 1.1% of the total compensation.
Salaries of Similar Professions in Washington
A medical assistant’s scope of practice includes various medical, clinical, and administrative duties. The professions given below also have similar responsibilities and can be considered if you’re looking to enter the healthcare field in Washington.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Back Office Medical Assistant | $18.02 |
| Clinical Assistant | $17.68 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $16.54 |
| Medical Receptionist | $16.62 |
| Medical Scribe | $16.35 |
Source: indeed.com (as of December 1, 2020)
This list puts Back Office Medical Assistants on the top spot, paying $18.02 an hour, followed by Clinical Assistants, who earned $17.68 in Washington, as per indeed.com. Other professions like Medical Office Assistants, Medical Receptionists, and Medical Scribe are paid between $16.54-$16.35 an hour.
| Related Professions | Average Yearly Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $125,943 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $115,981 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $44,809 |
| Medical Secretary | $44,411 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $40,484 |
| Medical Scribe | $37,225 |
Source: salary.com (as of November 25, 2020)
Physician Assistants, both Specialty and Medical, took the top spot in the list by salary.com, earning $125,943 and $115,981 a year, respectively. Other professionals like Medical Billing Specialists, Medical Secretaries, etc., made between $37,000-$45,000 annually in WA.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for WA Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
It is always better to receive a medical assistant certification in Washington or any other state to land a high-paying job with a reputed employer. If you are wondering how much do certified medical assistants make compared to non-certified ones, the answer is that it is not the higher salary for which you need a certification, but it is the ease of getting a good job, progressing faster in your career, and instill a sense of trust in your employer.
The job outlook for medical assistants in Washington looks pretty promising as Projections Central projected in 2018 that it would grow at a rate of 23.7%, adding 2,720 jobs every year until 2028.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Washington |
15,940 | 19,710 | 3,770 |
+23.7% |
2,710 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- Medical assistants were projected to grow at 25% between 2016 and 2026, making the total number of professionals employed in the state go from 9,780 to 12,260. It puts medical assistance at the 12th spot in the list of fastest-growing jobs in Washington, according to Career One Stop.
- The same source also reported medical assistance to be the 62nd in the list of largest employers in the state, with 13,790 jobs in 2016. It was also noticeable that the list of jobs with the most openings between 2016-2026 featured medical assistance at the 57th spot, projected to create 2,020 jobs every year.
- USA Wage awarded medical assistance the 48th spot in the list of most popular jobs in Washington with 15,780 professionals employed as of March 31, 2020. They earned a yearly average salary of $43,470, making up 0.48% of the state’s total workforce.
Written by : Casey Gardner
Casey Gardner is both a healthcare support professional and an accomplished content creator. She has been working as a certified health care professional with marketable skills as a physician assistant, and a qualified medical assistant for last two decades. She has dedicated her nursing career to produce over hundreds of content pieces since 2001, and her work has been published both online as well as offline.
