Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) salary: $23.50/hr$940/wk$48,880/yr median.
Pay range $20.50$820$42,640–$25.50/hr$1,020/wk$53,040/yr across the middle 50% of active Medical Assistants Clinical Support postings nationwide.
439 unique employers · 527 cities · 46 states. Pay moved -2.1% over the last 30 days.
How Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $18.00/hr$720/wk$37,440/yr. The top 10% pay above $27.50/hr$1,100/wk$57,200/yr.
How Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $22.50 in May 2026 to $23.00 in Oct 2026 (+2.2%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $22.50$900$46,800 | $20.13$805$41,870–$23.50$940$48,880 | 122 |
| Jun 2026 | $23.50$940$48,880 | $20.50$820$42,640–$24.50$980$50,960 | 264 |
| Jul 2026 | $24.50$980$50,960 | $22.50$900$46,800–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 55 |
| Aug 2026 | $23.50$940$48,880 | $21.50$860$44,720–$27.13$1,085$56,430 | 88 |
| Sep 2026 | $23.50$940$48,880 | $20.50$820$42,640–$25.50$1,020$53,040 | 208 |
| Oct 2026 | $23.00$920$47,840 | $20.00$800$41,600–$25.50$1,020$53,040 | 268 |
Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 35 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| evansville | IN · INDIANA | $27.50$1,100$57,200 | $26.50$1,060$55,120–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 17 |
| fairbanks | AK · ALASKA | $25.50$1,020$53,040 | $25.50$1,020$53,040–$25.50$1,020$53,040 | 18 |
| omaha | NE · NEBRASKA | $24.50$980$50,960 | $21.50$860$44,720–$24.50$980$50,960 | 13 |
| urbana | IL · ILLINOIS | $23.50$940$48,880 | $23.50$940$48,880–$23.88$955$49,670 | 12 |
| bennington | VT · VERMONT | $23.50$940$48,880 | $23.50$940$48,880–$23.50$940$48,880 | 12 |
CITY PAY DATA
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Where the top of the market is paying for Certified Medical Assistant (CMA).
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaconess Health System | $27.50$1,100$57,200 | $22.50$900$46,800–$29.50$1,180$61,360 | 39 |
| Ferrell Hospital | $27.00$1,080$56,160 | $27.00$1,080$56,160–$27.00$1,080$56,160 | 6 |
| Foundation Health Partners | $25.50$1,020$53,040 | $25.50$1,020$53,040–$25.50$1,020$53,040 | 18 |
| kaiser permanente | $32.69$1,308$67,995 | $29.30$1,172$60,944–$38.10$1,524$79,248 | 9 |
| Lowell General Hospital | $26.00$1,040$54,080 | $24.50$980$50,960–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 5 |
| Olmsted Medical Center | $27.50$1,100$57,200 | $25.00$1,000$52,000–$36.00$1,440$74,880 | 10 |
| Seattle Children's | $32.00$1,280$66,560 | $32.00$1,280$66,560–$33.50$1,340$69,680 | 6 |
| State of Washington | $30.50$1,220$63,440 | $30.50$1,220$63,440–$30.50$1,220$63,440 | 6 |
| University of Missouri Health Care | $28.00$1,120$58,240 | $24.50$980$50,960–$28.00$1,120$58,240 | 6 |
| VitalCore Health Strategies | $26.00$1,040$54,080 | $22.00$880$45,760–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 12 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Travel Contract pays the most at $168.25/hr$6,730/wk$349,960/yr median — 741% above Staff at $20.00/hr$800/wk$41,600/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 834 active postings.
How to become a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA).
Clinical support roles assist physicians, nurses, and licensed clinicians with the technical and procedural workflow of patient care — without the broader scope of a licensed clinician. The category covers medical assistants, medical scribes, lab assistants, EKG techs, phlebotomists, sterile-processing technicians, and surgical services support. These are short-training entry points into healthcare with strong onward mobility into nursing, lab science, surgical tech, and other clinical careers.
Most clinical support roles can be entered within 3-18 months. Pick the role, complete the certificate program (or qualify by on-the-job training in some states), and sit for the national credential exam (NHA, AMT, ASCP, NBSTSA, HSPA). Many people use a year or two in a support role to qualify for nursing or allied health school admissions.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistant programMA Cert / AAS | 9 months - 2 years | Certificate or associate's program. Covers clinical skills (vitals, injections, EKG, phlebotomy) plus front-office workflow. Eligible for CCMA or CMA after graduation. |
| Medical Scribe trainingScribe Cert | 1-3 months | Short certificate covering medical terminology, EHR navigation, and chart documentation. Many programs are employer-funded and on-the-job. |
| Phlebotomy / EKG certificateCPT / CET Cert | 4-12 weeks | Short certificate followed by an exam (NHA, ASCP, AMT). Sufficient to work as a phlebotomist or EKG tech in most states. |
| Sterile Processing programSPD Cert | 4-6 months | Certificate program covering instrument decontamination, sterilization, and inventory. Required by most surgical hospitals (CRCST or CBSPD). |
Clinical support roles are credentialed (CCMA, CMA, CPT, etc.) rather than state-licensed. A handful of states require registration for medical assistants performing certain skills.
Required for nearly all clinical support roles in hospital, clinic, and surgical settings.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CCMA / CMA / RMA Certified or Registered Medical Assistant Standard medical-assistant credentials. CCMA (NHA), CMA (AAMA), and RMA (AMT) are widely accepted; CMA carries the strongest reputation in many regional markets. | NHA / AAMA / AMT | +5-15% |
| CPT Certified Phlebotomy Technician Required by most hospital phlebotomy positions. California also has a state-specific CPT-1 license. | NHA / ASCP / AMT | +5-10% |
| CCT / CET Certified Cardiographic / EKG Technician Required for cardiac monitor, stress-test, and EKG technician positions. | CCI / NHA | +5-10% |
| CRCST / CBSPD Certified Registered Central Service Technician / Certified Sterile Processing & Distribution Technician Sterile processing credentials. Required in most states for SPD techs working in surgical hospitals. | HSPA / CBSPD | +5-10% |
- 0-2 yearsMedical Assistant / Lab Assistant / Phlebotomy Tech
Entry-level clinical support. Many use this stage to confirm interest before pursuing nursing or allied health school.
- 1-4 yearsSpecialty MA / Scribe / EKG Tech
Specialty-focused support (cardiology MA, ortho MA, scribing for high-volume specialists, EKG/stress testing).
- 3-7 yearsLead MA / Senior tech
Trains new hires, manages clinical inventory, and supports clinic operations. Often the practice's clinical operations linchpin.
- 5-10 yearsClinic supervisor / SPD coordinator
Operational oversight of clinical support staff, sterile processing, or front-clinical workflow.
- Path-dependentTransition to licensed clinical role
The most common 'level 5' for clinical support staff is school: nursing, surgical tech, respiratory therapy, sonography, or lab science. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement to fund the move.
Schedule. Clinic-based MA, scribe, and phlebotomy roles run business hours. Hospital phlebotomy and EKG techs include evening and weekend coverage. SPD techs typically work shifts aligned with surgical schedules including evenings.
Physical demands. Long stretches on your feet. Frequent patient contact (assisting with positioning, holding limbs for procedures). SPD adds repetitive instrument handling and exposure to chemicals and steam.
Medical assistants are projected to be among the fastest-growing healthcare occupations. Phlebotomy, sterile processing, and EKG technician demand all run well above the average. Outpatient expansion, retail-clinic growth, and lab service consolidation all keep openings well above supply.
What clinicians ask about Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) pay.
What is the average Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) salary in 2026?
The median Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) salary is $23.50/hr (approximately $48,880/yr) based on 1,130 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)?
Hourly pay ranges from $20.50 at the 25th percentile to $25.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $27.50/hr.
Which state pays Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) roles the most?
Washington currently leads with a median of $27.75/hr across 72 postings.
How many employers are hiring Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)s?
Our dataset shows 439 unique employers posting Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) roles across 46 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 6-month window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Clinical Support tracks.
Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) sits inside the Medical Assistants track. Here are sibling tracks across Clinical Support — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 6-month window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.