Medical Assistants
Also called: Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Chiropractor Assistant, Doctor's Assistant, Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 20 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 12.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,100 | $32,390 to $38,360 | 13,300 |
| Alaska | $52,560 | $48,930 to $61,510 | 2,140 |
| Arizona | $45,940 | $40,370 to $48,450 | 21,460 |
| Arkansas | $37,760 | $35,700 to $42,900 | 5,150 |
| California | $49,660 | $46,240 to $61,870 | 117,060 |
| Colorado | $48,400 | $45,280 to $55,570 | 13,160 |
| Connecticut | $47,430 | $45,180 to $50,210 | 10,250 |
| Delaware | $44,490 | $38,750 to $46,890 | 2,880 |
| District of Columbia | $51,050 | $47,740 to $59,850 | 2,260 |
| Florida | $43,680 | $37,830 to $46,800 | 66,110 |
| Georgia | $41,600 | $36,910 to $46,870 | 28,780 |
| Guam | $33,570 | $29,460 to $36,220 | 270 |
| Hawaii | $48,410 | $45,290 to $55,940 | 3,890 |
| Idaho | $44,700 | $37,780 to $48,160 | 5,250 |
| Illinois | $46,090 | $38,970 to $49,460 | 20,260 |
| Indiana | $45,110 | $39,160 to $47,290 | 19,630 |
| Iowa | $45,480 | $38,980 to $48,030 | 5,990 |
| Kansas | $39,510 | $37,050 to $46,380 | 5,510 |
| Kentucky | $39,270 | $36,560 to $45,940 | 13,440 |
| Louisiana | $36,320 | $32,020 to $38,550 | 12,310 |
| Maine | $47,580 | $45,420 to $51,460 | 4,480 |
| Maryland | $46,410 | $39,390 to $49,110 | 16,390 |
| Massachusetts | $49,460 | $46,910 to $58,100 | 14,880 |
| Michigan | $39,870 | $37,420 to $46,020 | 27,810 |
| Minnesota | $50,480 | $47,220 to $58,540 | 10,580 |
| Mississippi | $35,360 | $31,200 to $38,190 | 3,340 |
| Missouri | $40,440 | $37,380 to $46,600 | 13,050 |
| Montana | $46,820 | $40,900 to $48,960 | 2,460 |
| Nebraska | $47,370 | $42,860 to $50,010 | 2,380 |
| Nevada | $45,200 | $38,270 to $47,330 | 7,760 |
| New Hampshire | $48,020 | $45,090 to $51,580 | 3,000 |
| New Jersey | $47,210 | $42,150 to $49,920 | 20,330 |
| New Mexico | $39,230 | $37,240 to $45,970 | 5,400 |
| New York | $48,000 | $43,600 to $55,120 | 40,710 |
| North Carolina | $45,140 | $38,490 to $47,500 | 23,650 |
| North Dakota | $45,980 | $39,090 to $54,620 | 600 |
| Ohio | $42,810 | $38,060 to $46,270 | 28,950 |
| Oklahoma | $38,750 | $36,600 to $45,630 | 10,510 |
| Oregon | $50,410 | $47,170 to $59,160 | 11,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,920 | $38,950 to $46,490 | 23,050 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,120 | $28,900 to $59,990 | 660 |
| Rhode Island | $47,190 | $45,370 to $48,630 | 3,210 |
| South Carolina | $41,160 | $37,290 to $46,950 | 12,110 |
| South Dakota | $41,870 | $37,730 to $45,870 | 1,340 |
| Tennessee | $39,570 | $37,160 to $45,580 | 19,180 |
| Texas | $39,520 | $36,520 to $46,180 | 75,340 |
| Utah | $45,360 | $38,460 to $48,170 | 9,990 |
| Vermont | $47,250 | $45,550 to $50,130 | 1,140 |
| Virgin Islands | $38,130 | $36,230 to $41,180 | 120 |
| Virginia | $44,740 | $38,840 to $46,570 | 16,650 |
| Washington | $59,290 | $49,310 to $63,590 | 19,500 |
| West Virginia | $37,180 | $35,540 to $41,140 | 4,540 |
| Wisconsin | $48,680 | $46,370 to $55,000 | 13,810 |
| Wyoming | $40,920 | $36,770 to $46,900 | 1,040 |
Nationally: $45,690. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and sterilize instruments and dispose of contaminated supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare treatment rooms for patient examinations, keeping the rooms neat and clean. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record patients' medical history, vital statistics, or information such as test results in medical records. | Not published |
| Not much | Show patients to examination rooms and prepare them for the physician. | Not published |
| AI alone | Perform general office duties, such as answering telephones, taking dictation, or completing insurance forms. | Not published |
See all 20 tasks
| Not much | Help physicians examine and treat patients, handing them instruments or materials or performing such tasks as giving injections or removing sutures. | Not published |
| Not much | Explain treatment procedures, medications, diets, or physicians' instructions to patients. | 0.07% |
| AI + software | Schedule appointments for patients. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Authorize drug refills and provide prescription information to pharmacies. | Not published |
| AI + software | Contact medical facilities or departments to schedule patients for tests or admission. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician. | Not published |
| Not much | Inventory and order medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform routine laboratory tests and sample analyses. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect blood, tissue, or other laboratory specimens, log the specimens, and prepare them for testing. | Not published |
| Not much | Greet and log in patients arriving at office or clinic. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate x-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), or other equipment to administer routine diagnostic tests. | Not published |
| Not much | Change dressings on wounds. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up medical laboratory equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep financial records or perform other bookkeeping duties, such as handling credit or collections or mailing monthly statements to patients. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 21 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists |
Show all 21 activities
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health | |||
| Transport patients or clients |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer64%
- Advice or a recommendation20%
- An analysis or summary4%
- A document or report3%
- Teaching material2%
How they worked with Claude
9% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for medical assistants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 180,410 moves out
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 5%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 5 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Very high +4.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 125,239 moves in
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 8%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 6%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 4 Phlebotomists Low +6.8% 4%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 21% high school
- 17% some college
- 17% bachelor's
- 45% not published
O*NET marks 45% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 21% high school
- 35% some college
- 22% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 6,000 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
4 programs, such as Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist, Medical/Clinical Assistant and Anesthesiologist Assistant.
See all
- Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist
- Medical/Clinical Assistant
- Anesthesiologist Assistant
- Chiropractic Technician/Assistant
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
71.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 11.7% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 46.3% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 24.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Medical Assistant; PODIATRIC ASSISTANT). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Medical Assistants” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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