Medical Assistant pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$23.88
an hour · $49,660 a year
- 10th
- $18.89
- 25th
- $22.23
- Median
- $23.88
- 75th
- $29.75
- 90th
- $37.16
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $18.89/hr, median $23.88/hr, 90th percentile $37.16/hr.
Employed in CA
117,060
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$1.91
U.S. median $21.97/hr
Licensing for medical assistants in California
Medical Assistant pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim39,770 jobs$22.96/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont14,320 jobs$28.75/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario11,280 jobs$22.45/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad9,370 jobs$23.76/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom7,410 jobs$29.79/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara6,400 jobs$29.78/hr
- Fresno3,310 jobs$22.36/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano2,340 jobs$22.39/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura2,020 jobs$24.36/hr
- Modesto1,870 jobs$24.04/hr
- Stockton-Lodi1,740 jobs$23.00/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara1,660 jobs$23.80/hr
- Visalia1,580 jobs$22.67/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma1,550 jobs$31.16/hr
- Vallejo1,360 jobs$37.22/hr
- Salinas1,080 jobs$23.50/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville960 jobs$24.08/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles850 jobs$23.81/hr
- Chico770 jobs$22.67/hr
- Merced700 jobs$19.13/hr
- Redding520 jobs$22.22/hr
- Hanford-Corcoran480 jobs$23.80/hr
- Yuba City430 jobs$23.75/hr
- El Centro390 jobs$21.78/hr
- Napa320 jobs$29.83/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Medical Assistant (SOC 31-9092), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.