Medical Assistant Salary in California and How to increase It

The medical assistant salary in California is $47,320 per year.

San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland are the top paying cities while the best paying companies are CHOC Children’s, Power Personnel, and San Mateo Podiatry Group.

This post also provides the job outlook for medical assistants in California, jobs in related fields, and tips to increase your salary as a medical assistant in California.

Medical Assistant Salary in California Cities

Here is salary information for medical assistants in California:

	Cities	Salary Hourly	Salary Yearly
1.	Los Angeles	$22.10	$51,443
2.	San Diego	$21.58	$50,237
3.	San Jose	$23.46	$54,632
4.	San Francisco	$24.62	$57,319
5.	Fresno	$19.93	$46,411
6.	Sacramento	$21.52	$50,103
7.	Long Beach	$20.79	$48,410
8.	Oakland	$22.88	$53,272
9.	Bakersfield	$20.23	$47,090
10.	Anaheim	$20.17	$46,970
11.	Stockton	$19.81	$46,123
12.	Riverside	$20.09	$46,773
13.	Santa Ana	$20.43	$47,573
14.	Irvine	$22.00	$51,213
15.	Chula Vista	$19.52	$45,437
16.	Fremont	$22.48	$52,340
17.	Santa Clarita	$20.10	$46,803
18.	San Bernardino	$20.23	$47,097
19.	Modesto	$19.96	$46,482
20.	Moreno Valley	$18.80	$43,777
21.	Fontana	$18.75	$43,659
22.	Oxnard	$19.92	$46,380
23.	Huntington Beach	$20.00	$46,575
24.	Glendale	$21.05	$49,006
25.	Elk Grove	$19.76	$46,002
26.	Ontario	$19.53	$45,481
27.	Santa Rosa	$21.32	$49,637
28.	Rancho Cucamonga	$19.16	$44,601
29.	Oceanside	$19.67	$45,803
30.	Garden Grove	$19.13	$44,545

Cities with Highest Medical Assistant Salary in California

The top 10 paying cities for medical assistants in California include:

	Cities	Salary Hourly	Salary Yearly
1.	San Francisco	$24.62	$57,319
2.	San Jose	$23.46	$54,632
3.	Oakland	$22.88	$53,272
4.	Fremont	$22.48	$52,340
5.	Los Angeles	$22.10	$51,443
6.	Irvine	$22.00	$51,213
7.	San Diego	$21.58	$50,237
8.	Sacramento	$21.52	$50,103
9.	Santa Rosa	$21.32	$49,637
10.	Glendale	$21.05	$49,006

Skill-based Medical Assistant Salary in California

Skills and certifications can make one earn higher than their colleagues in the same field in California, some of these skills include:

1. Vital signs measurement
2. Injections
3. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
4. Multitasking
5. Organization.

Experience-based Medical Assistant Salary in California

Experience is a major factor for obtaining higher raises than one’s colleagues, it can assist a medical assistant in getting ahead in their career.

A medical assistant with less than one year of experience will earn around $44,244 while the one with 10 years of experience or more will make $55,793 per year in California.

10 Companies with Highest Medical Assistant Salary in California

The top 10 paying companies for medical assistants in California include:

	Company	Hourly Salary	Annual Salary
1.	CHOC Children’s	$30.93	$72,007
2.	Power Personnel	$29.88	$69,559
3.	San Mateo Podiatry Group	$28.93	$67,359
4.	Salud Para La Gente	$25.52	$59,416
5.	Berman Skin Institute	$24.77	$57,666
6.	Elica Health Centers	$24.71	$57,527
7.	BayCare Health System	$24.27	$56,509
8.	Action Urgent Care	$24.00	$55,867
9.	Kaiser Permanente	$23.92	$55,696
10.	UCLA Health	$23.61	$54,971

10 Highest Paying Medical Assistant Jobs in California

Here are some of the top paying roles as a medical assistant in California:

1. Cardiology medical assistant; $42,989
2. Medical assistant/biller; $31,040
3. Medical office assistant; $44,840
4. Administrative medical assistant
5. Senior medical assistant; $51,178
6. Surgical medical assistant; $56,126
7. Lead medical assistant; $43,627
8. Medical assistant/phlebotomist; $46,334
9. Certified medical assistant; $45,498
10. Medical assistant instructor; $51,884.

More Benefits for Medical Assistants in California

In California, employers provide benefits for medical assistants like:

• Life insurance

Life insurance is a benefit provided by employers to their employees. This is a form of financial planning.

If the medical assistant dies, their family will have some money to live on.

Life insurance can also be used fully or partially as reimbursement for expenses that the employee incurs during his/her sickness or hospitalization.

• Stock options

Stock options for medical assistants are becoming popular in Silicon Valley due to the start-up companies which are looking for employees with expertise in this field.

This option provides the employee with the ability to purchase stock in their employers company at a pre-determined price.

It is usually done when the company’s stock is low. Once the stock price goes up, the medical assistant can sell it for profit.

• Vacation time

A medical assistant in California is entitled to a minimum of 1 week of vacation per year.

This time is for the employee and their family to rest, relax, and enjoy activities together.

It is important that the employee does not abuse this privilege by working on vacation days, since this can prevent them from achieving promotions in the future.

• Bonus and incentives

A bonus or incentive is any reward, especially a cash reward for an employee’s performance or commitment.

It can be given to an employee for their performance.

Some of the common forms of bonuses and incentives you may receive from an employer include: sale of company shares, gift cards, additional paid leave time, etc.

What Related Job Titles to Medical Assistants Earn in California

Here are earnings of related jobs to medical assistants in California:

1. Phlebotomist; $42,129
2. Nursing Assistant; $50,774
3. Dental Hygienist; $112,199
4. EKG Technician; $62,084
5. Surgical Technologist; $124,024.

Medical Assistant Salary and Job Outlook in California

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that the medical assistant national growth will climb by 18% between 2020 and 2030.

One factor for the increased need for medical assistant degree holders is the growing aging population and the baby boomers.

More technologically savvy individuals are required to use technological breakthroughs.

Furthermore, the number of physicians’ offices, hospitals, and outpatient clinics is expected to increase to serve the growing older population.

How to increase your Pay as a Medical Assistants in California

There are several ways by which a medical assistant in California can increase their pay, some of these include:

1. Work more hours

Many medical assistants work part-time jobs even if they are able to earn high salaries because they want to save a lot of their hard-earned money.

The more you work in a day, the better chance you have of earning bonus money and higher wages as a result.

2. Obtain another job

If you are not able to work a full-time job, consider obtaining another job that requires less hours during the week or part-time.

This will allow you to earn money and also have some flexibility with your schedule.

However, if you do not mind working longer hours, as long as there is a higher salary, then look for another job in this field.

3. Get certified

Obtain a certification for your job as a medical assistant. This will give you an advantage when job hunting and it will also allow you to increase your earnings.

There are many certifications available for medical assistants in California, such as CCRP, CMA, etc.

4. Learn a foreign language

Learn a second language like Spanish which is currently considered one of the most important languages in the world.

It will improve your career and salary in the future.

5. Get an Extra Degree

Look for another degree that you will be able to use in your career as a medical assistant.

For example, if you are interested in obtaining a nursing degree or going to college to learn how to become a dental hygienist, then you should definitely do so.

More Career Opportunities for Medical Assistants in California

Some of the career opportunities you can consider that may be related to your job as a medical assistant in California include:

1. Medical claims processor

You can learn how to become a medical claims processor. This type of position requires a lot of knowledge about medical insurance and will require you to be good with numbers.

It is also important to have good communication skills since you are always speaking with patients that are seeking medical services.

2. Medical secretary

You can learn how to become a medical secretary by attending school, becoming certified, or getting another related job title in California in the medical assistant field.

A medical secretary performs clerical work such as keeping records and doing some office tasks related to administration.

3. Medical insurance billing specialist

A medical insurance billing specialist uses their knowledge and experience to process the claims of insurance companies.

They also help with requests for adjustments and determining what services are necessary to pay an insurance claim.

4. Medical records technician

As a medical records technician, you will be required to perform quality control on patient records.

You will be working closely with doctors and surgeons in order to ensure that all records are found.

5. Transcriptionist

A transcriptionist is someone who converts audio and video recordings into written materials.

This position requires telephone communication as well as excellent spelling, grammar and typing skills in order to provide an accurate transcript of the material that is being transcribed.

Conclusion

A medical assistant is a person who assists with performing administrative tasks in the medical field.

They aid physicians and other healthcare providers by providing administrative and clerical support services, including preparing patient information and completing insurance billing forms.

You can increase your salary and improve your career if you are willing to learn a new language, enroll in a program that will allow you to obtain a certification, or look for another field related to the medical field. Informational sources: indeed.com, bls.gov, and salary.com.