How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Mississippi?
To get an estimate about how much do medical assistants make in Mississippi, let’s take a look at the following table. According to BLS, their average hourly wage is $14.75, and the average annual income is $30,690. A certified medical assistant’s salary in Mississippi is slightly higher, so certification is recommended for all those who want to earn better and advance their careers more systematically.
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $14.75 | $30,690 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $13.25 | $30,845 | January 8, 2021 |
| Salary.com | $15 | $31,621 | December 28, 2020 |
| Zip Recruiter | $15 | $41,909 | January 12, 2021 |
Medical Assistant Pay in MS at Different Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Mississippi) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $22,140 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $25,730 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $29,460 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $33,900 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $39,480 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
As the above table denotes, the annual salary of medical assistants in Mississippi is lower than the national annual salary at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in MS
Medical assistant salaries vary from city to city in Mississippi. The table below shows salary figures collected from indeed.com and salary.com.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Branch, MS | $15.00 | $16 |
| Tupelo, MS | $14.38 | $15 |
| Southaven, MS | $14.09 | $16 |
| Gulfport, MS | $13.43 | $15 |
| Biloxi, MS | $13.20 | $15 |
| Jackson, MS | $13.09 | $16 |
| Flowood, MS | $12.90 | $16 |
| Cleveland, MS | $12.09 | $15 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $10.76 | $15 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 8, 2021) and salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
Salary.com’s data suggested that all the cities in the list pay between $15-$16 an hour to their medical assistants. While indeed.com implies that Olive Branch pays the highest with $15 an hour, followed by Southaven and Tupelo. Other cities paid between $13.43 and $10.76 hourly.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Mississippi Medical Assistants
Medical assistant salary in Mississippi in the four metropolitan areas is given in the table below. It also shows the average salary at different stages of their career.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $34,170 | $25,600 | $33,200 | $42,800 |
| Jackson, MS | $32,340 | $22,280 | $30,310 | $39,410 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $30,590 | $24,970 | $30,160 | $38,300 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS | $29,400 | $22,600 | $28,140 | $37,810 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Memphis is the metropolitan area with the highest annual income for its medical assistants, with a mean annual wage of $34,170 a year, a 10th percentile wage of $25,600/year, 50th percentile wage of $33,200 a year, and a 90th percentile wage of $42,800 a year. It was followed by Jackson, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula.
Top 5 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
The following table shows all the metro areas in and around Mississippi and the number of medical assistants they employ.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 3,630 |
| Jackson, MS | 950 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS | 830 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | 200 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
The majority of medical assistants in Mississippi work in Memphis, precisely 3,630, followed by Jackson, which employs about 950 professionals. The third-placed Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula employed 830, and Hattiesburg took the 4th spot with 200 medical assistants.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Mississippi
An MA’s salary at Mississippi’s top 10 healthcare establishments is given in the table below.
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $24.65 |
| NYU Langone Health | $20.66 |
| Virginia Mason | $19.99 |
| Scripps Health | $19.76 |
| Atrius Health | $19.54 |
| Sutter Health | $18.57 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | $18.15 |
| MultiCare Health System | $17.53 |
| Action Urgent Care | $17.42 |
| Maxim Healthcare Group | $17.43 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 8, 2021)
As per the table above, the medical assistant pay in Mississippi is the highest when working for Kaiser Permanente, which pays about $24.65 an hour, followed by NYU Langone Health. Other employers in this top 10 list paid between $17-$20 an hour.
Benefits for Mississippi Medical Assistants other than Salaries
Medical assistant jobs in Mississippi have average monetary benefits of about $31,654, 66.2% of their total yearly compensation. They earn the remaining 33.8% in the form of perks and benefits mentioned below. These benefits amount to about $16,197, making the total remuneration about $47,851 a year.
-
Healthcare
There are many benefits medical assistants get in Mississippi. Healthcare facilities worth $6,371 or 13.3% of their total remuneration are provided to them as their biggest perk by their employers.
-
Time Off
Medical assistants in Mississippi receive time off in a year that amounts to about $4,018 a year, making up 8.4% of their total compensation.
-
Social Security
Social security payments are one load off the medical assistants in MS because the employers contribute about $2,422 a year to this payment, making up about 5.1% of their total yearly remuneration.
-
401K/403B
It is one of the public retirement funds that employers contribute to in the amount of $1,551 every year, which is about 3.2% of the total remuneration.
-
Pension
The pension also helps the employees after retirement. The accumulation of this fund happens through the employer’s contribution every month. It comes up to about $1,329 a year, or 2.8% of the total compensation.
-
Disability
When an employee becomes permanently disabled due to an unfortunate incident, this fund helps them out. Employers contribute about $506 a year to it, which is about 1.1% of the employee’s total yearly compensation.
(Source: salary.com as of December 28, 2020)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Mississippi
The table below shows professions similar to medical assisting and their salary according to indeed.com and salary.com.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Dermatology Assistant | $22.74 |
| Certified Medical Assistant | $13.52 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $12.51 |
| Clinical Assistant | $12.49 |
| Medical Receptionist | $12.42 |
| Medical Scribe | $9.11 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 8, 2021)
The table shows that Dermatology Assistants are clear winners earning a whopping $22.74 an hour, compared to the second-ranked Certified Medical Assistants. They were followed by Clinical Assistants, Medical Receptionists, and Medical Scribes.
| Related Professions | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $102,783 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $94,645 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $36,567 |
| Medical Secretary | $36,244 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $33,035 |
| Medical Scribe | $30,382 |
Source: salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
According to salary.com, Physician Assistants earned the most in this list of professions similar to medical assisting. The ones working in Specialty made more than the ones working in General Medicine. The third place was taken by Medical Billing Specialists, followed by Medical Secretaries and Medical Librarian Assistants. Medical Scribes were the least paid healthcare support officials on this list.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for MS Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
Medical assistant certifications in Mississippi not only help with a better job and salary, but they also make sure you come off as a professional who is passionate about what they do. Apart from these advantages, a medical assistant’s scope of practice in Mississippi is also determined by the certification they receive, making it even more important to get certified.
There were about 3,770 medical assistants in Mississippi in 2018. It was predicted to grow at a rate of 7.4% by 280 to reach 4,050 by the end of 2028, with 30 new job openings every year.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Mississippi |
3,770 | 4,050 | 280 | +7.4% | 30 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored Resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- According to Clarion-Ledger, as of February 6, 2020, healthcare is the second-largest industry in Mississippi, with annual revenue of about $4.2 billion and over 100,000 jobs. The state is expected to have 11,000 new healthcare jobs by 2026.
- Mississippi Department of Employment Security reported that medical assisting was the 75th most in-demand job in Mississippi, as of 2018. It had an annual demand of 360 professionals and an average income of $14.61 an hour and $30,390 a year.
- Medical assisting was the 60th fastest-growing job in Mississippi (2016-2026 projections) reported by CareerOneStop. It was projected to grow at 12% and increase the total jobs from 2,910 to 3,260 in this period.
- Zippia’s 2019 list of fastest-growing jobs for 2019 put medical assisting in the 23rd spot because of its 115.3% growth rate. It also reported the annual salary to be $29,080 and the number of new jobs by 2024 as 2,490.
- According to USA Wage and their data collected from the BLS, medical assisting stood 62nd in the list of most popular jobs of the state. It had 3,590 jobs, contributing 0.32% to the total workforce earning $29,460 a year.
- Zippia also made an extensive list of the best healthcare facilities to work for in MS based on company financial health, salaries, and employee diversity. The companies that took the top 5 spots are mentioned below:
- St. Dominic Hospital
- Singing River Health System
- Baptist Medical Clinics
- Forrest General Hospital
- Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center
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.
