How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Colorado?
A medical assistant’s salary in Colorado for 2020, according to BLS, as of March 31, 2020, was $17.98 an hour and $37,410 a year. The total compensation (salary + benefits) comes to about $53,739 annually, according to salary.com, as of October 28, 2020. The data from other trustworthy resources are given in the table below.
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $17.98 | $37,410 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $16.75 | $38,746 | November 23, 2020 |
| Ziprecruiter | $13 | $27,968 | November 18, 2020 |
| Salary.com | $17 | $36,108 | October 28, 2020 |
Average Medical Assistant Salaries in Colorado
The per hour average salary of medical assistants in CO as of June 26, 2020, according to indeed.com, was $15.37. It is on par with the average national salary.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of May 2019) estimated the mean hourly and annual salary of medical assistants in CO, as $17.98 and $37,410, respectively.
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Arizona) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $27,810 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $32,500 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $36,920 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $42,000 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $48,770 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of May 2019)
As depicted in the above table, the annual salary of MAs in Colorado was more than the national yearly pay, at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in CO
How much do medical assistants make in Colorado’s different cities? The answer is in the table below.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Parker | $18.52 | $17 |
| Centennial | $17.80 | – |
| Denver | $17.61 | $17 |
| Englewood | $17.36 | $17 |
| Aurora | $17.25 | $17 |
| Lakewood | $16.73 | – |
| Westminster | $16.53 | $17 |
| Fort Collins | $16.25 | $17 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 23, 2020) & salary.com (as of October 28, 2020)
We can see that Parker paid their medical assistants the highest in Colorado with an hourly salary of $18.52/hour. The second spot was taken by Centennial, which paid $17.80 an hour, followed by Denver at third with an hourly wage of $17.61. Other cities in this top 10 list, like Englewood, Aurora, Loveland, Lakewood, and Westminster, paid between $17.36 to $16.53 an hour.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Colorado Medical Assistants
The below table shows all the metropolitan areas of Colorado and the wages they are paid at different stages of their careers.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder, CO | $40,450 | $31,660 | $38,370 | $51,600 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $35,520 | $27,840 | $35,530 | $43,830 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $38,680 | $29,080 | $38,480 | $49,680 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $37,400 | $27,800 | $36,160 | $49,510 |
| Grand Junction, CO | $35,460 | $27,510 | $34,770 | $45,620 |
| Greeley, CO | $33,550 | $24,880 | $34,310 | $41,450 |
| Pueblo, CO | $31,760 | $24,430 | $31,920 | $39,460 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Medical assistant pay in Colorado’s metropolitan areas varies from $40,050 in Boulder to $31,760 in Pueblo.
Top 5 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment in Colorado
The table below shows the number of medical assistants employed in various metropolitan areas of Colorado.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 6,330 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 1,800 |
| Fort Collins, CO | 880 |
| Boulder, CO | 650 |
| Pueblo, CO | 550 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood was the metropolitan area with the maximum number of medical assistants employed in Colorado. It had 6,330 medical assistants as of March 31, 2020, while Colorado Springs stood at second with 1,800 professionals employed.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Colorado
The following table lists the top 10 employers paying the highest salaries to their medical assistants in Colorado.
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Sutter Health | $26.55 |
| Jefferson Healthcare | $24.18 |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | $23.82 |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | $23.34 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $21.54 |
| Medely | $21.54 |
| Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System | $21.52 |
| Emory Health | $20.45 |
| HealthPartners | $20.39 |
| SSM Health | $19.78 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 23, 2020)
Medical assistants in Colorado were paid the highest by Sutter Health, which is also the case in many other states. They paid $26.55 an hour, followed by Jefferson Healthcare, paying $24.18 an hour, and The UT Southwestern Medical Center with $23.82 an hour.
Benefits for Colorado Medical Assistants other than Salaries
A medical assistant’s pay in Colorado is a combination of monetary and non-monetary benefits received as a part of the total compensation, which totals to about $53,739 a year. It is a sum of salary (with bonus) amounting to $36,147/year (67.3%) and the monetary benefit of other perks amounting to $17,592 a year ($32.7 %).
This data is provided by salary.com, as of October 28, 2020
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Healthcare
Healthcare is the largest contributor to a medical assistant’s benefits, with 11.9% of the total compensation. The amount comes to about $6,371 a year that your employer will contribute to your yearly healthcare if you work as a medical assistant in Colorado.
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Time Off
Time off is a great way to unwind and get ready for this fast-paced job again. The monetary value of the total time off for medical assistants in Colorado is about $4,588 annually, and it is more or less 8.5% of the total remuneration.
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Social Security
Employers of medical assistants in Colorado contribute to their employee’s social security payments of about $2,765 a year. This amount is about 5.1% of the total compensation received by them in a year.
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401K/403B
Retirement is when you need the most support, and these funds will help you stay on your feet even when you have retired from the job. Employers contribute $1,771 a year, which is about 3.3% of the total compensation received by medical assistants in Colorado.
-
Pension
Medical assistants get this retirement fund set up and contributed to by their employers if they are working in Colorado. The amount contributed every year is about $1,518, making up 2.8% of the entire compensation.
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Disability
In an unfortunate case of permanent disability, this fund will help the employees to stay afloat by partially replacing their income. Employers of medical assistants in Colorado pay somewhere around $578 making up 1.1% of the total remuneration.
Salaries of Similar Professions in Colorado
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Clinical Assistant | $17.44 |
| Back-Office Medical Assistant | $16.23 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $16.13 |
| Medical Scribe | $15.36 |
| Medical Receptionist | $15.34 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 23, 2020)
The table above shows the salaries of professions that are similar to medical assistance in Colorado. You can see that an MA’s salary in Colorado is just below a Clinical Assistant, who earns $17.44 per hour instead of $16.75/hour of medical assistants’. Other professions like Back-Office Medical Assistants, Medical Office Assistants, Medical Scribe, and Medical Receptionists earned between $16.23-$15.34 an hour.
| Related Professions | Average Yearly Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $117,345 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $108,080 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $41,751 |
| Medical Secretary | $41,386 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $37,729 |
Source: salary.com (as of October 28, 2020)
Medical assistants and jobs similar to it are given in the table above, and we can see that Physician Assistants are in another league. It has a lot to do with the kind of education they receive and the time it takes. The ones close to medical assistants are Medical Billing Specialists, Medical Secretaries, and Medical Librarian Assistants earning between $41,751 and $37,729 annually.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for CO Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
After completing a diploma/certificate/associate’s degree from a vocational school or community college, you are eligible to apply for medical assistant certification in Colorado. Certification isn’t necessary, but it is recommended because when you look for medical assistant jobs in Colorado, you’ll find that almost every employer looks for certification as a prerequisite for employment. Once you are certified, you’ll have a better chance to land a high-paying job and work for a prestigious organization that will help you advance in your career more efficiently.
The job outlook for medical assistants in Colorado looks quite promising as it is projected to grow at a whopping 36.2% according to Projections Central, which is a US Department of Labor-sponsored resource. The employment was 11,350 in 2018, projected to rise to 15,460 in 2028, creating 1,890 jobs 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 |
|
Colorado |
11,350 | 15,460 | 4,110 | +36.2% | 1,890 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- It was predicted by Colorado Health that by 2019, healthcare would effectively have 23,319 jobs due to health insurance coverage expansion. This number would’ve been 45,000, but almost half the jobs were predicted to have been lost due to insurance financing expansion.
| Year | Baseline Jobs | New Jobs from Coverage Expansion | Loss of Jobs from Financing Expansion | Net New Jobs | Total Jobs from Expansion Net of Financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,891,519 | 37,548 | 18,351 | 19,197 | 2,910,716 |
| 2014 | 3,090,073 | 40,938 | 20,007 | 20,931 | 3,111,003 |
| 2019 | 3,314,433 | 45,609 | 21,681 | 23,319 | 3,337,751 |
- Zippia’s May 17, 2019 report ranked medical assistance at 50th rank in the list of fastest-growing Colorado jobs with 135.2% growth. According to this report, the average salary of medical assistants in Colorado is $34,510, and there will be 12,510 jobs in 2024.
- Medical assistance stood at 53 in the list of jobs with the most openings by 2026 in Colorado, as per the report published by Career One Stop. It had 10,070 professionals employed in 2016, and it was projected to have 1,560 job openings every year by 2026.
- According to the US Wage’s 2019 survey, medical assistance is the 51st most important job in the state, with 12,100 professionals employed, making up 0.45% of the total employment in the state. Their average salary per year was reported to be $36,920.
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.
