How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Connecticut?
To get an idea about how much medical assistants make in Connecticut, let’s take a look at a medical assistant’s salary in Connecticut for 2020 according to various prestigious sources given in the table below. According to BLS (govt. source) data, the average hourly wage is $19.44, while the annual salary is $40,440.
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $19.44 | $40,440 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $16.70 | $38,509 | November 24, 2020 |
| ZipRecruiter | $15 | $30,407 | November 18, 2020 |
| Salary.com | $19 | $39,186 | October 28, 2020 |
Average Medical Assistant Salaries in Connecticut
The average hourly pay of medical assistants in CT as of July 10, 2020, according to indeed.com, was $15.64. It is slightly higher than the national average wage per hour.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of May 2019) shows that in Connecticut, the mean hourly salary of MAs was $19.44, and the annual mean wage was $40,440.
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Connecticut) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $31,110 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $34,400 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $38,640 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $45,550 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $52,760 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of May 2019)
The annual salary of medical assistants in Connecticut was more than the national yearly salary at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in CT
The table below lists the top 10 cities paying the highest salary to their medical assistants in Connecticut.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Stamford | $20.19 | $20 |
| East Hartford | $17.69 | $19 |
| Farmington | $17.62 | $19 |
| Manchester | $17.41 | $19 |
| Middlebury | $17.19 | $19 |
| Hartford | $16.59 | $19 |
| Trumbull | $16.38 | $20 |
| Norwich | $16.33 | $19 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 24, 2020) and salary.com (as of October 28, 2020)
Stamford is in its different league when it comes to MA salary in Connecticut with an impressive $20.19 hourly wage. Other cities paid between $17.69 and $16.33.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Connecticut Medical Assistants
The following table shows all the metropolitan areas in Connecticut and what they pay to their medical assistants.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Haven, CT | $41,060 | $31,440 | $37,580 | $58,720 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $41,050 | $31,520 | $39,570 | $52,690 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $40,440 | $31,670 | $39,360 | $52,340 |
| Worcester, MA-CT | $39,740 | $30,400 | $39,390 | $49,900 |
| Waterbury, CT | $39,710 | $29,740 | $38,100 | $50,800 |
| Springfield, MA-CT | $38,850 | $30,600 | $38,300 | $49,400 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI | $38,690 | $30,750 | $37,810 | $49,820 |
| Danbury, CT | $37,300 | $28,100 | $36,640 | $49,350 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
New Haven is the metropolitan area paying the most to its medical assistants with a mean annual wage of $41,060, followed by Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford at a close second with $41,050.
Top 5 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment in Connecticut
The following areas employ the most number of medical assistants in Connecticut.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 2,660 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 2,010 |
| Springfield, MA-CT | 1,880 |
| New Haven, CT | 1,820 |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 940 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
The metropolitan area employing the most medical assistants in Connecticut is Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford with 2,660 professionals, followed by Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk with 2,010 medical assistants.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Connecticut
The following employers are the top 10 when it comes to paying the highest to their medical assistants.
| 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 |
| Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System | $21.52 |
| Emory Health | $20.45 |
| HealthPartners | $20.39 |
| SSM Health | $19.78 |
| Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute | $19.46 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 24, 2020)
Sutter Health paid the most to its medical assistants in Connecticut with a $26.55 hourly wage. Other employers pay between $24.18-$19.46 an hour in this top 10 list.
Benefits for Connecticut Medical Assistants other than Salaries
When it comes to a medical assistant’s pay in Connecticut, you’ll be surprised to know that it only makes up 67.8% ($39,186) of the total compensation they receive. The remaining 32.2% are other benefits mentioned below, with a monetary value of about $18,548 per year. The combined total compensation of medical assistants in Connecticut comes to about $57,777.
-
Healthcare
Working in healthcare has its benefits, $6,371 worth to be precise, which is contributed by your employer while you work as a medical assistant in Connecticut. It makes up a whopping 11% of the total compensation.
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Time Off
Time off is another essential part of a medical assistant’s compensation with a monetary value of $4,979 a year, making up about 8.6% of their overall remuneration.
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Social Security
One less thing to worry about for Connecticut’s medical assistants is social security payments because their employers contribute about $3,001 a year to it. It makes up 5.2% of the total remuneration program of a professional.
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401K/403B
This retirement fund is a significant part of every professional’s retirement planning, and medical assistants of Connecticut receive about $1,922 a year contributed to it by their employers. It comes to about 3.3% of their overall compensation.
-
Pension
Another essential retirement fund gets about $1,648 a year from the employers making up 2.9% of the total remuneration received by medical assistants in Connecticut.
-
Disability
Disability fund replaces a professional’s income if they, unfortunately, meet with an accident and aren’t able to work after that. Employers contribute $628 a year to this fund, which is about 1.1% of the overall remuneration.
There is also a bonus apart from the benefits mentioned above, which comes to around about 0.1% of the base salary, i.e., $43.
(Source: salary.com as of October 28, 2020)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Connecticut
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Back-Office Medical Assistant | $18.07 |
| Clinical Assistant | $16.82 |
| Medical Scribe | $16.27 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $16.26 |
| Medical Receptionist | $15.85 |
Source: indeed.com (as of November 24, 2020)
There are many professions similar to medical assistance, but the one that pays the highest in Connecticut is Back Office Medical Assistant, with an average hourly salary of $18.07. Other professions paid between $16.82-$15.84, according to Indeed.
| Related Professions | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $127,349 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $117,295 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $45,310 |
| Medical Secretary | $44,915 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $40,946 |
| Medical Scribe | $37,641 |
Source: salary.com (as of October 28, 2020)
According to salary.com, the above table depicts professions similar to medical assistance. Physician assistants make a lot more because their education is more rigorous, as well as their training. Other jobs, like Medical Billing Specialists, Medical Secretaries, and Medical Librarian Assistants, made $45,310, $44,915, and $40,946, respectively.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for CT Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
Most of you must be wondering if certified medical assistants make more in Connecticut than those who are not certified. Attaining a medical assistant certification in Connecticut certainly gives you an edge over non-certified professionals. There are many advantages that certified MAs have, like getting a job, better promotions, quicker and a better raise, etc.
The table below indicates that medical assistance in Connecticut was projected to grow at 15.3%, with 1,190 jobs created every year between 2018 to 2028. The employment numbers stood at 8,900 in 2018, and they were projected to grow to 10,260 by 2028, adding 1,360 medical assistants to the state’s healthcare industry.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Connecticut |
8,900 | 10,260 | 1,360 | +15.3% | 1,190 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- Connecticut is a host to almost 200,000 healthcare workers who earn more than $140 billion annually as revenue. This data was published on the CT Health Council website. It also stated that the industry’s position in the state was strengthened further by the state’s $1 billion to UConn Health Center and Jackson Laboratory campuses.
- It was reported in Stamford Advocate that between 2016-2026, the number of jobs created in healthcare would be almost 4 million. It will account for about 35% of the total boom in healthcare jobs in the US, which stands at 11.5 million. Out of these, the 21,600 healthcare jobs in Connecticut will be 22% of the state’s total jobs created between 2016 and 2026.
- As of May 17, 2019, Zippia’s list of fastest-growing jobs in Connecticut listed medical assistance on 23rd with a 117.1% growth, which will see it have 8,490 jobs in 2024. The average annual wage of medical assistants reported here was $36,090.
- In Career One Stop’s top 25 list of fastest-growing jobs in Connecticut, medical assistance ranked 17th with a 21% increase in employment between 2016 and 2026. There were 7,790 medical assistants in 2016, projected to increase to 9,410 by 2026. It also reported that medical assistance would see 1,070 jobs created every year until 2026, putting it at 45th rank in the list of careers with most openings.
- US Wage published a list of jobs that were the most popular in Connecticut, where medical assistance stood 47th with 8,140 employees, making up 0.49% of the state’s total workforce. According to this report, medical assistants of the state earned an average annual income of $38,640.
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.
