How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Montana?
The following table will answer how much do certified medical assistants make in Montana, according to various sources, including BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $17.50 | $36,390 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $15.39 | $35,827 | January 27, 2021 |
| Salary.com | $16 | $32,948 | December 28, 2020 |
| ZipRecruiter | $15 | $31,419 | January 21, 2021 |
As reported by BLS and other resources, medical assistants earned between $15-$17.50 per hour and a yearly salary in the bracket of $31,000 to $36,000 on average.
Medical Assistant Pay in MT at Different Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Montana) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $27,590 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $31,360 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $36,110 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $40,730 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $47,580 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
It is clear from the above table that the annual salary of medical assistants in Montana is higher than the national average at 10, 25, 50, and 75 percentiles. Though the difference in amount between the national annual salary and that of Montana is very narrow, it still manages a higher variable till it falls below the national average at 90 percentile.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in MT
The table below answers how much medical assistants make in Montana’s different cities.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Dillon, MT | $33.00 | $15 |
| Bozeman, MT | $16.52 | $14 |
| Helena, MT | $16.43 | $15 |
| Missoula, MT | $16.38 | $14 |
| Ashland, MT | $15.86 | $16 |
| Cut Bank, MT | $15.60 | $15 |
| Kalispell, MT | $15.47 | $15 |
| Butte, MT | $15.30 | $14 |
| Billings, MT | $13.73 | $17 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 27, 2021) and salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
Medical assistant salary in Montana is the highest if they live in Dillon, as it pays an average of $33 an hour to its medical assistants, followed by Bozeman, which took the second spot with an hourly wage of $16.52. Other cities in the list paid between $13.5 and $16.5, according to indeed.com. The data from salary.com suggests that all these cities pay between $14 and $17 an hour to their medical assistants.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Montana Medical Assistants
The table below presents a medical assistant’s pay in Montana’s different metropolitan areas at different stages of a professional’s career.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missoula, MT | $38,950 | $30,050 | $38,970 | $49,330 |
| Billings, MT | $35,990 | $27,170 | $35,160 | $48,450 |
| Great Falls, MT | $33,320 | $23,520 | $32,790 | $44,770 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
The data shows that Missoula pays the highest annual mean wage to its medical assistants, ranging from $30,050 to $49,330 a year between the 10th and 90th percentile. The second-placed Billings paid an average of $35,990, and Great Falls paid $33,320 a year.
Top Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
The following areas of Montana employed the medical assistants in the state as per the distribution given in the table below.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Missoula, MT | 270 |
| Billings, MT | 260 |
| Great Falls, MT | 70 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Missoula employed the most number of medical assistants, about 270, followed by Billings, which employed 260 professionals. Great Falls has the least number of MAs, with only 70 professionals working as medical assistants.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Montana
The table lists down various employers and their medical assistant salaries in Montana for 2021 as per the data provided by indeed.com.
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $23.56 |
| NYU Langone Health | $20.69 |
| Virginia Mason | $19.95 |
| Scripps Health | $19.76 |
| Atrius Health | $19.54 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | $17.79 |
| Sutter Health | $17.47 |
| Franciscan Health | $17.35 |
| Premise Health | $17.27 |
| Providence | $17.25 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 27, 2021)
Similar to other states, Kaiser Permanente took the top spot with an average hourly wage of $23.56, followed by NYU Langone Health, which paid second best in the state to its medical assistants. Other employers in the list paid between $17-$20 hourly.
Benefits for Montana Medical Assistants other than Salaries
On average, medical assistant jobs in Montana paid a salary of $32,982 (66.5%), and the value of non-monetary benefits they receive is about $16,609/year (33.5%.) The total yearly compensation after combining the two comes to about $49,591 a year. The break-up of these non-monetary benefits, their monetary values, and contribution to the yearly remuneration is given below.
-
Healthcare
Medical assistants in Montana receive a very handsome healthcare package that costs about $6,371 to the employers. It is about 12.8% of the total remuneration received by them.
-
Time Off
The monetary value of a medical assistant’s leaves in Montana is about $4,186 a year, or 8.4% of the total annual remuneration.
-
Social Security
Social security payments of about $2,523 a year are made by the employers of medical assistants in Montana, making up roughly 5.1% of their total compensation.
-
401K/403B
Employers in Montana also contribute to 401K or 403B funds to help their employees after retirement. The amount contributed every year is about $1,616, or 3.3% of the entire year’s compensation.
-
Pension
It is also a retirement fund that receives a contribution of about $1,385 a year from the employers of medical assistants in Montana. It makes up about 2.8% of the total compensation.
-
Disability
Employers make yearly payments of about $528 a year to this fund, which is about 1.1% yearly remuneration. It will help the employee in case of unfortunate permanent disability by partially replacing their income.
(Source: salary.com as of December 28, 2020)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Montana
The tables below show salaries of jobs similar to medical assistants according to indeed and salary.com.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Dermatology Assistant | $22.81 |
| Clinical Assistant | $19.40 |
| Certified Medical Assistant | $16.49 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $15.16 |
| Medical Receptionist | $13.84 |
| Medical Scribe | $12.47 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 27, 2021)
Dermatology Assistants earn the highest in the list above, followed by Clinical Assistants, who got paid higher than Certified Medical Assistants. Other professions in the list earned between $12 and $15.
| Related Professions | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $107,096 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $98,616 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $38,101 |
| Medical Secretary | $37,765 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $34,421 |
| Medical Scribe | $31,657 |
Source: salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
Physician Assistants (both Medical and Speciality) make the most in this list because of their tedious and lengthy master’s education. They are followed by Medical Billing Specialists and Medical Secretaries who earned almost at par annually. Medical Scribes were the least paid on this list.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for MT Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
Working in healthcare means a lot of medical, clinical, and administrative, all three of which will be taught to you when preparing for medical assistant certification in Montana. Certification is not only highly recommended, but a certified medical assistant’s salary in Montana is higher than a non-certified professional. The chances of landing a job with a big and reputed employer are also higher. A medical assistant’s scope of practice in Montana also depends on the certification, making it that much more important.
The table below shows the growth of medical assistant jobs in Montana between 2018-2028 as per the projections made by Projections Central at the end of 2017. The total employment is expected to rise at an impressive rate of 20.5% in this period, which would increase the number of jobs by 240, taking employment from 1,170 to 1,410. The average annual job openings are projected to be 170 in this period.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Montana |
1,170 | 1,410 | 240 | +20.5% | 170 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored Resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- Montana Department of Labor & Industry projected that the healthcare industry would have a consistent growth of 1.8% every year. It would see the industry have about 1,300 job openings every year until 2024.
- In 2015, the Montana Government projected medical assistance to be the 4th highest profession in terms of growth through 2025, with a median wage of $30,580. It had 1,204 jobs in 2015, projected to increase by 21 jobs every year to have 1,416 medical assistants in the state by 2025.
- Medical assistance stood 5th in the list of jobs with most openings between 2017 and 2027, with 200 openings every year due to new jobs, exits, and transfer of 36, 68, 96, respectively. The average annual wage of medical assistants was reported to be $33,170.
- Medical assistance also appeared in the list of the top 10 fastest-growing careers between 2016 and 2026, according to CareerOneStop, and grabbed the 10th spot. It would see the employment number go from 1,250 to 1,600 between this period, which is a growth of 28%.
- As of May 17, 2019, the fastest-growing careers of Montana for 2019, according to Zippia, saw medical assisting take the 26th spot with a mean wage of $31,910. It was projected to grow at 117.3% and add 1,150 jobs by 2024.
- USA Wage’s list of most popular Montana jobs put medical assistants on the 62nd spot, with 3,590 professionals making up 0.32% of the state’s total workforce. The average annual salary was reported to be $29,460 as of April 2020.
- Zippia’s list of best healthcare facilities to work for in Montana put the following 5 on top, based on their salaries, company financial health, and employee diversity: Community Medical Center, Billings Clinic, St. Peter’s Hospital, Kalispell Regional Medical Center, and Clark Fork Valley Hospital.
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.
