How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Oklahoma?
We have compiled a comparative table to understand how much do certified medical assistants make in Oklahoma. According to BLS data in the table below, the average hourly salary is about $15.20, and the yearly salary is about $31,610, as of March 31, 2020. The table also shows this data from other reliable sources.
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $15.20 | $31,610 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $14.01 | $32,624 | January 21, 2021 |
| Salary.com | $16 | $34,165 | December 28, 2020 |
| ZipRecruiter | $14 | $28,825 | October 23, 2020 |
Medical Assistant Pay in OK at Different Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Oklahoma) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $23,520 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $27,130 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $30,770 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $36,290 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $40,590 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
The table above depicts that the annual salary of medical assistants in Oklahoma was less than the national average figure at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in OK
Different cities in the state pay differently to MAs. Let’s look at the top cities in Oklahoma that pay the most to their medical assistants.
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Stillwater, OK | $14.39 | $16 |
| Broken Arrow, OK | $14.34 | $17 |
| Owasso, OK | $14.34 | $17 |
| Tulsa, OK | $14.32 | $17 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $14.04 | $16 |
| Midwest City, OK | $14.04 | – |
| Norman, OK | $13.93 | $16 |
| Yukon, OK | $13.81 | $16 |
| McAlester, OK | $13.80 | $16 |
| Enid, OK | $13.58 | $16 |
| Lawton, OK | $13.00 | $15 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 21, 2021) and salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
An MA’s salary in Oklahoma varies from $14.39 to $13.80, according to indeed.com, with Stillwater paying the highest and Lawton paying the lowest in this top 10 list. At the same time, the data from salary.com suggests all the cities in this list earned between $15 and $17.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Oklahoma Medical Assistants
A medical assistant’s pay in Oklahoma’s metropolitan areas is given below. The 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile median wages show how much they earn at different career stages.
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa, OK | $33,240 | $26,030 | $32,520 | $41,140 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $32,230 | $24,860 | $31,320 | $41,100 |
| Enid, OK | $31,730 | $24,670 | $30,260 | $40,530 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | $29,050 | $21,680 | $28,520 | $37,820 |
| Lawton, OK | $27,460 | $21,210 | $26,850 | $34,880 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Tulsa took the top spot in this list with a mean annual wage of $33,240 for its medical assistants. Oklahoma City stood second with a close $32,230, and Enid took the third spot. These were followed by Forth Smith and Lawton paying about $27,000 to $29,000 per year.
Top 5 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
The table below shows the distribution of medical assistants in Oklahoma and its various metropolitan areas.
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma City, OK | 4,330 |
| Tulsa, OK | 2,540 |
| Fort Smith, AR-OK | 210 |
| Lawton, OK | 210 |
| Enid, OK | 80 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Oklahoma City is the biggest metropolitan area in Oklahoma, so it employs the highest number of medical assistants, precisely 4,330, followed by Tulsa with 2,540 professionals. Other areas in the list, like Fort Smith, Lawton, and Enid, employed a total of 500 medical assistants combined.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Oklahoma
Let’s take a look at the top 10 employers who pay the best medical assistant salaries in 2020 as per indeed.com’s data.
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Perry Ellis International, Inc. | $28 |
| Kaiser Permanente | $24.65 |
| NYU Langone Health | $20.66 |
| Virginia Mason | $19.99 |
| Scripps Health | $19.76 |
| Atrius Health | $19.54 |
| Passport Health | $18.72 |
| Sutter Health | $18.57 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | $18.15 |
| Multicare Health System | $17.53 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 21, 2021)
The clear winner here is Perry Ellis International, Inc., which pays well to its medical assistants, about $28 an hour, followed by Kaiser Permanente, which pays $24.65 hourly. Other employers in Oklahoma paid approx $17-$21 per hour to their medical assistants as per indeed.com.
Benefits for Oklahoma Medical Assistants other than Salaries
The monetary benefits in medical assistant jobs in Oklahoma are 66.8% of the total compensation, which comes to around $34,201 a year. The remaining 33.2% is received by the professionals in the form of benefits, which have a combined monetary value of $16,987 a year. It makes the total remuneration of medical assistants in Oklahoma about $51,188 a year. All the non-monetary benefits are listed below, with their contribution to the yearly compensation.
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Healthcare
Medical assistants in Oklahoma enjoy a great health plan, which costs around $6,371 to their employers. It is about 12.4% of the total yearly compensation.
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Time Off
The monetary value of all the leaves combined for medical assistants in Oklahoma is about $4,341, or 8.5% of the total remuneration they receive in a year.
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Social Security
Social security payments are a huge benefit medical assistants receive in Oklahoma. Employers contribute about $2,616 a year, which is roughly 5.1% of the employee’s cost to them for a year.
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401K/403B
This is one of the retirement funds that employees contribute to every year ($1,676). It is about 3.3% of the total compensation received by the medical assistants in Oklahoma.
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Pension
The pension also helps employees after retirement, and the employers of medical assistants contribute about $1,436 a year towards it, which is about 2.8% of the total remuneration.
-
Disability
Employers of medical assistants in Oklahoma pay about $547 a year towards the disability fund that helps replace an employee’s income in case of permanent disability. It is about 1.1% of the gross compensation.
(Source: salary.com as of December 28, 2020)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Oklahoma
The tables below take data from two sources about professions similar to medical assisting and their average salaries in Oklahoma.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Dermatology Assistant | $23.54 |
| Clinical Assistant | $15.05 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $13.81 |
| Certified Medical Assistant | $13.32 |
| Medical Receptionist | $12.95 |
| Medical Scribe | $11.52 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 21, 2021)
According to indeed.com, Dermatology Assistants make the highest in professions similar to medical assistants, with an average hourly wage of $23.54. The second place is taken by Clinical Assistants, followed by Medical Office Assistants, who earn $13.81 an hour. The last two spots are for Medical Receptionists and Medical Scribes.
| Related Professions | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $111,053 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $102,260 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $39,509 |
| Medical Secretary | $39,161 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $35,693 |
| Medical Scribe | $32,827 |
Source: salary.com (as of December 28, 2020)
The table above puts Physician Assistants (Medical and Specialty) in the first two spots with a salary way better than medical assistants or other related professions because they require a master’s degree. Next comes Medical Billing Specialists, who earn $39,509 a year in Oklahoma, followed by Medical Secretaries and Medical Librarian Assistants.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for OK Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
A medical assistant’s scope of practice in OK includes medical and administrative duties. These duties differ from facility to facility, but the basics remain the same, which help you prepare for the certifications advised by most of the medical assistants we talked to. A certified medical assistant’s salary in Oklahoma is better, and they also instill trust among employers about their commitment to the job, which helps them grow faster. Let’s see how many medical assistants Oklahoma has and how that number is projected to grow with more job opportunities.
As you can see in the table below, Oklahoma employed 8,880 medical assistants in 2018, which is projected to increase by 1,390 by 2028 at a rate of 15.7%. It would’ve seen the profession gain an average of 1,190 jobs every year by 2028.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Oklahoma |
8,880 | 10,270 | 1,390 | +15.7% | 1,190 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor-Sponsored Resource, Projections Central (2018-2028 report)
Hiring Trends
- Oklahoma Works made a list of critical occupations for the coming years, and medical assisting took the 7th spot. It would show a promising growth of 935 jobs by 2025, with the current hourly wage being $14.52.
- According to CareerOneStop, medical assisting took 37th place in the list of fastest-growing careers between 2016-2026. The growth rate of 18% was projected to take the number of medical assistants in the state from 9,460 to 11,390 in this period. It was also reported that medical assisting was the 40th largest employing profession in the state in 2016.
- Medical assisting appeared in the top 50 jobs with the most projected annual job openings between 2016 and 2026. It took the 36th spot with 9,460 jobs in 2016 and projected 1,280 annual openings, according to CareerOneStop.
- Zippia’s list of fastest-growing careers features medical assisting at the 41st spot for 2019, earning $29,660/year. The growth rate of 116.1% would see it add 9,040 more jobs by 2024.
- The most popular jobs list of USA Wage put medical assisting at the 41st spot too, with an average annual income of $30,770 for 2020. It contributed to about 0.54% of the state’s workforce, with 8,740 professionals as of March 31, 2020.
- The top 5 companies to work for medical assistants in Oklahoma based on salaries, company financial health, and employee diversity, according to Zippia, are INTEGRIS Health, Deaconess Hospital, Canadian Valley Technology Center, Innovative Healthcare, and Comanche County Memorial 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.
