How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Rhode Island?
A medical assistant in Rhode Island makes an average hourly salary of $16.66, which according to indeed.com, is 7% higher than the national average pay of medical assistants in the country. A more detailed insight into their annual and hourly salaries are:
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $17.92 | $37,270 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $16.62 | $38,686 | January 28, 2021 |
| Salary.com | $18 | $38,374 | January 29, 2021 |
| ZipRecruiter | $14 | $29,711 | January 23, 2021 |
Medical assistants earn between $14 and $18 per hour in Rhode Island. Annually, their salary ranges between $29,000 to $37,000, according to various salary sources. Certified and experienced individuals tend to earn more than non-certified MA aspirants.
Medical Assistant Pay at Different Percentiles in Rhode Island
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Rhode Island) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $27,970 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $32,100 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $36,650 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $41,190 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $49,490 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
As the above table depicts, the annual salary of medical assistants in Rhode Island is higher than the national average at all percentiles. While at 10, 25, and 50 percentile, the gap is around $2000, for 75 and 90, the gap narrows down to $800-$1000.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in RI
According to indeed, Rhode Island pays its medical assistants a bit better than the other states or the national average. However, some cities pay even more to their MAs in RI. Here are the top-paying cities:
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Per Hour Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Cranston, RI | $17.35 | $18 |
| Warwick, RI | $17.32 | $18 |
| East Greenwich, RI | $17.08 | $18 |
| Providence, RI | $16.95 | $18 |
| Pawtucket, RI | $16.49 | $18 |
| Wakefield, RI | $16.49 | $18 |
| Westerly, RI | $16.29 | $19 |
| East Providence, RI | $15.59 | $18 |
Source: indeed.com (as of January 28, 2021) and salary.com (as of January 29, 2021)
According to the sources on indeed.com, the highest hourly salary in Rhode Island is recorded by Cranston, whereas salary.com claims it is Westerly with a $19 hourly income. Warwick and East Greenwich are the cities occupying the second and third position among the top-paying cities in Rhode Island.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Rhode Island Medical Assistants
Metropolitan areas in Rhode Island have different salaries for their medical assistants, too. Here’s a look at the 2 top-paying metropolitan areas in Rhode Island:
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $37,420 | $28,120 | $36,760 | $49,660 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI | $38,690 | $30,750 | $37,810 | $49,820 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Norwich-New London-Westerly is the highest paying metropolitan area in Rhode Island with $38,690 mean annual wage and the highest-paid MAs (10% of the total MA population) in the area earned around $50,000 per annum.
Top Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
According to Bureau of Labor (March 2020) estimates, 2,820 total medical assistants were employed in Rhode Island. The employment rate per 1,000 was 5.83. The areas that have the highest employment in RI include:
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 3,140 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI | 440 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Providence-Warwick accounts for the highest number of employed MAs in Rhode Island, followed by Norwich-New London-Westerly. These account for the 2 bustling areas in Rhode Island and have an increasingly rich population.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Rhode Island
Though Rhode Island has a mean average hourly salary of $16.62, some medical assistants draw higher hourly salaries from high paying employers in the state. The top 10 paying employers for MAs in Rhode Island are:
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $23.56 |
| UCLA Health | $23.41 |
| NYU Langone Health | $20.74 |
| Virginia Mason | $20.00 |
| Scripps Health | $19.76 |
| Atrius Health | $19.54 |
| Southcoast Health System | $19.19 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | $18.15 |
| Providence | $18.06 |
| Blueforce | $18.03 |
Source: indeed (as of January 28, 2021)
The top 3 highest paying employers in Rhode Island, like almost every other state in the US, include Kaiser Permanente, UCLA Health, and NYU Langone Health. Southcoast Health System and BlueForce are some of the local players who are among the top-paying employers and unique to Rhode Island.
Benefits for Rhode Island Medical Assistants other than Salaries
A medical assistant in Rhode Island earns a base salary of $38,374, which is 67.7% of the total compensative value, along with a bonus of $43, which covers another 0.1% of the compensation. There are several other benefits they are entitled to receive throughout the year, which sum up to $18,297 of the total compensation ($56,714).
-
Healthcare
$6,371 is paid to medical assistants in RI besides their base salary compensation, which makes up for 11.2% of the total benefit value.
-
Time Off
A total of 8.6% of compensation value is guaranteed towards covering paid time-off of medical assistants in Rhode Island, which is $4,876 in a year.
-
Social Security
A total of $2,939 is reserved towards benefits medical assistants in the state receive for taking care of their social security needs, and it makes up for 5.2% of their total compensation value in addition to the base salary and bonus.
-
401K/403B
$1,882 is reserved for retirement plans and savings that would make 3.3% of the total compensation.
-
Pension
Another $1,614 is reserved for ensuring improved well-being after retirement, making up 2.8% of the total remuneration.
-
Disability
1.1% is saved towards disability insurance, which is $615 per year in Rhode Island.
(Source: salary.com as of January 29, 2021)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Rhode Island
To make an informed choice whether the job of a medical assistant would be the right fit for you, it is crucial to have an idea of the related professions and their wage estimates.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Dermatology Assistant | $24.97 |
| Clinical Assistant | $18.06 |
| Certified Medical Assistant | $17.89 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $16.82 |
| Medical Receptionist | $15.41 |
| Medical Scribe | $14.35 |
Source: indeed (as of January 28, 2021)
A Dermatology Assistant earns almost $25 per hour, which is significantly higher than an MA in Rhode Island. Clinical Assistant and Certified MAs also earn relatively good hourly salaries, almost at par with an MA in RI. It is, however, significantly noteworthy here that CMAs earn more in the state than non-certified professionals.
| Related Professions | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $124,751 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $114,865 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $44,385 |
| Medical Secretary | $43,987 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $40,097 |
| Medical Scribe | $36,874 |
Source: salary.com (as of January 29, 2021)
A comparison of average annual salaries reveals that Physician Assistant- Specialty gets the highest annual salary followed by Physician Assistant- Medical, both of who make more than $110,000 per year. Medical Billing Specialist and Medical Secretary also have good average annual salaries, comparatively higher than that of a medical assistant in Rhode Island.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for RI Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
Though RI does not specify MA aspirants to possess formal training or procure national certification, it is recommended that candidates get both preferably. Having both ensures better opportunities and increases the chances of employability for medical assistants. The national certification and formal training act as a testimony of their skills, as per nationally accepted standards.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Rhode Island |
2,430 | 2,630 | 200 | +8.2% | 300 |
Source: Projections Central
Projections Central data reveals that the total number of employed MAs in the state would be 2,630 in 2028, reflecting an 8.2% change from 2018 with 300 anticipated annual job openings. With that being said, experts believe the future is looking bright for medical assistants and MA aspirants in the state.
Hiring Trends
- Medical assisting is one of the top 50 careers with the largest employment in Rhode Island, out of 471 listed occupations. Featuring 47 on that survey by careeronestop.org, it had 2,530 medical assistants employed in the state in 2016.
- Another careeronstop.org report claims that medical assisting is also among the 50 careers in Rhode Island with the most job openings in the near future. Ranking 37 on that list and 300 projected annual openings are foreseen on the horizon, making it a very bright future for the profession.
- A Zippia 2019 survey claims medical assisting is among the top 100 jobs that are the fastest growing in Rhode Island. It features 80th and has a 104.2% anticipated growth rate and 2,720 total number of expected medical assistants in Rhode Island.
- Among the 200 most popular Rhode Island jobs, USA Wage places medical assisting among the top 50. It features 37 on that 2019 survey list and has a 0.58 employment rate and 2,820 total medical assistants employed.
- A 2019 Zippia independent survey confirms the top 5 healthcare companies out of 29 best companies in Rhode Island, especially for medical assistants and other allied health professionals, are CVS Health, Lifespan, Rhode Island Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, and Kent 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.
