How Much Does a Medical Assistant Make in Tennessee?
A medical assistant in Tennessee makes $33,610 per year, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which is almost at par with the national annual salary of $35,720. The national hourly wage is $17.17 hourly, and Tennessee pays its medical assistants $16 per hour as per salary.com. A comprehensive insight of hourly and annual salary for medical assistants in the state is provided below:
| Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS | $16.16 | $33,610 | March 31, 2020 |
| Indeed | $14.17 | $32,857 | December 4, 2020 |
| Salary.com | $16 | $32,960 | November 25, 2020 |
| Ziprecruiter | $14 | $29,407 | November 30, 2020 |
The above table shows the salary obtained by certified as well as non-certified MAs in Tennessee. If you’re wondering how much do certified medical assistants make in Tennessee, you must be interested to know that certified MAs obtain higher salaries and other additional benefits and are also preferred over non-certified counterparts when it comes to jobs and opportunities from the best paying organizations in the industry.
Average Medical Assistant Salaries in Tennessee
MAs in TN are paid an hourly wage of $14.15 on an average (indeed.com as of September 26, 2020). The Bureau Of Labor Statistics (as of May 2019) postulates that MAs in TN draw hourly mean salaries of $16.16 and annual mean pay of $33,610.
| Percentile | Annual Salary (Tennessee) | Annual Salary (National) |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $24,640 | $25,820 |
| 25% | $27,890 | $29,460 |
| 50% | $32,290 | $34,800 |
| 75% | $38,070 | $40,270 |
| 90% | $44,840 | $48,720 |
Source: BLS (as of May 2019)
As shown above, the annual pay that MAs received in TN was lesser than the national pay rate at all percentiles.
Highest Paying Cities for Medical Assistants in TN
Within the same geographical location, salaries differ for several internal as well as external reasons. Here are the top 8 cities in TN that pay the highest hourly salary to its medical assistants:
| City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Annual Salary (salary.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Murfreesboro, TN | $15.83 | $16 |
| Franklin, TN | $15.66 | $16 |
| Nashville, TN | $15.15 | $16 |
| Germantown, TN | $14.60 | $15 |
| Chattanooga, TN | $13.87 | $15 |
| Jackson, TN | $13.76 | $14 |
| Knoxville, TN | $13.68 | $14 |
| Memphis, TN | $13.62 | $16 |
Source: indeed.com (as of December 5, 2020) and salary.com (as of November 25, 2020)
According to indeed.com, the highest paying city in Tennessee was Murfreesboro, paying its medical assistants $15.83 per hour, closely followed by Franklin, at number two. The lowest paying cities were Memphis and Knoxville, with $13.62 and $13.68 hourly salaries, respectively.
Highest Paying Metropolitan Areas for Tennessee Medical Assistants
Let’s take a look at the highest-paying metropolitan areas for medical assistants in TN:
| Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | $35,150 | $25,730 | $33,780 | $49,240 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $34,170 | $25,600 | $33,200 | $42,800 |
| Knoxville, TN | $32,750 | $25,830 | $31,770 | $41,450 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | $32,490 | $25,040 | $31,040 | $42,680 |
| Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA | $35,130 | $26,410 | $34,580 | $44,810 |
| Johnson City, TN | $30,010 | $22,850 | $29,290 | $38,890 |
| Jackson, TN | $31,200 | $22,800 | $30,300 | $40,500 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | $32,810 | $22,830 | $30,290 | $48,740 |
| Morristown, TN | $29,760 | $21,530 | $28,410 | $40,650 |
| Cleveland, TN | $30,860 | $21,140 | $29,110 | $44,040 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
As per records of March 31, 2020, it has been observed that among all metropolitan areas of Tennessee, Nashville-Davidson—Murfreesboro–Franklin pays its MAs the highest annual salary of $35,150, which is at par with the national annual wage for medical assistants. It is closely followed by Memphis and Knoxville at second and third position, respectively. The metropolitan cities with the lowest yearly paying income include Morristown and Cleveland.
Top 10 Cities/Areas with Highest Employment
As per the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, Tennessee is one of the states that employ medical assistants consistently. A total of 15,280 medical assistants have been employed in the state, and the location quotient of employment is 1.05. Within the state, these are the top 10 cities/areas that record the highest employment of medical assistants:
| Metropolitan Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 4,790 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 3,630 |
| Knoxville, TN | 1,960 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 1,770 |
| Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA | 640 |
| Johnson City, TN | 480 |
| Jackson, TN | 360 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 350 |
| Morristown, TN | 270 |
| Cleveland, TN | 240 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2020)
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN employs the highest number of medical assistants, contributing almost one-third of the total number of medical assistants employed in Tennessee.
Top 10 Paying Employers for Medical Assistants in Tennessee
As you already know, a medical assistant can be employed in many medical facilities, clinics, or other related ambulatory settings. The base salary, according to indeed.com, is $14.18. The top 10 highest paying employers for MAs in TN include:
| Employer | Per Hour Salary |
|---|---|
| Kaiser Permanente | $23.89 |
| Sutter Health | $20.94 |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | $19.26 |
| Multicare Health System | $18.66 |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | $18.15 |
| Quest Diagnostics | $17.79 |
| Scripps Health | $17.61 |
| Neighborhood Healthcare | $17.57 |
| Providence Health Services | $17.47 |
| Franciscan Health | $17.46 |
Source: Indeed (as of December 5, 2020)
In most states, Sutter Health is usually the highest paying setting in the medical assistant industry. However, in Tennessee, they have been overtaken by Springs Medical Lab, which pays a record salary of $27.26 to qualified and certified medical assistants in the state.
Benefits for Tennessee Medical Assistants other than Salaries
Medical assistants in Tennessee also enjoy several perks, additional to their salaries for their dedicated service and professionalism. The base salary of a medical assistant in Tennessee is $32,960, which is 66.4% of the total compensation offered to MAs. An additional bonus of $39 is provided, which makes up for another 0.1% of the total compensation.
There are other benefits, and the total amount stands around $49,613 annually. Though the services usually differ between employers and depend on them, here is a list of the common benefits open to all:
-
Healthcare Insurance
MAs are also entitled to 12.8% of their compensation being devoted towards healthcare insurance, which monetarily is proportionate to $6,371.
-
Paid Time-Off
An MA in Tennessee is also entitled to paid time-off, which is 8.4% of the total perks one enjoys. Monetarily, it is proportionate to $4,188.
-
Social Security
A total of 5.1% of benefits are devoted to ensuring adequate social security of the MA employed, which is monetarily proportionate to $2,524.
-
401K/403B
To secure your future beyond your working life, your employer would also contribute to your retirement program by providing $1,617 yearly, contributing to 3.3% of the total compensation.
-
Pension
2.8% of total compensation is devoted to a pension so that one can enjoy a stable and happy retired life. $1,386 is the monetary value of the pension.
-
Disability
Another $528 is kept aside for disability insurance, which makes up for 1.1% of the total compensation figure.
-
Flexible Working Hours
MAs in Tennessee enjoy flexible working hours and do not have to work beyond their shifts, which is quite the norm in healthcare settings otherwise.
Source: salary.com (as of November 25, 2020)
Salaries of Similar Professions in Tennessee
Are you aware of what other occupations are in close relation with medical assisting? Look at the table below and also observe their respective wage estimates in IL.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Clinical Assistant | $14.14 |
| Medical Office Assistant | $13.23 |
| Medical Receptionist | $13.13 |
| Medical Scribe | $12.18 |
| Back Office Medical Assistant | $13.25 |
Source: indeed (as of December 5, 2020)
Similar healthcare professions in TN can also be considered, and a brief overview of the average hourly salary of a Clinical Assistant, Medical Office Assistant, Receptionist, and Scribe are given above. They all earn lower than a medical assistant.
| Related Professions | Average Hourly Salary |
|---|---|
| Physician Assistant- Specialty | $107,134 |
| Physician Assistant- Medical | $98,660 |
| Medical Billing Specialist | $38,117 |
| Medical Secretary | $37,779 |
| Medical Librarian Assistant | $34,438 |
| Medical Scribe | $31,666 |
Source: salary.com (as of November 25, 2020)
As per salary.com, these healthcare professionals are paid at par or sometimes higher than medical assistants. You can consider a Physician Assistant who gets the highest annual salary of $98,660 in Medical settings and $107,134 in Specialty settings.
Projected Employment and Hiring Trends for TN Medical Assistants (2018-2028)
Job Outlook
Though Tennessee does not require its MAs to have certification, it is recommended that one relies upon the arsenal of formal training and certification to ensure that they are a step ahead of their contemporaries. Having both ensures you have skills that are accepted at the national level. Employers prefer MAs with formal training and certification in TN. As the growth of the healthcare sector is experiencing a considerable increase at present and is expected to continue well through the next ten years, the medical assistant is a very profitable profession, where not only one secures life but also helps the society.
| Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2018) |
Projected Employment
(2028) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
|
Tennessee |
14,690 | 18,760 | 4,070 | +27.7% | 2,250 |
Source: Projections Central (2018-2028)
As the table above reflects, the profession of medical assistants would observe a +27.7% change in the upcoming years till 2028, and the annual job openings would be 2,250 every year.
Hiring Trends
- As per information and research from the Department of Labor & Workforce Development of TN, an overwhelming 7 of the 10 fastest growing professions are in the healthcare sector, with 1,500 annual openings. The reasons for the unprecedented boom in the healthcare sector is owing to several reasons like advancement in technology, rebound opportunities in construction and manufacturing, and the large and ever-expanding presence of the healthcare sector.
- Medical assistants in Tennessee feature at 31st rank among the top 50 jobs with the fastest growth recorded as per careeronestopinfo’s 2016 report. The same site reports 690 occupations exist in Tennessee, and among the top 50 jobs with the largest employment, medical assistants rank at #48 with 14,460 medical assistants employed in the year 2016.
- Another report sponsored by the US Department of Labor reveals that medical assistant is among the top 50 jobs with most openings. Ranking at #41, 2,190 annual openings have been recorded.
- Among the 200 most popular jobs found in the state in a survey done in 2019, the profession of a medical assistant comes among the top 50, ranking at #47 with 15,280 medical assistants being employed in the state as per usawage.com records.
- For the fastest-growing jobs in Tennessee, a 2019 report reveals that medical assistant is among the top 30 jobs, ranking at #26, with 18,750 projected openings in 2026.
- As per zippia.com’s 2019 survey, the best companies to work for included TeamHealth based in Knoxville, TN, followed closely by UT Medical Center in the second place, located in Knoxville as well. The third position was obtained by SpecialtyCare, a known leader in allied health and other outsourcing services. HCA Healthcare, founded in 1968, occupied the fourth place, and LifePoint Health is the fifth leading employer in the state.
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.
