According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 31, 2021 report), the average pay for medical assistants in the USA stands at $18.36 per hour. MAs in the USA draw salary packages of $38,190 annually. The report outlines the medical assistant salary in Texas 2021 as $16.66 per hour and $34,660 per year. Therefore, in comparison to the national averages, Texas medical assistants drew slightly lower wages.
Resource | Hourly Salary | Annual Salary | Date Updated |
---|---|---|---|
BLS | $15.65 | $32,550 | May 31, 2021 |
Indeed | $16.12 | $37,210 | September 16, 2022 |
Glassdoor | $19 | $34,508 | December 21, 2021 |
Salary.com | $18 | $38,227 | August, 31, 2022 |
ZipRecruiter | $13 | $26,210 | September 18, 2022 |
This table outlines the pays (both hourly and annual) of medical assistants in Texas (from distinct sources).
To configure how much do medical assistants make in Texas, one has to study city-wise variations too.
City | Per Hour Salary (indeed.com) | Annual Salary (salary.com) |
---|---|---|
Austin | $17.90 | $37,615 |
Dallas | $17.12 | $38,916 |
Plano | $17.25 | $37,905 |
Grapevine | $17.85 | $37,520 |
Fort Worth | $16.90 | $37,350 |
Frisco | $16.78 | $37,502 |
San Antonio | $15.70 | $37,208 |
Houston | $15.86 | $39,205 |
Source: indeed.com (as of September 14, 2022), salary.com (as of August 31, 2022)
Amongst the cities of TX, Austin paid the highest to its MAs at $16.44 per hour. Dallas followed next with hourly wages of $15.87.
Metropolitan Area | Mean Annual Wage | 10th Percentile Wage | 50th Percentile (Median) Wage | 90th Percentile Wage |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austin-Round Rock, TX | $36,960 | $29,215 | $37,110 | $46,490 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $36,890 | $28,798 | $36,810 | $46,290 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $36,700 | $29,410 | $37,110 | $46,790 |
Midland, TX | $36,230 | $28,995 | $37,420 | $46,110 |
Odessa, TX | $35,630 | $27,205 | $35,410 | $46,420 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $33,870 | $28,820 | $34,730 | $38,070 |
Sherman-Denison, TX | $33,590 | $27,510 | $34,740 | $41,590 |
Tyler, TX | $31,710 | $18,090 | $23,620 | $31,140 |
Killeen-Temple, TX | $32,890 | $26,990 | $30,310 | $38,130 |
Corpus Christi, TX | $32,830 | $27,920 | $30,640 | $37,690 |
Waco, TX | $32,300 | $24,140 | $30,490 | $37,710 |
Victoria, TX | $32,110 | $23,980 | $30,220 | $37,450 |
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $32,310 | $24,720 | $30,230 | $38,210 |
Abilene, TX | $32,220 | $26,310 | $30,190 | $38,140 |
Longview, TX | $31,720 | $24,130 | $30,110 | $38,080 |
Lubbock, TX | $31,480 | $23,630 | $30,010 | $39,110 |
Wichita Falls, TX | $30,910 | $23,510 | $29,990 | $37,620 |
Amarillo, TX | $30,870 | $23,940 | $29,450 | $36,730 |
San Angelo, TX | $30,210 | $23,460 | $29,100 | $36,340 |
Texarkana, TX-AR | $30,130 | $23,250 | $29,170 | $36,320 |
College Station-Bryan, TX | $31,110 | $24,790 | $30,410 | $38,610 |
El Paso, TX | $30,140 | $22,960 | $29,390 | $37,450 |
Laredo, TX | $27,620 | $17,950 | $28,740 | $37,510 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | $26,630 | $24,170 | $29,990 | $37,830 |
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $31,760 | $22,500 | $28,610 | $36,110 |
Source: BLS (as of May 31, 2021)
The metropolitan area of Austin-Round Rock, TX paid the highest annual wages to MAs in Texas ($36,960). The other metropolitan areas that paid well were Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, ($36,890), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($36,700), and Midland ($36,230), as can be seen above.
BLS reports that Texas has the second-highest employment rate (for medical assistants) in the USA. A total of 65,370 MAs were employed in Texas as of March 31, 2021.
Outlined below are the top 10 areas in the state with the highest employment rates for this stream:
Area | Number of Employed Medical Assistants |
---|---|
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 19,260 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 15,710 |
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 8,210 |
Austin-Round Rock, TX | 5,860 |
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 2,530 |
El Paso, TX | 2,410 |
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 1,290 |
Corpus Christi, TX | 1,210 |
Lubbock, TX | 990 |
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 830 |
Source: BLS (as of March 31, 2021)
Thus, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area employed the maximum number of medical assistants (19,260). Other regions in TX that employed a considerable large number of MAs were Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and San Antonio-New Braunfels.
A medical assistant can be employed in various institutions, including clinics, hospitals, physicians’ offices, residential care facilities, and many more. The table below will give you an idea of the highest paying employers for medical assistants in Texas.
Employer | Per Hour Salary |
---|---|
Sutter Health | $27.87 |
Mayo Clinic | $26.55 |
UT Southwestern Medical Center | $23.60 |
Health Partners | $23.58 |
Loyal Source | $23.27 |
Kaiser Permanente | $23.34 |
Erickson Senior Living | $22.76 |
Entira Family Clinics | $22.15 |
Oregon Health & Science University | $21.65 |
Concentra | $21.10 |
Source: indeed.com (as of October 18, 2022)
The state of Texas offers employment opportunities to MAs across a wide variety of settings. Given above are the names of the top-paying employers in TX. Thus, as can be seen, Sutter Health paid the highest wages in the state ($27.87 per hour) to its medical assistants.
As a professional, one does lookout for the right salary package. However, please observe that the add-on benefits over and above the salary are also crucial to gauge. Medical Assistants in Texas are fortunate to get a number of these perks. Let us study some of the benefits that MAs in Texas are rewarded in addition to the salary figures:
(Note: Here, we have taken the base annual salary as $37,638 (source: salary.com). It amounts to 67.52% of the total compensation figure. The total compensation, including the salary and all the benefits, come to $55,744).
Social security benefits come in handy for post-retirement income. This security can be used by the individual’s spouse, children, and other survivors in the later years. Social security perks worth $2,882 (5.17% of total compensation figure) are rendered to medical assistants in Texas on an average.
Disability perks are rendered to qualifying MAs in Texas. It amounts to around $603 (1.08% of the total compensation figure) on average. Disability insurance is also rendered to MAs usually.
Some of the most common healthcare benefits for MAs in Texas include health, dental, and vision insurances. Healthcare allowances and other services that meet the health-related needs of MAs come under this section. Total healthcare perks rendered to TX medical assistants amount to $6,371 (12% of the total compensation figure) on average.
Pension policies are also in place for Texas’ medical assistants. These perks amount to around $1,582 (2.8% of total compensation figure) on average.
Working in the medical world can be mentally draining. To help medical assistants cope, Texas employers offer paid time offs. Thus, MAs in the state can use these compensated offs to vacation and rejuvenate. These benefits amount to around $4,782 (8.57% of total compensation figure) on average.
In addition to the basic salary, MAs in Texas also get bonuses. These bonuses may be linked to your performance parameters. On average, bonuses amount to $40 (0.07% of total compensation figure).
These are retirement plans offered by Texas to its medical assistants. 401K plans are provided to MAs working in for-profit clinics and healthcare facilities. 403B plans are offered to MAs working in not-for-profit centers such as hospitals etc. Monetarily, this perk amounts to $1,846 (3.3% of the total compensation figure) on average.
MAs may be permitted to tailor their working hours as per suitability. Thus, if you need to work at different hours due to other commitments, your employer in Texas may arrange the same for you.
Some TX employers pay for courses that you need to take to further your skills. Some also pay for medical assistant certification in Texas.
Healthcare employers in the state may also house specialized programs to help and train MAs. These departments assist you at each step. Medical assisting can be intimidating initially, and these programs help you settle in.
Not only medical assistant pay in Texas, but it is also good to be aware of the pay scales of related occupations. Please look at these professions and their respective salary figures:
Related Professions | Average Salary |
---|---|
Clinical Assistant | $15.81 per hour |
Medical Office Assistant | $16.83 per hour |
Medical Receptionist | $15.98 per hour |
Back Office Medical Assistant | $2,639 per month |
Medical Scribe | $14.65 per hour |
Source: indeed.com (as of September 24, 2022)
Professions similar to medical assisting – Medical Office Assisting, Clinical Assisting, Medical Receptionists, Back Office Medical Assistant, and Medical Scribe – drew hourly packages between $15.81 to $14.65 per hour.
Healthcare support jobs form a significant chunk of all the middle-skilled STEM jobs in Texas. Medical assistant positions and dental assisting occupy the majority of these vacancies. Back in 2012, 51,560 medical assistants were employed in the state of Texas. Growth projections estimated a whopping 44.1% increase (by 2022).
The healthcare and social assistance industry, on the whole, had 1,567,737 positions by 2022 (first quarter). This number is estimated to grow to 1,707,488 jobs by 2030. A total of 11 industries were documented in Texas Growth Occupation Annual Report 2021. Out of all of these, the healthcare and social assistance industry projected the maximum growth opportunities (47%). Out of these healthcare occupations, medical assistants are amongst the top 5 most demanded roles. They account for amongst the highest job postings listed by healthcare employers in the state.
Estimated Employment and Projected Growth (Medical Assistants) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Projected Area | Base Year Employment
(2020) |
Projected Employment
(2030) |
Numeric Change | Percentage Change | Annual Job Openings |
Texas | 72,040 | 92,940 | 20,900 | +29% | 11,640 |
Source: Projection Central
Half of the STEM jobs in Texas allow professionals to work without a bachelor’s degree. One such occupation is that of medical assisting. About 60% of the middle-skill STEM vacancies call for classroom training (6 months or less). Workers may also need to achieve career-related specialized training, and this is what works best for becoming an adept medical assistant in Texas too.
Hiring managers look at the practical skills you have gathered as part of your MA program. Thus, you should aim to complete a supervised externship before applying for one of the medical assistant jobs in Texas. It will define the medical assistant scope of practice in Texas for you too. Getting certified also adds much weight to your profile. For nationally recognized credentials such as the CMA or RMA certifications, you would need first to complete one of the accredited medical assistant programs in Texas.
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.