# Medical Assistants

US SOC code 31-9092. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/31-9092

Also called: MA, Certified medical assistant, CMA, Clinical medical assistant, Registered medical assistant.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **817,870** US medical assistants, with median pay of **$45,690** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2015, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.aama-ntl.org/about) of **50,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for medical assistants: Telehealth surge + MA remote-rooming workflows, 2020 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 12.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-9092&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **14.1%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.3** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Medical Assistants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1955
- Latest US employment: 817,870 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $45,690 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +12.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [23]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Australia** (ANZSCO 3112)
  - Employment, 2025: 40,900. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey [5]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 3112 Medical Technicians, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$80,028. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [10]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,539 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile.

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., AAMA [1] |
| 1980 | 200,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook [2] |
| 2000 | 330,830 | $23,000 | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2003 | 362,670 | $24,170 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 380,340 | $24,610 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 382,720 | $25,350 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 409,570 | $26,290 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 434,540 | $27,430 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 475,950 | $28,300 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 495,970 | $28,650 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 523,260 | $28,860 | BLS OEWS May 2010 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS (pay) [8] |
| 2011 | 539,220 | $29,100 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 553,140 | $29,370 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 571,690 | $29,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 584,970 | $29,960 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 601,240 | $30,590 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 623,560 | $31,540 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 646,320 | $32,480 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 673,660 | $33,610 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 712,430 | $34,800 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 710,200 | $35,850 | BLS OEWS May 2020 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS (pay) [8] |
| 2021 | 727,760 | $37,190 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 752,460 | $38,270 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 763,040 | $42,000 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 793,460 | $44,200 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 817,870 | $45,690 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (89)

### Employment series

1. [AAMA — American Association of Medical Assistants founding history (1955-1956) and early growth](https://www.aama-ntl.org/about), American Association of Medical Assistants
2. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Medical Assistants (historical employment context, 1980s)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), latest release](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OOH — Medical Assistants (2010-11 edition median annual wage approximately $28,860)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Medical Technicians (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/3112-medical-technicians), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

11. [AAMA — American Association of Medical Assistants founding (1956) and scope of practice history](https://www.aama-ntl.org/about), American Association of Medical Assistants
12. [CMS — History of ICD-9-CM and CPT coding in physician office billing (1983 Medicare CPT standardization)](https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/icd-10-codes/icd-9-cm-diagnosis-procedure-codes-abbreviated-and-full-code-titles), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
13. [US Congress — Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 (HMO Act, P.L. 93-222)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/7974), US Congress
14. [Allscripts Healthcare Solutions — Company history and founding (1986, physician office EHR pioneer)](https://veradigm.com/about-veradigm/), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
15. [Epic Systems — Company overview and ambulatory EHR history](https://www.epic.com/about/), Epic Systems Corporation
16. [ONC — Office-based physician EHR adoption 2004-2021 (42% in 2008 to 88% in 2021)](https://healthit.gov/data/quickstats/office-based-physician-electronic-health-record-adoption/), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
17. [US Congress — Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-5, ARRA Title XIII)](https://www.healthit.gov/topic/laws-regulation-and-policy/health-it-legislation), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
18. [CoverMyMeds — Company founding (2008) and electronic prior authorization history](https://www.covermymeds.com/main/about/), CoverMyMeds (McKesson)
19. [Federal Register — Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program—Stage 2 final rule (77 FR 53968, 2012-09-04): patient portal engagement requirements](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2012-09-04/pdf/2012-21050.pdf), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services / GovInfo
20. [KFF — "Telehealth Has Played an Outsized Role Meeting Mental Health Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2021, including 2020 visit volume data)](https://www.kff.org/mental-health/telehealth-has-played-an-outsized-role-meeting-mental-health-needs-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/), Kaiser Family Foundation
21. [TechCrunch — "After clearing all regulatory hurdles, Microsoft closes $20B Nuance deal" (March 4, 2022)](https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/after-clearing-all-regulatory-hurdles-microsoft-closes-20b-nuance-deal/), TechCrunch
22. [Abridge — Company overview and clinical AI note generation product (2024)](https://www.abridge.com/), Abridge

### Forecasts and exposure studies

23. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 31-9092 Medical assistants (2025: 833.9 thousand; 2035: 941.5 thousand; +12.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-9092&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 31-9092 Medical Assistants: probability 0.3, rank 239 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
25. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 31-9092.00, human-rated β 0.141)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

26. [AAMA — American Association of Medical Assistants: Founding history (1955-1956, Maxine Williams first president)](https://www.aama-ntl.org/about), American Association of Medical Assistants
27. [US National Archives — "Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965)" (signed July 30, 1965)](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), US National Archives
28. [US Congress — Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-222)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/7974), US Congress
29. [ONC — Office-based physician EHR adoption statistics 2004-2021 (HITECH impact: 42% to 88%)](https://healthit.gov/data/quickstats/office-based-physician-electronic-health-record-adoption/), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
30. [US Congress — Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed March 23, 2010 (P.L. 111-148)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-bill/3590), US Congress
31. [Microsoft — Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) product page (formerly Nuance DAX, launched 2020)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/health-solutions), Microsoft Corporation / Nuance
32. [TechCrunch — "After clearing all regulatory hurdles, Microsoft closes $20B Nuance deal" (March 4, 2022)](https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/after-clearing-all-regulatory-hurdles-microsoft-closes-20b-nuance-deal/), TechCrunch
33. [Abridge — Series C funding announcement (February 2024; $150M at $2.5B valuation)](https://www.abridge.com/), Abridge

### Predecessors & successors

34. [AAMA — American Association of Medical Assistants founding (1956) and scope of practice history](https://www.aama-ntl.org/about), American Association of Medical Assistants
35. [BLS OOH — "Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses" (LPN career path and training)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Medical Assistants (31-9092.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data; median wage $21.25/hr ($44,200); 811,000 employed; 12% growth 2024-2034; 112,300 annual openings](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/31-9092.00), accessed 2026-05-30
- [BLS OOH — Medical Assistants: 12% growth 2024-2034 (much faster than average); 101,200 new positions; driven by outpatient care and aging population; growth projections account for AI/automation trends (FVI School of Nursing citing BLS OOH, 2026)](https://fvi.edu/medical-assisting/how-ai-is-affecting-the-medical-assistant-role-in-healthcare/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [AAMA — CMA (AAMA) certification: clinical duties include medical histories, patient prep, specimen collection, phlebotomy, suture removal, dressing changes; administrative duties include records, coding, scheduling, billing; state scope varies; recertification every 60 months (aama-ntl.org, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.aama-ntl.org/certification), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Phreesia AI-Powered Patient Intake 2026 — deployed at 4,650+ healthcare orgs; 180M visits/year; 85% of patients self-check-in; 5+ min staff time saved per visit; 8 FTE equivalent automation at one client; 29,000 phone calls eliminated annually; VoiceAI (Sept 2025) achieves 87% call volume reduction (phreesia.com, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.phreesia.com/products/registration/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Notable Health AI Intake 2025-2026 — 12K sites of care; 38M patients; 1.5M tasks automated daily; 85% order transcription via automation; 8K staff hours saved/year; clients include CommonSpirit, MUSC Health, UCSD Health, Optum (notablehealth.com, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.notablehealth.com/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Epic AI Operations — In-Basket ART pre-drafts patient message responses; 150+ organizations; 1M+ monthly message drafts; prior authorization AI recommends PA answers from chart data; coding assistance and denials management automation (epic.com/software/ai-operations/, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.epic.com/software/penny/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Nuance DAX Copilot / Microsoft Dragon Copilot embedded in Epic — 50% documentation time reduction; 7 min saved per encounter; burnout decreased 51.9% to 38.8% after 30 days in 263-physician study; generally available in Epic as of Jan 2024 (PR Newswire 2024; HealthcareITNews 2024)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuance-announces-general-availability-of-dax-copilot-embedded-in-epic-transforming-healthcare-experiences-with-automated-clinical-documentation-302037590.html), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Abridge AI Best in KLAS Ambient AI 2025 and 2026 — 150+ enterprise health system contracts; 2025 6-health-system study: ambient scribes reduced after-hours documentation by 54 min, cognitive load by 2.64 points on 10-point scale; 78% cognitive load reduction per KLAS (Contrary Research Abridge breakdown 2025; glass.health resources 2026)](https://research.contrary.com/company/abridge), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Becker's Hospital Review 2025 — "From pilot to priority: The rise of ambient AI scribes in healthcare": ambient AI enables providers to operate at "top of license"; MAs in adopting practices take expanded clinical roles; health systems moving to enterprise-wide deployment (beckershospitalreview.com, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/from-pilot-to-priority-the-rise-of-ambient-ai-scribes-in-healthcare/), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Research.com 2026 — "AI, Automation, and the Future of Medical Assisting Degree Careers": healthcare facilities using AI-powered EHRs experience ~30% rise in demand for MAs skilled in digital documentation and data analysis; AI automates scheduling and data entry while augmenting clinical decision support](https://research.com/advice/ai-automation-and-the-future-of-medical-assisting-degree-careers), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; MA seed alpha=0.05, beta=0.14, gamma=0.35; administrative task mix has meaningfully higher LLM exposure than physical clinical tasks](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Phreesia VoiceAI — launched September 2025; AI-powered phone solution for scheduling, refills, routine inquiries; 87% call volume reduction reported by early adopters (techintelpro.com citing Phreesia, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://techintelpro.com/news/ai/agentic-ai/phreesia-voiceai-transforms-healthcare-call-management), accessed 2026-05-30
- [Phreesia AI-Powered Patient Intake — automated insurance eligibility and benefits verification; 85% of patients auto-verified at check-in; reduces staff manual E&B verification workload (phreesia.com, accessed 2026-05-30)](https://www.phreesia.com/products/eligibility-verification/), accessed 2026-05-30

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.