Medical Assistant
Premise Health · Sunnyvale, CA
Medical Assistants in the San Jose area earn a median of $29.95 per hour, about $62,290 a year, and the middle half of them earn between $23.99 and $36.45. That ranks 4th of 380 U.S. metro areas for medical assistant pay, and 4th of 339 once local prices are factored in. 2 open roles with published pay are listed for San Jose and its metro area. Your free pay report adds named employers and the roles open near San Jose.
Roles in other cities of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area.
Premise Health · Sunnyvale, CA
El Camino Health · Mountain View, CA
Most are never shown on this page. Tell us your role and get the full list, with the pay on every one, in your inbox within 24 hours.
4 more open roles from employers in San Jose. Each employer’s range arrives with your free pay report.
Sutter Health · San Jose, CA
Sutter Health · San Jose, CA
Sutter Health · San Jose, CA
Sutter Health · San Jose, CA
Named employers near San Jose, what they pay and the roles open now. Free for candidates, email only.
Get my free pay report| Employer | Roles | Median pay / hour |
|---|---|---|
| Premise Health | 1 | $28.80 |
| El Camino Health | 1 | $43.58 |
The metro median is 30% above the California statewide median of $23.10 per hour. Nationally the median is $21.25 per hour. BLS counts about 6,060 medical assistants employed in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area, 5.3 per 1,000 jobs. Employment is about as concentrated here than in the country as a whole (location quotient 1.04).
| Level | Per hour | Per year | Compared with U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% | $22.53 | $46,860 | 6% above U.S. median |
| Lower quartile | $23.99 | $49,900 | 13% above U.S. median |
| Median | $29.95 | $62,290 | 41% above U.S. median |
| Upper quartile | $36.45 | $75,820 | 72% above U.S. median |
| Top 10% | $37.18 | $77,330 | 75% above U.S. median |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, Medical Assistants (SOC 31-9092), all industries. This is what employers report paying, not an offer for a specific role.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024. Prices are for the metro area, not for a single neighborhood.
Gross pay before taxes and benefits, from BLS pay levels for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area. For take-home pay use the take-home pay calculator.
| Item | Federal rate |
|---|---|
| Lodging per night | $192 |
| Meals and incidentals per day | $92 |
| Per week (7 nights, 7 days) | $1,988 |
| 13-week assignment | $25,844 |
Travel medical assistant assignments commonly pay housing and meals stipends. The GSA per diem is the federal benchmark for what those stipends can be tax-free. Whether a stipend is tax-free for you depends on keeping a valid tax home, so confirm with your recruiter and a tax professional. Compare with your offer in the travel pay calculator.
Source: U.S. General Services Administration per diem rates, fiscal year 2026 (average across months).
CMS lists 4 hospitals in San Jose, 0 of the 3 rated ones with 4 or 5 stars. Hospitals are a major employer of medical assistants.
| Hospital | Type | Ownership | CMS rating | Emergency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Jose San Jose, CA | Acute care | Nonprofit | 3 of 5 | Yes |
| Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose, CA | Acute care | For-profit | 2 of 5 | Yes |
| Santa Clara Valley Medical Center San Jose, CA | Acute care | Government and federal | 2 of 5 | Yes |
| San Jose Behavioral Health San Jose, CA | Psychiatric | For-profit | Not rated | No |
Source: CMS Hospital General Information, public data. A directory of hospitals, not a list of our clients.
HRSA lists 13 active primary care shortage designations that include Santa Clara County (13 facility). The highest-scoring one rates 16 on a 0 to 25 scale, where a higher score means a greater shortage.
Shortage areas are where demand for nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other clinicians is greatest. Federal loan repayment programs such as the NHSC and Nurse Corps cover some clinicians who work at eligible shortage-area sites. Eligibility is set by each program and by the site, so ask your recruiter before you plan around it.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas data warehouse, designated areas only. A designation can cover part of a county.
| City | Distance | Median pay | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, CA | 10 mi | $29.95/hr | 133,132 |
| Milpitas, CA | 10 mi | $29.95/hr | 79,746 |
| Fremont, CA | 15 mi | $28.80/hr | 228,192 |
| Union City, CA | 24 mi | $28.80/hr | 66,196 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 25 mi | $23.59/hr | 62,581 |
| Watsonville, CA | 26 mi | $23.59/hr | 51,320 |
Medical Assistant jobs in California · Medical Assistant jobs nationwide
Medical assistant program or equivalent experience. Credentials are issued state by state, so confirm what California requires for your role with the California licensing board and with your recruiter before you commit to a start date.
California taxes wage income. Use your own rates in the take-home pay calculator.
San Jose city guide: hospitals, employers and licensing
Medical Assistants in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area have a median pay of $29.95 per hour, about $62,290 a year. The middle half earn between $23.99 and $36.45 per hour (BLS, May 2024).
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ranks 4th of 339 metro areas for medical assistant pay after adjusting for local prices, and 4th of 380 before adjusting. Overall prices run 10% above the U.S. average.
We list 2 open roles with published pay from 2 employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area. Your free report adds named employers and pay near San Jose.
Medical assistant program or equivalent experience. Credentials are issued state by state, so confirm what California requires for your role with the California licensing board and with your recruiter before you commit to a start date. Confirm with the board before you accept a role.
HRSA lists 13 active primary care shortage designations that include Santa Clara County. Shortage areas often have more openings, and some loan repayment programs cover clinicians who work at eligible sites.
The federal per diem benchmark in San Jose is $192 a night for lodging and $92 a day for meals and incidentals, about $1,988 a week (GSA, fiscal year 2026). Your actual stipend depends on the assignment and your tax home.
Yes. We place healthcare staff in San Jose and across California. Tell us your profession and we email the roles open near San Jose.
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Median posted pay per hour, with the range each employer published.
86 Medical Assistant postings with published pay in California, 80 of them posted in the last 30 days. Month-by-month history by employer comes with your full report.
+ 84 more in your report. Each one has pay, shift and start date.