Medical Assistant.
New Orleans.
$40,000
median salary, 9% below the national average
$34,000 to $43,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Medical Assistant salary in New Orleans is $40,000, 9% below the national average. Entry level starts near $34,000. Experienced professionals push past $43,000. New Orleans has a distinctive economy shaped by energy, port operations, tourism, and a growing digital media sector. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Medical Assistant in New Orleans, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $36,780 for Medical Assistants (SOC 31-9092) in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metropolitan area, based on 2,870 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$30,900
25th percentile
$35,930
Median
$36,780
75th percentile
$41,140
90th percentile
$46,500
Workers surveyed
2,870
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Medical Assistants (SOC 31-9092) rather than Medical Assistant specifically. The New Orleans range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 31-9092Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $36,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$26,000
to $32,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$34,000
to $42,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$44,000
to $52,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$50,000
to $62,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $8,000 to the total package.
Base
$40,000
Equity
$4,000
Bonus
$3,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $48,000
How New Orleans compares.
New Orleans, LA
$40,000
Cost of living: 8% below average
National Average
$44,000
New Orleans is $4,000 below
Medical Assistant salary by city.
Salary by role in New Orleans.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Medical Assistant offer in New Orleans, understand the terrain. New Orleans has a distinctive economy shaped by energy, port operations, tourism, and a growing digital media sector. The city's creative and cultural industries are unique employment drivers. Post hurricane rebuilding has created ongoing demand in construction, engineering, and resilience planning roles. Certification status is the largest pay differentiator, with CMA and RMA credentials adding 10 to 15% over uncertified MAs. Specialty practices like dermatology, orthopedics, and cardiology pay more than general primary care. Urban areas and hospital-owned practices consistently offer higher wages than rural independent clinics.
Entry-level MAs start at $30,000 to $34,000 without certification. Certified MAs with three to five years of experience earn $38,000 to $44,000. Lead MAs or clinical supervisors overseeing support staff can reach $46,000 to $55,000 in larger practices or health systems. In New Orleans, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Medical assistants typically receive health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plan access. Some employers offer tuition assistance for nursing or allied health programs, which adds long-term value beyond the base salary. And on the tax side: louisiana's top income tax rate is 4.25%. New Orleans has no city income tax. The moderate state rate and affordable living costs yield good take home pay. When someone quotes you $40,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight energy sector or resilience engineering experience. New Orleans employers pay premiums for professionals who understand the region's unique environmental and infrastructure challenges. The range for Medical Assistants in New Orleans runs from $34,000 to $43,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Customer Service Representative in New Orleans earns $38,000 (5% less)
- The highest-paying role in New Orleans is CTO at $273,000
Common questions.
Medical Assistant salary in other cities.
Other salaries in New Orleans.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Medical Assistants in New Orleans.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Medical Assistant Salary in New Orleans, LA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/medical-assistant/new-orleans
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