Medical Assistant.
Seattle.
$55,000
median salary, 25% above the national average
$48,000 to $60,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Medical Assistant offer in Seattle, WA, here is the reality: $48,000 to $60,000, with $55,000 as the midpoint. 25% above the national average. Certification status is the largest pay differentiator, with CMA and RMA credentials adding 10 to 15% over uncertified MAs. Do not accept the first number. 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 Seattle, 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 $61,500 for Medical Assistants (SOC 31-9092) in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan area, based on 10,210 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$48,120
25th percentile
$54,900
Median
$61,500
75th percentile
$68,850
90th percentile
$76,360
Workers surveyed
10,210
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 Seattle 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 $49,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$36,000
to $44,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$47,000
to $58,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$61,000
to $72,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$69,000
to $85,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $11,000 to the total package.
Base
$55,000
Equity
$6,000
Bonus
$4,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $66,000
How Seattle compares.
Seattle, WA
$55,000
Cost of living: 24% above average
National Average
$44,000
Seattle is $11,000 above
Medical Assistant salary by city.
Salary by role in Seattle.
What you should know.
Here is what the Medical Assistant market actually looks like in Seattle. Seattle is home to Amazon, Microsoft, and a dense cluster of cloud computing, gaming, and AI companies. The presence of major tech headquarters drives some of the highest engineering salaries outside the Bay Area. Seattle's job market is particularly strong for cloud infrastructure, machine learning, and enterprise software 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 Seattle, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 24% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
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: washington State has no personal income tax, which significantly boosts take home pay. However, state and local sales taxes are among the highest in the country at roughly 10.25%. When someone quotes you $55,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Remind employers that no state income tax makes your effective compensation higher. You can accept a slightly lower gross salary and still take home more than in California. The range for Medical Assistants in Seattle runs from $48,000 to $60,000. 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 Pharmacy Technician in Seattle earns $54,000 (2% less)
- The highest-paying role in Seattle is CTO at $365,000
Common questions.
Medical Assistant salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Seattle.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Medical Assistants in Seattle.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Medical Assistant Salary in Seattle, WA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/medical-assistant/seattle
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