Medical Assistants salary in Raleigh, NC
Median pay for medical assistants in Raleigh, NC: $40,570/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $35,060 – $48,770 · about 3,140 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$1,405 (+4%).
What it's really worth in Raleigh
With Raleigh's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $40,570 has the buying power of about $41,249 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $91,818 · median home $438,364 · median rent $1,694/mo.
How Raleigh ranks for this job
On raw pay, Raleigh, NC is 71st of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Raleigh's cost of living is applied, it ranks 90th.
The headline number flatters Raleigh. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, medical assistants here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Raleigh
A median home in Raleigh, NC costs $438,364 — about 10.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,694/mo works out at 50% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where medical assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Raleigh.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Raleigh | Rent vs Raleigh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +84% | 1.4× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +49% | 2.1× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +47% | 1.9× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +47% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Raleigh | Rent vs Raleigh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro, NC | $43,560 | +7% | 0.8× |
| Charlotte, NC | $43,230 | +7% | 1× |
| Durham, NC | $42,160 | +4% | 1× |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $40,570 | +0% | 0.9× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires medical assistants around Raleigh
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Duke University Health System · Healthcare
- University of North Carolina · Education
- North Carolina State University · Education
Other jobs in Raleigh
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.