CCMA salary: what the BLS data shows

The BLS counts the occupation, not the credential. Its medical assistant figures include people with a CCMA, a CMA, an RMA, another credential, or none. No public dataset splits that pay by certification, so this page doesn't publish a CCMA-versus-CMA pay figure.

What the BLS does say about certification: most states don't require it, and employers may prefer certified medical assistants. That is a hiring point rather than a pay point, and it's the honest version of the claim.

NHA lists the typical tasks of a certified clinical medical assistant as vital signs, assisting with exams and procedures, injections and medications, EKG, phlebotomy and lab procedures, and front-office work: check-in and check-out, phones and keeping the EHR up to date. A posting that asks for the clinical half (draws, EKGs, injections) is asking for the skills the exam's Clinical Patient Care domain tests, which is 84 of its 150 scored items.

On entry routes, the BLS says medical assistants typically enter with a postsecondary nondegree award, and some learn on the job with a high school diploma. The certification accepts both routes; see the steps.

The BLS projects medical assistant employment to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, which it calls much faster than average, with about 109,700 openings a year on average. If you're weighing credentials, the comparison of requirements, fees and renewal is on CCMA vs CMA, and the steps to qualify are on how to become a CCMA.