Side-by-side distribution
Lab Technician
$28.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 46%
- Live roles
- 1,233
Medical Assistant
$24.36/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 51.9%
- Live roles
- 7,112
Highest-paying jobs
Prototyping Lab Technician, Robotics
ICE - Materials Lab FA Technician
Lab Technician - Crypto and Key Management Infrastructure
Lab Technician, Fluidstack Labs
Laboratory Operations & Maintenance Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Microbiology Medical Lab Technician/Medical Technologist (Part-Time/Evenings)
Laboratory Technician (Contract-to-Hire)
HVAC Supervisor & Engineering Lab Technician (2nd shift)
Hardware & Testing Lab Technician
Highest-paying jobs
Faculty Physician - Medical Dermatologist (Assistant or Associate Professor – Academic or Master Clinician Track) Elk River, MN
Faculty Physician - Medical Dermatologist (Assistant or Associate Professor – Academic or Master Clinician Track) Cottage Grove, MN
Faculty Physician - Medical Dermatologist (Assistant or Associate Professor – Academic or Master Clinician Track) Wyoming, MN
Faculty Physician - Medical Dermatologist (Assistant or Associate Professor – Academic or Master Clinician Track)
Assistant Dean Undergraduate Medical Education
Assistant Medical Director (CBHC LAWRENCE, MA)
Faculty Physician - Ophthalmology (Medical and/or Surgical Retina) Assistant Professor
Anesthesiologist Assistant - Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA/AA) - Aurora Medical Center Summit | Oconomowoc, WI
Anesthesiologist Assistant - Aurora Medical Center Grafton
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Aspen Dental
|
$54,080 | 39 |
|
Advocate Health
|
$72,956 | 35 |
Sanford Health
|
$68,640 | 23 |
Siemens Healthineers
|
$47,537 | 23 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$80,309 | 18 |
University of Rochester
|
$47,497 | 17 |
Essentia Health
|
$63,648 | 13 |
USC
|
$52,062 | 13 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Advocate Health
|
$56,836 | 422 |
| AD AdventHealth | $46,270 | 224 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$76,378 | 141 |
CenterWell
|
$49,600 | 137 |
| MG Mass General Brigham | $49,598 | 130 |
| MU MultiCare | $62,962 | 125 |
| BI Beth Israel Lahey Health | $51,230 | 125 |
Marathon Health
|
$47,840 | 125 |
Lab Technician salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $74,651 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $53,550 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $53,092 | 13 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 17 |
| New York | $49,920 | 7 |
Medical Assistant salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $84,011 | 30 |
| Seattle | $69,000 | 11 |
| Berlin | $59,540 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $58,620 | 14 |
| Chicago | $50,679 | 29 |
| Dublin | $49,920 | 6 |
| Atlanta | $49,600 | 3 |
| Boston | $49,598 | 60 |
| Denver | $49,150 | 38 |
| New York | $46,956 | 46 |
Lab Technician vs Medical Assistant: which pays more?
The median for Lab Technician is $28.00/hr per year (typically $23.00/hr–$34.00/hr), versus $24.36/hr for Medical Assistant ($22.46/hr–$27.33/hr). That puts Lab Technician about 15% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Lab Technician and Medical Assistant are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.