Side-by-side distribution
Lab Technician
$29.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 46%
- Live roles
- 1,284
Medical Assistant
$24.61/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 52.7%
- Live roles
- 7,245
Highest-paying jobs
Lab Technician & Test Engineer
Lab Technician, Fluidstack Labs
Hardware Lab Technician
Master Test Lab Technician
Medical Lab Technician - Clinical Laboratory - PRN
Lab Technician and Test Engineer
Medical Laboratory Technician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Electrical Test Technician, Hardware Platform EE Lab
Highest-paying jobs
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) 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)
Assistant Medical Director - Utilization Review
Assistant Medical Director- Behavioral Health Focus (.5 Part Time)
Assistant Medical Director (CBHC LAWRENCE, MA)
Assistant Dean Undergraduate Medical Education
Faculty Physician - Ophthalmology (Medical and/or Surgical Retina) Assistant Professor
Anesthesiologist Assistant - Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Advocate Health
|
$72,956 | 53 |
Aspen Dental
|
$57,200 | 38 |
Sanford Health
|
$68,640 | 23 |
Siemens Healthineers
|
$48,242 | 22 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$86,226 | 17 |
| EH Essentia Health | $63,648 | 16 |
Labcorp
|
$66,170 | 12 |
USC
|
$49,920 | 12 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Advocate Health
|
$56,836 | 436 |
| AD AdventHealth | $46,727 | 220 |
CenterWell
|
$49,600 | 172 |
Marathon Health
|
$47,840 | 142 |
|
Sutter Health
|
$84,011 | 139 |
| BI Beth Israel Lahey Health | $51,230 | 133 |
|
Sanford Health
|
$47,320 | 109 |
| MG Mass General Brigham | $49,598 | 104 |
Lab Technician salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $78,750 | 5 |
| Austin | $62,000 | 3 |
| New York | $61,922 | 5 |
| Boston | $52,010 | 10 |
| Denver | $51,033 | 7 |
| Los Angeles | $49,920 | 12 |
Medical Assistant salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $84,011 | 33 |
| Seattle | $62,962 | 13 |
| Chicago | $59,540 | 35 |
| Berlin | $59,540 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $52,000 | 9 |
| Boston | $49,598 | 50 |
| Denver | $49,150 | 32 |
| Atlanta | $48,880 | 5 |
| Dublin | $48,880 | 3 |
| Austin | $47,840 | 9 |
Lab Technician vs Medical Assistant: which pays more?
The median for Lab Technician is $29.00/hr per year (typically $23.35/hr–$34.00/hr), versus $24.61/hr for Medical Assistant ($22.69/hr–$27.33/hr). That puts Lab Technician about 18% 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.