Medical Assistants salary in Lakeland, FL
Median pay for medical assistants in Lakeland, FL: $36,040/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $31,730 – $44,150 · about 1,510 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($39,165) by −$3,125 (-8%).
What it's really worth in Lakeland
With Lakeland's cost of living at 98 (US=100), that $36,040 has the buying power of about $36,876 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $60,901 · median home $298,816 · median rent $1,849/mo.
How Lakeland ranks for this job
On raw pay, Lakeland, FL is 154th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Lakeland's cost of living is applied, it ranks 177th.
The headline number flatters Lakeland. 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 Lakeland
A median home in Lakeland, FL costs $298,816 — about 8.3× 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 $1,849/mo works out at 62% 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 Lakeland.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lakeland | Rent vs Lakeland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +107% | 1.3× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +68% | 2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +66% | 1.8× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +65% | 1.2× |
Same job elsewhere in FL
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lakeland | Rent vs Lakeland |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Port, FL | $42,800 | +19% | 1.2× |
| Naples, FL | $41,790 | +16% | 1.5× |
| Miami, FL | $39,620 | +10% | 1.5× |
| Cape Coral, FL | $39,190 | +9% | 1× |
Staying in FL keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Lakeland
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.