Medical Assistants salary in Salem, OR

Median pay for medical assistants in Salem, OR: $47,620/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $39,550 – $58,150 · about 1,050 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$8,455 (+22%).

What it's really worth in Salem

With Salem's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $47,620 has the buying power of about $46,477 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $72,154 · median home $454,689 · median rent $1,628/mo.

Full Salem cost of living & taxes →

How Salem ranks for this job

On raw pay, Salem, OR is 12th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Salem's cost of living is applied, it ranks 23rd.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Salem sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Salem

A median home in Salem, OR costs $454,689 — about 9.5× 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 $1,628/mo works out at 41% 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 Salem.

Metro	Median pay	vs Salem	Rent vs Salem
Vallejo, CA	$74,750	+57%	1.5×
San Jose, CA	$60,500	+27%	2.2×
San Francisco, CA	$59,770	+26%	2×
Sacramento, CA	$59,520	+25%	1.4×

Same job elsewhere in OR

Metro	Median pay	vs Salem	Rent vs Salem
Portland, OR	$49,850	+5%	1.1×
Eugene, OR	$47,030	−1%	1.1×

Staying in OR keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires medical assistants around Salem

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

• Salem Health · Healthcare
• Salem Hospital · Healthcare
• Willamette University · Education

Other jobs in Salem