Negotiating pay when I have been out of work (Phoenix)

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as a medical assistant. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I looked up ranges in Phoenix and they vary a lot. Does giving a range hurt?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 13 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.