How much does an MA make in Alabama?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $34,980 for MAs in Alabama as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $30,940 and the 75th-percentile is $36,990.

What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Alabama?

The 90th percentile lands at $43,530. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $36,990.

How many MAs does Alabama employ?

BLS OES counts 12,760 MAs employed in Alabama in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Alabama different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alabama's overall index of 89.1 reflects rents 61.6, services 89.9, and goods 94.6.

Where does Alabama rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Alabama ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

What are the limits of these MA salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Alabama?

BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Alabama, AAMA-certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and AMT Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credentials typically command a 5-15% pay premium versus uncertified MAs at comparable experience. The premium is concentrated in larger health systems and specialty clinics with formal MA tier structures; smaller primary-care practices in Alabama often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.

Alabama Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $35K Median, Real $39K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Alabama earn a BLS median of $34,980, with real take-home of $39,261 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Nominal: #50/51 · Real: #51/51 — ranking shifts by 1 positions after RPP.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $4,281.
Wage envelope: $28,280 (P10) to $43,530 (P90), with quartiles at $30,940 and $36,990.

Wage breakdown — Alabama

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$28,280	$31,741
P25 (lower quartile)	$30,940	$34,726
P50 (median)	$34,980	$39,261
P75 (upper quartile)	$36,990	$41,517
P90 (top tier)	$43,530	$48,857
Mean	$34,860	$39,126
Employment	12,760 MAs in Alabama

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Alabama index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.1
Goods	94.6
Services	89.9
Rents	61.6

Alabama sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 61.6.

After-tax take-home — Alabama (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$34,980	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,060	5.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,584	2-5% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,676	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$28,660	81.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$32,168	÷ (89.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Alabama state-tax burden means for MA take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $28,660 (81.9% of gross). After the 89.1 RPP, real take-home is $32,168. Local-tax overlay: Birmingham, Macon County, and Bessemer assess 1% occupational privilege tax on wages.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $44,200 for MAs with mean pay of $44,720 and total employment of 793,460. Alabama sits at #50 on nominal pay and #51 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Alabama falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Alabama?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $34,980 for MAs in Alabama as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $30,940 and the 75th-percentile is $36,990.
What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Alabama?: The 90th percentile lands at $43,530. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $36,990.
How many MAs does Alabama employ?: BLS OES counts 12,760 MAs employed in Alabama in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Alabama different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alabama's overall index of 89.1 reflects rents 61.6, services 89.9, and goods 94.6.
Where does Alabama rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Alabama ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
What are the limits of these MA salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Alabama?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Alabama, AAMA-certified Medical Assistant (CMA) and AMT Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) credentials typically command a 5-15% pay premium versus uncertified MAs at comparable experience. The premium is concentrated in larger health systems and specialty clinics with formal MA tier structures; smaller primary-care practices in Alabama often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 31-9092, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Alabama MA pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.