What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in California?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 112.2 for California), the real-wage equivalent is $42,827 — what the $48,050 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,683 to $54,102.

How are California MA salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $75,180. 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 $60,700.

How many MAs does California employ?

BLS OES counts 110,350 MAs employed in California in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does California rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, California 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.

Is California a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?

No — California's RPP of 112.2 sits above 100, meaning the $48,050 nominal wage compresses to a real-wage equivalent of $42,827. The cost premium goes mostly to rents and services.

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.

California Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $48K Median, Real $43K (2026)

TL;DR

$48,050 is the BLS median wage for MAs in California; $42,827 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
High cost of living compresses the real wage by $5,223 below the nominal — most of which goes to rent and services.
P25-P75 spread runs $43,400 to $60,700; P10 floor $37,610, P90 ceiling $75,180.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #35 of 51; nominal rank is #8.

Wage breakdown — California

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$37,610	$33,522
P25 (lower quartile)	$43,400	$38,683
P50 (median)	$48,050	$42,827
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,700	$54,102
P90 (top tier)	$75,180	$67,008
Mean	$52,770	$47,034
Employment	110,350 MAs in California

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	California index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	112.2
Goods	106.8
Services	147.3
Rents	157.8

California is a high-cost state — RPP 112.2 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (157.8) and services (147.3).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$48,050	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,628	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,128	1–13.3% (10 brackets, +1% mental-health surcharge >$1M)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,676	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$39,618	82.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$35,312	÷ (112.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

California's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.3% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the cost-of-living premium (RPP 112.2), which still erodes real take-home despite the low state tax — net real after-tax $35,312.

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. California sits at #8 on nominal pay and #35 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, California falls 27 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in California?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 112.2 for California), the real-wage equivalent is $42,827 — what the $48,050 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,683 to $54,102.
How are California MA salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in California?: The 90th percentile lands at $75,180. 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 $60,700.
How many MAs does California employ?: BLS OES counts 110,350 MAs employed in California in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does California rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, California 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.
Is California a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — California's RPP of 112.2 sits above 100, meaning the $48,050 nominal wage compresses to a real-wage equivalent of $42,827. The cost premium goes mostly to rents and services.
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.

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 California 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.