How are Florida 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.

How many MAs does Florida employ?

BLS OES counts 59,870 MAs employed in Florida 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 Florida 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. Florida's overall index of 103.6 reflects rents 123.2, services 93.7, and goods 98.2.

How wide is the wage spread in Florida?

P10 to P90 spans $35,320 to $48,520. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Florida's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Florida?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Florida.

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

BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Florida, 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 Florida often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.

How Much Do Medical Assistants Make in Florida? $41K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$41,380 is the BLS median wage for MAs in Florida; $39,928 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $35,320 · P25 $37,290 · P75 $46,330 · P90 $48,520.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
State ranks #32 nationally on nominal wage, #50 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Florida

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,320	$34,081
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,290	$35,982
P50 (median)	$41,380	$39,928
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,330	$44,705
P90 (top tier)	$48,520	$46,818
Mean	$42,970	$41,462
Employment	59,870 MAs in Florida

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Florida index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.6
Goods	98.2
Services	93.7
Rents	123.2

Florida's overall RPP (103.6) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$41,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,828	6.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,166	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$35,387	85.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,145	÷ (103.6 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Florida levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,069 a year for a MA at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $34,145 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

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. Florida sits at #32 on nominal pay and #50 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Florida falls 18 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Florida 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.
How many MAs does Florida employ?: BLS OES counts 59,870 MAs employed in Florida 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 Florida 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. Florida's overall index of 103.6 reflects rents 123.2, services 93.7, and goods 98.2.
How wide is the wage spread in Florida?: P10 to P90 spans $35,320 to $48,520. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Florida a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Florida's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Florida?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Florida.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Florida?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Florida, 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 Florida 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 Florida 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.