How much does an MA make in Hawaii?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,820 for MAs in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $44,870 and the 75th-percentile is $55,640.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 109.7 for Hawaii), the real-wage equivalent is $44,502 — what the $48,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,901 to $50,719.

How many MAs does Hawaii employ?

BLS OES counts 3,830 MAs employed in Hawaii 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 Hawaii rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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 Hawaii a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?

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

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.

Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Hawaii?

MA → RN remains a common pathway in Hawaii. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Hawaii BLS median while completing an associate-degree RN program (typically 2 years post-prerequisites, $5K-$25K tuition at community college) sees an average BLS-reported wage roughly 2-2.5× higher post-licensure. BSN-direct programs ($40K-$120K) extend payback timeline but open hospital and management tracks. Many Hawaii health systems offer tuition support or ladder programs that effectively eliminate program cost — making the MA-to-RN economic transition substantially more favorable than the headline tuition implies.

How Much Do Medical Assistants Make in Hawaii? $49K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Hawaii earn a BLS median of $48,820, with real take-home of $44,502 after BEA RPP adjustment.
State ranks #6 nationally on nominal wage, #25 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $39,090 · P25 $44,870 · P75 $55,640 · P90 $58,690.

Wage breakdown — Hawaii

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$39,090	$35,633
P25 (lower quartile)	$44,870	$40,901
P50 (median)	$48,820	$44,502
P75 (upper quartile)	$55,640	$50,719
P90 (top tier)	$58,690	$53,499
Mean	$50,030	$45,605
Employment	3,830 MAs in Hawaii

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Hawaii index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	109.7
Goods	110.3
Services	191.7
Rents	128.7

Hawaii is a high-cost state — RPP 109.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (128.7) and services (191.7).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$48,820	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,720	7.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,105	1.4–11% (12 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,735	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$38,260	78.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,876	÷ (109.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Hawaii carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (6.4% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 21.6%, leaving $38,260 pre-RPP and $34,876 after the 109.7 cost-of-living index — a $13,944 gap from the headline gross.

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. Hawaii sits at #6 on nominal pay and #25 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Hawaii falls 19 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Hawaii?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $48,820 for MAs in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $44,870 and the 75th-percentile is $55,640.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Hawaii?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 109.7 for Hawaii), the real-wage equivalent is $44,502 — what the $48,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,901 to $50,719.
How many MAs does Hawaii employ?: BLS OES counts 3,830 MAs employed in Hawaii 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 Hawaii rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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 Hawaii a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Hawaii's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
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.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Hawaii?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Hawaii. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Hawaii BLS median while completing an associate-degree RN program (typically 2 years post-prerequisites, $5K-$25K tuition at community college) sees an average BLS-reported wage roughly 2-2.5× higher post-licensure. BSN-direct programs ($40K-$120K) extend payback timeline but open hospital and management tracks. Many Hawaii health systems offer tuition support or ladder programs that effectively eliminate program cost — making the MA-to-RN economic transition substantially more favorable than the headline tuition implies.

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 Hawaii 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.