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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Illinois), the real-wage equivalent is $46,065 — what the $45,490 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $39,655 to $49,275.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $54,960. 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 $48,660.

Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois 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. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.

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

No — Illinois'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 Illinois?

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 Illinois.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in Illinois?

BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In Illinois, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in Illinois. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in Illinois typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

How Much Do Medical Assistants Make in Illinois? $45K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$45,490 is the BLS median wage for MAs in Illinois; $46,065 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Quartile range $39,160 (bottom 25%) to $48,660 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $35,560 to $54,960.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #14 of 51; nominal rank is #18.

Wage breakdown — Illinois

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,560	$36,009
P25 (lower quartile)	$39,160	$39,655
P50 (median)	$45,490	$46,065
P75 (upper quartile)	$48,660	$49,275
P90 (top tier)	$54,960	$55,655
Mean	$44,870	$45,437
Employment	22,990 MAs in Illinois

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Illinois index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.8
Goods	101.6
Services	80.4
Rents	92.4

Illinois's overall RPP (98.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$45,490	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,321	7.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,252	4.95% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,480	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$36,437	80.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$36,898	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $36,437 (80.1% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $36,898.

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. Illinois sits at #18 on nominal pay and #14 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Illinois climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Illinois?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Illinois), the real-wage equivalent is $46,065 — what the $45,490 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $39,655 to $49,275.
What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Illinois?: The 90th percentile lands at $54,960. 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 $48,660.
Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois 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. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.
Is Illinois a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Illinois'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 Illinois?: 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 Illinois.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in Illinois?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In Illinois, specialty practice MAs — particularly in dermatology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology — typically earn 10-20% above primary-care MA pay, reflecting tighter procedural support requirements and longer training ramps. Surgical specialty MAs assisting in office-based procedures (skin biopsies, in-office injections, vascular ultrasound assist) sit at the top of the BLS band in Illinois. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in Illinois typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

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 Illinois 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.