How are Indiana 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 Indiana?

The 90th percentile lands at $48,550. 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 $46,360.

How many MAs does Indiana employ?

BLS OES counts 22,090 MAs employed in Indiana 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 Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $42,390 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $46,028. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.

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

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

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

MA → RN remains a common pathway in Indiana. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana? $42K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Indiana MA median pay at $42,390. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $46,028.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $35,930 · P25 $37,690 · P75 $46,360 · P90 $48,550.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $3,638 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Nominal: #29/51 · Real: #15/51 — ranking shifts by 14 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Indiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,930	$39,013
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,690	$40,924
P50 (median)	$42,390	$46,028
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,360	$50,338
P90 (top tier)	$48,550	$52,716
Mean	$42,490	$46,136
Employment	22,090 MAs in Indiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Indiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	95.6
Services	84.7
Rents	71.3

Indiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 71.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$42,390	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,949	7.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,229	2.9% flat 2026 (+ ~1% county avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,243	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$34,969	82.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$37,970	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $34,969 (82.5% of gross). After the 92.1 RPP, real take-home is $37,970. Local-tax overlay: Every Indiana county levies a local income tax averaging 1–3% — Marion (Indianapolis) 2.02%, Lake 1.5%, Allen 1.59%.

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. Indiana sits at #29 on nominal pay and #15 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Indiana climbs 14 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Indiana 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 Indiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $48,550. 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 $46,360.
How many MAs does Indiana employ?: BLS OES counts 22,090 MAs employed in Indiana 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 Indiana 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. Indiana's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 71.3, services 84.7, and goods 95.6.
Is Indiana a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $42,390 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $46,028. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Indiana?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Indiana, 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 Indiana often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Indiana?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Indiana. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana 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.