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

The 90th percentile lands at $47,100. 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 $44,040.

How many MAs does Kentucky employ?

BLS OES counts 14,070 MAs employed in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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. Kentucky's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 62.9, services 80.9, and goods 94.5.

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.

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

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

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

BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In Kentucky, 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 Kentucky. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in Kentucky typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

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

MA → RN remains a common pathway in Kentucky. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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.

Kentucky Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $39K Median, Real $43K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline MA pay in Kentucky is $38,750. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $43,108.
State ranks #44 nationally on nominal wage, #31 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $4,358.
Quartile range $35,510 (bottom 25%) to $44,040 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $30,220 to $47,100.

Wage breakdown — Kentucky

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$30,220	$33,619
P25 (lower quartile)	$35,510	$39,504
P50 (median)	$38,750	$43,108
P75 (upper quartile)	$44,040	$48,993
P90 (top tier)	$47,100	$52,397
Mean	$39,420	$43,854
Employment	14,070 MAs in Kentucky

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Kentucky index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	89.9
Goods	94.5
Services	80.9
Rents	62.9

Kentucky sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 62.9.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$38,750	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,512	6.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,242	3.5% flat 2026 (+ local 1-2.5% avg)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,964	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$32,032	82.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$35,634	÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $32,032 (82.7% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $35,634. Local-tax overlay: Most Kentucky counties + cities add 1–2.5% occupational license tax (Louisville ~2.2%, Lexington 2.25%).

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. Kentucky sits at #44 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kentucky climbs 13 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Kentucky?: The 90th percentile lands at $47,100. 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 $44,040.
How many MAs does Kentucky employ?: BLS OES counts 14,070 MAs employed in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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. Kentucky's overall index of 89.9 reflects rents 62.9, services 80.9, and goods 94.5.
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.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Kentucky?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Kentucky, 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 Kentucky often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in Kentucky?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In Kentucky, 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 Kentucky. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in Kentucky typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Kentucky?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Kentucky. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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.