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

The 90th percentile lands at $42,450. 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 $37,630.

How many MAs does Louisiana employ?

BLS OES counts 14,030 MAs employed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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. Louisiana's overall index of 88.7 reflects rents 65.1, services 76.7, and goods 93.0.

How wide is the wage spread in Louisiana?

P10 to P90 spans $26,580 to $42,450. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?

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 Louisiana.

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

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

Louisiana Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $36K Median, Real $40K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Louisiana earn a BLS median of $35,870, with real take-home of $40,440 after BEA RPP adjustment.
P25-P75 spread runs $30,560 to $37,630; P10 floor $26,580, P90 ceiling $42,450.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $4,570 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Nominal: #48/51 · Real: #45/51 — ranking shifts by 3 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Louisiana

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$26,580	$29,966
P25 (lower quartile)	$30,560	$34,453
P50 (median)	$35,870	$40,440
P75 (upper quartile)	$37,630	$42,424
P90 (top tier)	$42,450	$47,858
Mean	$34,900	$39,346
Employment	14,030 MAs in Louisiana

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Louisiana index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.7
Goods	93.0
Services	76.7
Rents	65.1

Louisiana sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.7), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 65.1.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$35,870	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,166	6.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$701	3.0% flat (2025+ HB 2)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,744	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$30,258	84.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,113	÷ (88.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Louisiana's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.0% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.7), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $34,113.

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. Louisiana sits at #48 on nominal pay and #45 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Louisiana climbs 3 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 Louisiana?: The 90th percentile lands at $42,450. 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 $37,630.
How many MAs does Louisiana employ?: BLS OES counts 14,030 MAs employed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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. Louisiana's overall index of 88.7 reflects rents 65.1, services 76.7, and goods 93.0.
How wide is the wage spread in Louisiana?: P10 to P90 spans $26,580 to $42,450. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Louisiana?: 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 Louisiana.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Louisiana?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Louisiana, 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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.