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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.3 for Minnesota), the real-wage equivalent is $50,233 — what the $49,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $47,069 to $56,031.

How are Minnesota 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.

How many MAs does Minnesota employ?

BLS OES counts 9,930 MAs employed in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.

How wide is the wage spread in Minnesota?

P10 to P90 spans $39,560 to $58,910. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Minnesota'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 Minnesota?

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 Minnesota.

Minnesota Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $49K Median, Real $50K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Minnesota MA median pay at $49,380. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $50,233.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $39,560 · P25 $46,270 · P75 $55,080 · P90 $58,910.
State ranks #5 nationally on nominal wage, #4 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Minnesota

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$39,560	$40,243
P25 (lower quartile)	$46,270	$47,069
P50 (median)	$49,380	$50,233
P75 (upper quartile)	$55,080	$56,031
P90 (top tier)	$58,910	$59,928
Mean	$50,190	$51,057
Employment	9,930 MAs in Minnesota

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Minnesota index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.3
Goods	102.1
Services	89.4
Rents	90.7

Minnesota's overall RPP (98.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$49,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,788	7.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,907	5.35–9.85% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,778	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$39,908	80.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$40,597	÷ (98.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $39,908 (80.8% of gross). After the 98.3 RPP, real take-home is $40,597.

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. Minnesota sits at #5 on nominal pay and #4 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Minnesota climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Minnesota?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.3 for Minnesota), the real-wage equivalent is $50,233 — what the $49,380 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $47,069 to $56,031.
How are Minnesota 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.
How many MAs does Minnesota employ?: BLS OES counts 9,930 MAs employed in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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. Minnesota's overall index of 98.3 reflects rents 90.7, services 89.4, and goods 102.1.
How wide is the wage spread in Minnesota?: P10 to P90 spans $39,560 to $58,910. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Minnesota a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Minnesota'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 Minnesota?: 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 Minnesota.

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 Minnesota 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.