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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.1 for Missouri), the real-wage equivalent is $43,148 — what the $39,310 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,119 to $49,164.

How are Missouri 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 Missouri?

The 90th percentile lands at $46,940. 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 $44,790.

How many MAs does Missouri employ?

BLS OES counts 11,860 MAs employed in Missouri in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

How wide is the wage spread in Missouri?

P10 to P90 spans $33,370 to $46,940. 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.

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

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

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

TL;DR

$39,310 is the BLS median wage for MAs in Missouri; $43,148 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Bottom quartile $36,550, top quartile $44,790. The P90 ($46,940) is roughly 1.4× the P10 ($33,370).
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $3,838 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
State ranks #36 nationally on nominal wage, #30 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Missouri

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$33,370	$36,628
P25 (lower quartile)	$36,550	$40,119
P50 (median)	$39,310	$43,148
P75 (upper quartile)	$44,790	$49,164
P90 (top tier)	$46,940	$51,524
Mean	$40,500	$44,455
Employment	11,860 MAs in Missouri

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Missouri index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.1
Goods	97.3
Services	85.6
Rents	70.5

Missouri sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 70.5.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$39,310	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,579	6.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,030	0–4.95% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,007	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$32,693	83.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$35,886	÷ (91.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $32,693 (83.2% of gross). After the 91.1 RPP, real take-home is $35,886.

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. Missouri sits at #36 on nominal pay and #30 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Missouri climbs 6 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Missouri?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.1 for Missouri), the real-wage equivalent is $43,148 — what the $39,310 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,119 to $49,164.
How are Missouri 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 Missouri?: The 90th percentile lands at $46,940. 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 $44,790.
How many MAs does Missouri employ?: BLS OES counts 11,860 MAs employed in Missouri in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
How wide is the wage spread in Missouri?: P10 to P90 spans $33,370 to $46,940. 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.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Missouri?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Missouri, 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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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.