How are Nevada 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 Nevada?

The 90th percentile lands at $49,260. 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 $46,250.

How many MAs does Nevada employ?

BLS OES counts 7,440 MAs employed in Nevada 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 Nevada?

P10 to P90 spans $35,280 to $49,260. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

No — Nevada's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.

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

MA → RN remains a common pathway in Nevada. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada? $43K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Nevada earn a BLS median of $43,450, with real take-home of $44,400 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Bottom quartile $38,060, top quartile $46,250. The P90 ($49,260) is roughly 1.4× the P10 ($35,280).
State ranks #24 nationally on nominal wage, #26 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — Nevada

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,280	$36,051
P25 (lower quartile)	$38,060	$38,892
P50 (median)	$43,450	$44,400
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,250	$47,261
P90 (top tier)	$49,260	$50,337
Mean	$42,740	$43,674
Employment	7,440 MAs in Nevada

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Nevada index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.9
Goods	96.8
Services	91.3
Rents	113.3

Nevada's overall RPP (97.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$43,450	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,076	7.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,324	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$37,050	85.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$37,860	÷ (97.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Nevada levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,173 a year for a MA at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $37,860 — higher than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP is below 100.

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. Nevada sits at #24 on nominal pay and #26 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Nevada falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Nevada 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 Nevada?: The 90th percentile lands at $49,260. 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 $46,250.
How many MAs does Nevada employ?: BLS OES counts 7,440 MAs employed in Nevada 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 Nevada?: P10 to P90 spans $35,280 to $49,260. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Nevada a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Nevada's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Nevada?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Nevada. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Nevada 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 Nevada 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 Nevada 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.