How much does an MA make in New York?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $46,040 for MAs in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $41,480 and the 75th-percentile is $54,150.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.8 for New York), the real-wage equivalent is $42,692 — what the $46,040 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,464 to $50,212.

How are New York 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for New York 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. New York's overall index of 107.8 reflects rents 122.0, services 135.4, and goods 105.1.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?

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 New York.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

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

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

How Much Do Medical Assistants Make in New York? $46K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in New York earn a BLS median of $46,040, with real take-home of $42,692 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Nominal: #16/51 · Real: #37/51 — ranking shifts by 21 positions after RPP.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Wage envelope: $36,980 (P10) to $58,250 (P90), with quartiles at $41,480 and $54,150.

Wage breakdown — New York

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$36,980	$34,291
P25 (lower quartile)	$41,480	$38,464
P50 (median)	$46,040	$42,692
P75 (upper quartile)	$54,150	$50,212
P90 (top tier)	$58,250	$54,014
Mean	$48,050	$44,556
Employment	39,250 MAs in New York

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New York index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.8
Goods	105.1
Services	135.4
Rents	122.0

New York is a high-cost state — RPP 107.8 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (122.0) and services (135.4).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$46,040	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,387	7.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,927	4–10.9% (graduated; +NYC residents 3.078–3.876%)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,522	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$37,204	80.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,499	÷ (107.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New York state-tax burden means for MA take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $37,204 (80.8% of gross). After the 107.8 RPP, real take-home is $34,499. Local-tax overlay: New York City residents add 3.078–3.876% city tax (Yonkers ~16.75% surtax on state liability). NYC numbers are not in the table — subtract roughly $1,611/year for a 5-borough resident at this income.

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. New York sits at #16 on nominal pay and #37 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New York falls 21 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in New York?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $46,040 for MAs in New York as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $41,480 and the 75th-percentile is $54,150.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in New York?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 107.8 for New York), the real-wage equivalent is $42,692 — what the $46,040 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $38,464 to $50,212.
How are New York 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for New York 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. New York's overall index of 107.8 reflects rents 122.0, services 135.4, and goods 105.1.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New York?: 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 New York.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in New York?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In New York, 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 New York. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in New York typically pay below BLS median but offer PSLF eligibility and stronger benefits.

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 New York 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.