How much does an MA make in Ohio?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $40,430 for MAs in Ohio as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,470 and the 75th-percentile is $46,110.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.9 for Ohio), the real-wage equivalent is $43,992 — what the $40,430 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,771 to $50,172.

How many MAs does Ohio employ?

BLS OES counts 23,210 MAs employed in Ohio 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 Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.

Where does Ohio rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

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

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

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

MA → RN remains a common pathway in Ohio. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Ohio 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 Ohio 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.

Ohio Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $40K Median, Real $44K (2026)

TL;DR

$40,430 is the BLS median wage for MAs in Ohio; $43,992 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
State ranks #34 nationally on nominal wage, #27 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Low BEA RPP (91.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $3,562.
Quartile range $37,470 (bottom 25%) to $46,110 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $35,270 to $48,300.

Wage breakdown — Ohio

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,270	$38,377
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,470	$40,771
P50 (median)	$40,430	$43,992
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,110	$50,172
P90 (top tier)	$48,300	$52,555
Mean	$41,830	$45,515
Employment	23,210 MAs in Ohio

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Ohio index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	91.9
Goods	94.2
Services	89.2
Rents	72.1

Ohio sits below the national baseline (RPP 91.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 72.1.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$40,430	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,714	6.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$398	0–3.5% (graduated, +local 0.5–3% RITA cities)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,093	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$34,226	84.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$37,241	÷ (91.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Ohio's state tax is light at this income tier (~1.0% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 91.9), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $37,241. Local-tax overlay: Most Ohio cities levy 0.5–3% local income tax (RITA / CCA jurisdictions). Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron all assess ≥2.5%.

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. Ohio sits at #34 on nominal pay and #27 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Ohio climbs 7 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Ohio?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $40,430 for MAs in Ohio as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,470 and the 75th-percentile is $46,110.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Ohio?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 91.9 for Ohio), the real-wage equivalent is $43,992 — what the $40,430 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $40,771 to $50,172.
How many MAs does Ohio employ?: BLS OES counts 23,210 MAs employed in Ohio 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 Ohio 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. Ohio's overall index of 91.9 reflects rents 72.1, services 89.2, and goods 94.2.
Where does Ohio rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Ohio ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Ohio?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Ohio, 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 Ohio often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Ohio?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Ohio. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Ohio 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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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.