How much does an MA make in Pennsylvania?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $42,810 for MAs in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,780 and the 75th-percentile is $46,480.

How are Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.

Where does Pennsylvania rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Pennsylvania 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.

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

No — Pennsylvania'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.

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

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

Pennsylvania Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $43K Median, Real $44K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Pennsylvania earn a BLS median of $42,810, with real take-home of $43,953 after BEA RPP adjustment.
State ranks #27 nationally on nominal wage, #28 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Bottom quartile $37,780, top quartile $46,480. The P90 ($49,890) is roughly 1.4× the P10 ($35,720).

Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$35,720	$36,674
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,780	$38,789
P50 (median)	$42,810	$43,953
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,480	$47,721
P90 (top tier)	$49,890	$51,222
Mean	$42,940	$44,086
Employment	23,650 MAs in Pennsylvania

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Pennsylvania index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	97.4
Goods	98.4
Services	118.3
Rents	85.8

Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$42,810	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,999	7.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,314	3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,275	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$35,222	82.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$36,162	÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $35,222 (82.3% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $36,162. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $1,498/year if PHL-based.

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. Pennsylvania sits at #27 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Pennsylvania falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Pennsylvania?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $42,810 for MAs in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,780 and the 75th-percentile is $46,480.
How are Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.
Where does Pennsylvania rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Pennsylvania 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.
Is Pennsylvania a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Pennsylvania'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.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Pennsylvania?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.