How much does an MA make in Rhode Island?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $45,820 for MAs in Rhode Island as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $42,780 and the 75th-percentile is $47,380.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 102.1 for Rhode Island), the real-wage equivalent is $44,893 — what the $45,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $41,914 to $46,421.

Where does Rhode Island rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?

No — Rhode Island'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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Rhode Island?

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 Rhode Island.

Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Rhode Island?

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

Rhode Island Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $46K Median, Real $45K (2026)

TL;DR

BLS reports Rhode Island MA median pay at $45,820. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $44,893.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #22 of 51; nominal rank is #17.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
Bottom quartile $42,780, top quartile $47,380. The P90 ($51,430) is roughly 1.3× the P10 ($38,390).

Wage breakdown — Rhode Island

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,390	$37,613
P25 (lower quartile)	$42,780	$41,914
P50 (median)	$45,820	$44,893
P75 (upper quartile)	$47,380	$46,421
P90 (top tier)	$51,430	$50,389
Mean	$45,670	$44,746
Employment	3,270 MAs in Rhode Island

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Rhode Island index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	102.1
Goods	98.3
Services	145.1
Rents	102.7

Rhode Island's overall RPP (102.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$45,820	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,360	7.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,323	3.75–5.99% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,505	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$37,632	82.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$36,870	÷ (102.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Rhode Island state-tax burden means for MA take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.9% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $37,632 (82.1% of gross). After the 102.1 RPP, real take-home is $36,870.

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. Rhode Island sits at #17 on nominal pay and #22 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Rhode Island falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Rhode Island?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $45,820 for MAs in Rhode Island as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $42,780 and the 75th-percentile is $47,380.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) MA salary in Rhode Island?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 102.1 for Rhode Island), the real-wage equivalent is $44,893 — what the $45,820 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $41,914 to $46,421.
Where does Rhode Island rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Rhode Island'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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Rhode Island?: 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 Rhode Island.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Rhode Island?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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.