How much does an MA make in Tennessee?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $38,150 for MAs in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $35,920 and the 75th-percentile is $44,140.

How are Tennessee 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.

Where does Tennessee rank for MA pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Tennessee 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?

P10 to P90 spans $32,180 to $48,080. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?

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 Tennessee.

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

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

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

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

Tennessee Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $38K Median, Real $41K (2026)

TL;DR

Medical Assistants in Tennessee earn a BLS median of $38,150, with real take-home of $41,425 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $3,275.
Quartile range $35,920 (bottom 25%) to $44,140 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $32,180 to $48,080.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #43 of 51; nominal rank is #45.

Wage breakdown — Tennessee

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$32,180	$34,943
P25 (lower quartile)	$35,920	$39,004
P50 (median)	$38,150	$41,425
P75 (upper quartile)	$44,140	$47,929
P90 (top tier)	$48,080	$52,208
Mean	$40,070	$43,510
Employment	19,940 MAs in Tennessee

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Tennessee index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	94.3
Services	76.4
Rents	77.9

Tennessee sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 77.9.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$38,150	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,440	6.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (Hall tax repealed 2021)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,918	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$32,792	86.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$35,607	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $1,908 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 $35,607 — 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. Tennessee sits at #45 on nominal pay and #43 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Tennessee climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Tennessee?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $38,150 for MAs in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $35,920 and the 75th-percentile is $44,140.
How are Tennessee 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.
Where does Tennessee rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Tennessee 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?: P10 to P90 spans $32,180 to $48,080. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?: 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 Tennessee.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Tennessee?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Tennessee, 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 Tennessee often pay similarly regardless of certification. Phlebotomy, EKG, and limited-X-ray endorsements add additional 3-8% premiums where state scope permits.
Specialty MA pay (cardiology / dermatology / ortho) vs primary care in Tennessee?: BLS aggregates all medical assistants under one SOC. In Tennessee, 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 Tennessee. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and community-health clinics in Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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.