Why is the BEA RPP for Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.

Where does Utah rank for MA pay?

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

No — Utah'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 Utah?

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 Utah.

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.

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

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

Medical Assistant Pay in Utah: $43K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Median MA salary in Utah: $43,040 nominal, $44,966 real (BEA RPP basis).
MA ranking: #26 on the BLS table, #20 once cost of living is in.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $36,920 to $46,910; P10 floor $34,990, P90 ceiling $50,930.

Wage breakdown — Utah

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$34,990	$36,556
P25 (lower quartile)	$36,920	$38,572
P50 (median)	$43,040	$44,966
P75 (upper quartile)	$46,910	$49,010
P90 (top tier)	$50,930	$53,209
Mean	$42,710	$44,622
Employment	9,660 MAs in Utah

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Utah index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	95.7
Goods	94.7
Services	73.0
Rents	106.2

Utah's overall RPP (95.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$43,040	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,027	7.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,228	4.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,293	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$35,493	82.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$37,081	÷ (95.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Utah 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 $35,493 (82.5% of gross). After the 95.7 RPP, real take-home is $37,081.

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. Utah sits at #26 on nominal pay and #20 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Utah climbs 6 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the BEA RPP for Utah 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. Utah's overall index of 95.7 reflects rents 106.2, services 73.0, and goods 94.7.
Where does Utah rank for MA pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah 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 Utah a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: No — Utah'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 Utah?: 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 Utah.
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.
Is the medical assistant role still a viable RN-bridge path in Utah?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Utah. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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.