How much does an MA make in Washington?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $55,120 for MAs in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $47,320 and the 75th-percentile is $60,730.

What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Washington?

The 90th percentile lands at $69,320. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,730.

Why is the BEA RPP for Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.

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.

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.

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

BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Washington, 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 Washington 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 Washington?

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

Washington Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $55K Median, Real $51K (2026)

TL;DR

Median MA salary in Washington: $55,120 nominal, $50,863 real (BEA RPP basis).
P25-P75 spread runs $47,320 to $60,730; P10 floor $43,810, P90 ceiling $69,320.
Cost of living tracks roughly with the national index, so nominal and real wages stay close.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #3 of 51; nominal rank is #1.

Wage breakdown — Washington

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$43,810	$40,426
P25 (lower quartile)	$47,320	$43,665
P50 (median)	$55,120	$50,863
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,730	$56,039
P90 (top tier)	$69,320	$63,966
Mean	$55,050	$50,798
Employment	18,430 MAs in Washington

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Washington index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.4
Goods	106.9
Services	84.0
Rents	125.5

Washington is a high-cost state — RPP 108.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (125.5) and services (84.0).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$55,120	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,476	8.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (capital gains tax above $262K)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,217	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$46,427	84.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$42,841	÷ (108.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Washington levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,756 a year for a MA at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $42,841 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 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. Washington sits at #1 on nominal pay and #3 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Washington falls 2 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Washington?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $55,120 for MAs in Washington as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $47,320 and the 75th-percentile is $60,730.
What does the top of the MA pay scale look like in Washington?: The 90th percentile lands at $69,320. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,730.
Why is the BEA RPP for Washington 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. Washington's overall index of 108.4 reflects rents 125.5, services 84.0, and goods 106.9.
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.
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.
Does CMA / RMA certification raise medical assistant pay in Washington?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Washington, 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 Washington 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 Washington?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Washington. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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.