How much does an MA make in Wisconsin?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $47,610 for MAs in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $43,460 and the 75th-percentile is $50,010.

How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?

P10 to P90 spans $38,440 to $55,880. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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

Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $47,610 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $51,073. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.

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 Wisconsin?

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

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

Wisconsin Medical Assistant Salary: BLS $48K Median, Real $51K (2026)

TL;DR

Headline MA pay in Wisconsin is $47,610. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $51,073.
MA ranking: #10 on the BLS table, #1 once cost of living is in.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $3,463.
Wage envelope: $38,440 (P10) to $55,880 (P90), with quartiles at $43,460 and $50,010.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,440	$41,236
P25 (lower quartile)	$43,460	$46,621
P50 (median)	$47,610	$51,073
P75 (upper quartile)	$50,010	$53,647
P90 (top tier)	$55,880	$59,944
Mean	$47,230	$50,665
Employment	12,900 MAs in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (MA)	$47,610	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,575	7.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,436	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,642	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$38,957	81.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$41,791	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $38,957 (81.8% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $41,791.

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. Wisconsin sits at #10 on nominal pay and #1 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an MA make in Wisconsin?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $47,610 for MAs in Wisconsin as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $43,460 and the 75th-percentile is $50,010.
How wide is the wage spread in Wisconsin?: P10 to P90 spans $38,440 to $55,880. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Wisconsin a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for MAs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 93.2 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $47,610 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $51,073. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for MAs comparing offers across regions.
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 Wisconsin?: BLS does not split certified from uncertified medical assistants under SOC 31-9092. In Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: MA → RN remains a common pathway in Wisconsin. The financial logic: an MA earning at the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.