Medical Assistants in Arizona
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,347
after federal, FICA and Arizona tax
Tax takes
$7,593
16.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$37,928
Arizona costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arizona — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$45,940
Kept after tax
$38,347
Worth in national money
$37,928
State rank
23
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Arizona is 23 of 51 states for medical assistants, with a middle wage of $45,940. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Arizona this is lower-paid work. Of 491 occupations the state publishes figures for, medical assistants ranks 371. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Arizona costs about what the country costs, so from $45,940, take-home of $38,347 is worth roughly $37,928 in national money. The average lands at $45,790, below the middle of the range.
- Arizona ranks 23 of 51 for medical assistants at $45,940. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Arizona reports, medical assistants ranks 371 of 491, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Arizona is near the national base, so for medical assistants, whose median is $45,940, the adjusted figure of $37,928 differs little from $38,347 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $45,790 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Medical Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,100 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,940 |
| Top tenth earn over | $51,310 |
| This salary | $45,940 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Arizona | $38,347 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,093 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,302 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $45,012 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$2,784 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Arizona earn less than $45,940. The published range is $38,100 up to $51,310, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Arizona the take-home figure of $38,347, from $45,940, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 371 of 491 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arizona, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $37,928, the adjusted value of that $45,940 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 371 of 491 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for medical assistants in Arizona the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,100 to $51,310. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Arizona is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,347 from $45,940. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 371 of 491 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arizona, so $37,928 — the adjusted value of that $45,940 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 371 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $38,100 and the top tenth $51,310, so most people doing this work in Arizona sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $37,928 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Arizona then takes its own share, leaving $38,347.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($38,100 to $51,310) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arizona rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Arizona's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $37,928 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $38,347 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arizona income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.