Medical Assistants in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,356
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$8,464
18.1% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,503
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$46,820
Kept after tax
$38,356
Worth in national money
$42,503
State rank
19
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana sits in the middle of the pack for medical assistants. The median is $46,820, ranking 19 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 475 occupations Montana reports figures for, this is number 335.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $46,820 you keep $38,356 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $42,503 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $46,570.
- Montana occupies the middle band for medical assistants: a median of $46,820, ranking 19 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Montana's occupational distribution, medical assistants sits at 335 of 475 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay in Montana is $38,356 after the full tax stack, from $46,820. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $42,503 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $46,570 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Medical Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $38,670 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,820 |
| Top tenth earn over | $56,770 |
| This salary | $46,820 |
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 Montana | $38,356 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,800 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,546 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $45,023 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,869 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Montana earn less than $46,820. The published range is $38,670 up to $56,770, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $38,356, from $46,820, 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 335 of 475 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $42,503, the adjusted value of that $46,820 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Montana. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 335 of 475 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for medical assistants in Montana the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $38,670 to $56,770. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,356 from $46,820. 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 335 of 475 locally.
- This $42,503 adjusted figure, worked from $46,820, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 335 of 475 in the state. The occupation ranks 335 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $38,670 at the bottom tenth to $56,770 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Montana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $42,503 in national terms.
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; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $38,356.
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 ($38,670 to $56,770) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,503 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $38,356 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.