Medical Assistants salary in Appleton, WI
Median pay for medical assistants in Appleton, WI: $45,270/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,100 – $52,410 · about 450 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$6,105 (+16%).
What it's really worth in Appleton
With Appleton's cost of living at 94 (US=100), that $45,270 has the buying power of about $48,295 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $79,958 · median home $350,370 · median rent $1,217/mo.
How Appleton ranks for this job
On raw pay, Appleton, WI is 34th of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Appleton's cost of living is applied, it ranks 14th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Appleton is one of the places where medical assistants gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Appleton
A median home in Appleton, WI costs $350,370 — about 7.7× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,217/mo works out at 32% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where medical assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Appleton.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Appleton | Rent vs Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +65% | 2× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +34% | 3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +32% | 2.7× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +31% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in WI
| Metro | Median pay | vs Appleton | Rent vs Appleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | $47,490 | +5% | 1.3× |
| Green Bay, WI | $45,900 | +1% | 1× |
| Madison, WI | $44,640 | −1% | 1.4× |
Staying in WI keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires medical assistants around Appleton
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- ThedaCare · Healthcare
- Appleton School District · Education
Other jobs in Appleton
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.