Medical Assistants salary in Madison, WI
Median pay for medical assistants in Madison, WI: $44,640/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $40,020 – $52,460 · about 1,890 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($39,165) by +$5,475 (+14%).
What it's really worth in Madison
With Madison's cost of living at 96 (US=100), that $44,640 has the buying power of about $46,532 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $82,996 · median home $452,769 · median rent $1,683/mo.
How Madison ranks for this job
On raw pay, Madison, WI is 42nd of the 186 metros we hold medical assistants wages for. Once Madison's cost of living is applied, it ranks 22nd.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Madison 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 Madison
A median home in Madison, WI costs $452,769 — about 10.1× 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 $1,683/mo works out at 45% 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 Madison.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Madison | Rent vs Madison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $74,750 | +67% | 1.4× |
| San Jose, CA | $60,500 | +36% | 2.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $59,770 | +34% | 1.9× |
| Sacramento, CA | $59,520 | +33% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in WI
| Metro | Median pay | vs Madison | Rent vs Madison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | $47,490 | +6% | 0.9× |
| Green Bay, WI | $45,900 | +3% | 0.7× |
| Appleton, WI | $45,270 | +1% | 0.7× |
Staying in WI keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires medical assistants around Madison
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison · Education
- UW Health · Healthcare
Other jobs in Madison
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.