Physician Assistants
Physician Assistants (SOC 29-1071) earn a median $135,880 a year ($65.33 an hour) in the United States, with 162,150 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is New Jersey.
What physician assistants do
Physician assistants provide health care services that are typically performed by a physician, working under a physician's supervision. They conduct complete physicals, make tentative diagnoses, decide on management and treatment, and counsel patients on therapy, growth and development, and health maintenance. Day to day, they take health histories, examine patients, order or administer tests such as x-rays, electrocardiograms and laboratory work, and interpret the results for deviations from normal. They perform procedures such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and in some cases prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval. O*NET alternate titles such as cardiology, emergency medicine and family medicine physician assistant show how many fields they practice in. Graduation from an accredited educational program for physician assistants is part of the SOC definition, and most O*NET respondents report a master's degree. Registered nurses, nurse practitioners, paramedics, surgical assistants and medical assistants are counted in separate codes, so they are not included here.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report a master's degree as the typical level of education for this occupation (81 percent).
Also called: Advanced Practice Provider (AAP), Anesthetic Assistant, Cardiology Physician Assistant, Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C), Certified Physician's Assistant (PA-C).
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $47.78 | $58.02 | $65.33 | $78.84 | $91.48 | $67.92 | 162,150 |
| Annual | $99,380 | $120,670 | $135,880 | $163,980 | $190,280 | $141,280 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where physician assistants earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $56.66 | $64.76 | $79.66 | $92.48 | $99.52 | $77.93 | 4,790 | 1.12 | 1.07 |
| Annual | $117,860 | $134,710 | $165,690 | $192,370 | $207,000 | $162,100 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $47.78 | $65.73 | $79.64 | $99.52 | $108.27 | $81.30 | 13,600 | 0.75 | 0.72 |
| Annual | $99,380 | $136,730 | $165,650 | $206,990 | $225,190 | $169,110 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $60.38 | $66.37 | $79.02 | $85.54 | $104.88 | $79.05 | 3,540 | 1.00 | 0.96 |
| Annual | $125,580 | $138,050 | $164,360 | $177,930 | $218,150 | $164,430 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $38.11 | $60.95 | $78.87 | $81.76 | $85.63 | $70.57 | 530 | 0.85 | 0.81 |
| Annual | $79,280 | $126,780 | $164,050 | $170,060 | $178,110 | $146,780 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $51.18 | $64.65 | $77.35 | $84.00 | $96.83 | $74.59 | 19,140 | 1.98 | 1.90 |
| Annual | $106,440 | $134,480 | $160,880 | $174,710 | $201,410 | $155,150 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | $51.18 | $64.65 | $77.35 | $84.00 | $96.83 | $74.59 | 19,140 | 1.98 | 1.90 |
| Annual | $106,440 | $134,480 | $160,880 | $174,710 | $201,410 | $155,150 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $47.78 | $65.73 | $79.64 | $99.52 | $108.27 | $81.30 | 13,600 | 0.75 | 0.72 |
| Annual | $99,380 | $136,730 | $165,650 | $206,990 | $225,190 | $169,110 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | $49.35 | $59.00 | $64.69 | $75.00 | $81.25 | $65.31 | 10,110 | 0.72 | 0.69 |
| Annual | $102,650 | $122,720 | $134,550 | $156,000 | $169,000 | $135,850 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $47.37 | $53.54 | $62.32 | $75.44 | $87.31 | $64.65 | 9,310 | 0.94 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $98,530 | $111,360 | $129,620 | $156,920 | $181,610 | $134,470 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $47.62 | $51.57 | $61.09 | $65.97 | $76.29 | $60.18 | 9,020 | 1.49 | 1.43 |
| Annual | $99,050 | $107,260 | $127,070 | $137,220 | $158,690 | $125,160 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | Hourly | $48.19 | $80.40 | $107.52 | $120.31 | $138.18 | $99.84 | 1,030 | 0.91 | 0.87 |
| Annual | $100,240 | $167,230 | $223,640 | $250,240 | $287,420 | $207,660 | ||||
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | Hourly | $60.67 | $75.28 | $95.23 | $105.76 | $105.76 | $85.50 | 350 | 1.04 | 0.99 |
| Annual | $126,200 | $156,590 | $198,070 | $219,990 | $219,990 | $177,840 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | $51.04 | $75.48 | $88.65 | $105.39 | $114.41 | $87.79 | 1,830 | 0.77 | 0.74 |
| Annual | $106,150 | $156,990 | $184,380 | $219,210 | $237,980 | $182,610 | ||||
| Yuba City, CA | Hourly | $58.97 | $76.21 | $88.20 | $95.64 | $101.18 | $84.13 | 40 | 0.86 | 0.82 |
| Annual | $122,650 | $158,510 | $183,460 | $198,930 | $210,450 | $174,990 | ||||
| Vallejo, CA | Hourly | $52.66 | $71.79 | $86.31 | $105.33 | $109.16 | $87.75 | 150 | 1.06 | 1.01 |
| Annual | $109,540 | $149,330 | $179,520 | $219,080 | $227,060 | $182,520 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $59.84 | $68.24 | $80.60 | $86.53 | $99.52 | $78.64 | 16,800 | 1.77 | 1.70 |
| Annual | $124,470 | $141,930 | $167,650 | $179,990 | $207,000 | $163,570 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $29.92 | $29.92 | $53.76 | $68.14 | $82.75 | $51.96 | 3,970 | 1.37 | 1.32 |
| Annual | $62,230 | $62,230 | $111,810 | $141,740 | $172,110 | $108,080 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $47.87 | $64.69 | $77.83 | $98.55 | $106.05 | $78.53 | 3,890 | 0.62 | 0.60 |
| Annual | $99,570 | $134,550 | $161,890 | $204,970 | $220,580 | $163,340 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $31.36 | $61.55 | $68.47 | $82.99 | $98.86 | $70.92 | 3,550 | 1.31 | 1.26 |
| Annual | $65,220 | $128,020 | $142,410 | $172,610 | $205,620 | $147,520 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | $49.87 | $59.55 | $65.21 | $75.50 | $81.80 | $66.87 | 3,390 | 1.17 | 1.12 |
| Annual | $103,720 | $123,870 | $135,640 | $157,050 | $170,140 | $139,080 | ||||
Top industries employing physician assistants
Offices of Physicians employ 53.5% of physician assistants nationally (86,830 jobs) at a median $132,000 a year ($63.46 an hour), followed by General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (25.2%) and Outpatient Care Centers (9.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physicians NAICS 621100 | 86,830 | 53.5% | $132,000 | $63.46 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals NAICS 622100 | 40,850 | 25.2% | $141,090 | $67.83 |
| Outpatient Care Centers NAICS 621400 | 14,980 | 9.2% | $153,500 | $73.80 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 3,660 | 2.3% | $134,770 | $64.79 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999100 | 3,560 | 2.2% | $164,760 | $79.21 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (162,150). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $121,530 for physician assistants in May 2021 and $135,880 in May 2025, with employment of 132,940 and 162,150.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $121,530 | $58.43 | 132,940 |
| May 2022 | $126,010 | $60.58 | 140,910 |
| May 2023 | $130,020 | $62.51 | 145,740 |
| May 2024 | $133,260 | $64.07 | 155,540 |
| May 2025 | $135,880 | $65.33 | 162,150 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
51 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey profile | $79.66 | $165,690 | $117,860 | $207,000 | 4,790 | 1.12 | 1.07 |
| 2 | California profile | $79.64 | $165,650 | $99,380 | $225,190 | 13,600 | 0.75 | 0.72 |
| 3 | Washington profile | $79.02 | $164,360 | $125,580 | $218,150 | 3,540 | 1.00 | 0.96 |
| 4 | Hawaii profile | $78.87 | $164,050 | $79,280 | $178,110 | 530 | 0.85 | 0.81 |
| 5 | New York profile | $77.35 | $160,880 | $106,440 | $201,410 | 19,140 | 1.98 | 1.90 |
| 6 | Oregon profile | $74.89 | $155,780 | $123,100 | $198,490 | 2,250 | 1.14 | 1.09 |
| 7 | New Hampshire profile | $72.58 | $150,960 | $119,540 | $175,380 | 1,060 | 1.55 | 1.49 |
| 8 | Alaska profile | $72.45 | $150,700 | $106,060 | $201,270 | 700 | 2.15 | 2.07 |
| 9 | Vermont profile | $72.35 | $150,490 | $112,460 | $186,960 | 410 | 1.36 | 1.30 |
| 10 | Massachusetts profile | $68.47 | $142,410 | $65,220 | $204,140 | 4,470 | 1.23 | 1.18 |
| 11 | Montana profile | $68.02 | $141,470 | $112,200 | $165,560 | 600 | 1.18 | 1.13 |
| 12 | Minnesota profile | $67.88 | $141,190 | $112,390 | $183,320 | 3,660 | 1.24 | 1.19 |
| 13 | Rhode Island profile | $67.27 | $139,930 | $98,760 | $200,030 | 810 | 1.62 | 1.56 |
| 14 | New Mexico profile | $67.27 | $139,920 | $70,010 | $172,900 | 700 | 0.81 | 0.78 |
| 15 | Connecticut profile | $67.24 | $139,860 | $106,380 | $180,900 | 3,570 | 2.11 | 2.02 |
| 16 | Delaware profile | $67.00 | $139,350 | $108,560 | $175,970 | 860 | 1.77 | 1.69 |
| 17 | Maryland profile | $66.13 | $137,560 | $110,190 | $174,280 | 2,950 | 1.07 | 1.02 |
| 18 | Oklahoma profile | $65.65 | $136,550 | $102,890 | $173,010 | 1,770 | 1.04 | 0.99 |
| 19 | Wyoming profile | $65.42 | $136,080 | $102,320 | $177,900 | 330 | 1.17 | 1.12 |
| 20 | Virginia profile | $65.36 | $135,940 | $98,330 | $213,010 | 4,340 | 1.06 | 1.01 |
| 21 | District of Columbia profile | $64.97 | $135,140 | $84,520 | $213,560 | 470 | 0.67 | 0.64 |
| 22 | Missouri profile | $64.96 | $135,130 | $82,690 | $169,650 | 2,300 | 0.78 | 0.75 |
| 23 | Iowa profile | $64.79 | $134,770 | $102,330 | $182,940 | 1,200 | 0.77 | 0.74 |
| 24 | Utah profile | $64.78 | $134,740 | $82,910 | $171,430 | 1,610 | 0.93 | 0.89 |
| 25 | Nevada profile | $64.74 | $134,660 | $60,040 | $175,300 | 1,090 | 0.70 | 0.67 |
| 26 | Arizona profile | $64.73 | $134,650 | $106,030 | $174,420 | 3,750 | 1.16 | 1.11 |
| 27 | Texas profile | $64.69 | $134,550 | $102,650 | $169,000 | 10,110 | 0.72 | 0.69 |
| 28 | Colorado profile | $64.68 | $134,540 | $104,590 | $174,090 | 3,270 | 1.14 | 1.09 |
| 29 | Wisconsin profile | $64.40 | $133,950 | $102,420 | $169,150 | 3,580 | 1.22 | 1.17 |
| 30 | Idaho profile | $64.32 | $133,790 | $100,590 | $160,120 | 1,320 | 1.54 | 1.48 |
| 31 | North Dakota profile | $64.16 | $133,450 | $77,300 | $173,860 | 510 | 1.20 | 1.15 |
| 32 | South Dakota profile | $64.04 | $133,200 | $104,660 | $158,020 | 680 | 1.49 | 1.43 |
| 33 | Nebraska profile | $63.96 | $133,040 | $103,720 | $165,540 | 1,330 | 1.30 | 1.24 |
| 34 | Ohio profile | $63.51 | $132,090 | $96,460 | $210,350 | 4,900 | 0.88 | 0.85 |
| 35 | Indiana profile | $63.49 | $132,050 | $105,810 | $196,280 | 2,110 | 0.66 | 0.63 |
| 36 | Illinois profile | $63.44 | $131,950 | $105,160 | $162,330 | 3,790 | 0.62 | 0.60 |
| 37 | Michigan profile | $63.23 | $131,510 | $104,000 | $162,570 | 6,310 | 1.43 | 1.37 |
| 38 | Maine profile | $63.06 | $131,170 | $107,630 | $169,250 | 1,030 | 1.61 | 1.54 |
| 39 | Florida profile | $62.32 | $129,620 | $98,530 | $181,610 | 9,310 | 0.94 | 0.90 |
| 40 | North Carolina profile | $62.19 | $129,360 | $101,100 | $164,770 | 7,490 | 1.52 | 1.45 |
| 41 | Louisiana profile | $61.96 | $128,870 | $100,920 | $162,200 | 1,360 | 0.71 | 0.68 |
| 42 | West Virginia profile | $61.83 | $128,610 | $98,200 | $160,890 | 1,080 | 1.54 | 1.47 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania profile | $61.09 | $127,070 | $99,050 | $158,690 | 9,020 | 1.49 | 1.43 |
| 44 | Kansas profile | $60.41 | $125,640 | $98,280 | $168,480 | 890 | 0.62 | 0.59 |
| 45 | South Carolina profile | $58.89 | $122,490 | $77,620 | $158,860 | 2,250 | 0.98 | 0.94 |
| 46 | Kentucky profile | $58.06 | $120,760 | $79,550 | $161,820 | 1,360 | 0.68 | 0.65 |
| 47 | Arkansas profile | $56.94 | $118,430 | $88,160 | $159,080 | 850 | 0.65 | 0.62 |
| 48 | Tennessee profile | $56.85 | $118,240 | $93,380 | $141,670 | 2,240 | 0.68 | 0.65 |
| 49 | Georgia profile | $55.48 | $115,390 | $62,230 | $172,050 | 5,610 | 1.15 | 1.10 |
| 50 | Mississippi profile | $50.92 | $105,920 | $44,030 | $165,630 | 320 | 0.27 | 0.26 |
| 51 | Alabama profile | $50.46 | $104,960 | $83,020 | $145,100 | 930 | 0.44 | 0.42 |
Part of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 29-1071 Physician Assistants.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 29-1071, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 29-1071.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.