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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

29-1071 Physician Assistants

Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants. Excludes “Registered Nurses” (29-1141), “Nurse Anesthetists” (29-1151), “Nurse Midwives” (29-1161), “Nurse Practitioners” (29-1171), “Emergency Medical Technicians” (29-2042), “Paramedics” (29-2043), “Surgical Assistants” (29-9093), and “Medical Assistants” (31-9092).


National estimates for Physician Assistants
Industry profile for Physician Assistants
Geographic profile for Physician Assistants

National estimates for Physician Assistants:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Physician Assistants:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
140,910 2.1 % $ 60.23 $ 125,270 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Physician Assistants:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 40.30 $ 50.12 $ 60.58 $ 67.63 $ 80.83
Annual Wage (2) $ 83,820 $ 104,240 $ 126,010 $ 140,660 $ 168,120


Industry profile for Physician Assistants:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Physician Assistants are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Physician Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Physician Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 76,270 2.74 $ 58.90 $ 122,510
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 33,070 0.59 $ 61.44 $ 127,800
Outpatient Care Centers 13,560 1.33 $ 65.89 $ 137,040
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 4,370 0.14 $ 52.08 $ 108,330
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 1,900 0.18 $ 56.97 $ 118,490

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Physician Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 76,270 2.74 $ 58.90 $ 122,510
Outpatient Care Centers 13,560 1.33 $ 65.89 $ 137,040
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 33,070 0.59 $ 61.44 $ 127,800
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,400 0.52 $ 61.61 $ 128,150
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 680 0.21 $ 54.57 $ 113,500

Top paying industries for Physician Assistants:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 13,560 1.33 $ 65.89 $ 137,040
Employment Services (8) (8) $ 64.31 $ 133,750
Scientific Research and Development Services 280 0.03 $ 62.69 $ 130,400
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 860 0.02 $ 62.17 $ 129,320
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,400 0.52 $ 61.61 $ 128,150


Geographic profile for Physician Assistants:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Physician Assistants are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Physician Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of physician assistants by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Physician Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 15,540 0.88 0.92 $ 69.48 $ 144,520
New York 14,790 1.62 1.70 $ 65.20 $ 135,620
Texas 8,930 0.69 0.72 $ 63.93 $ 132,980
Florida 8,480 0.92 0.97 $ 53.33 $ 110,930
North Carolina 7,150 1.54 1.62 $ 57.61 $ 119,830


Map of location quotient of physician assistants by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physician Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut 2,820 1.73 1.81 $ 68.89 $ 143,280
New York 14,790 1.62 1.70 $ 65.20 $ 135,620
North Carolina 7,150 1.54 1.62 $ 57.61 $ 119,830
Nebraska 1,410 1.46 1.53 $ 58.05 $ 120,740
Montana 700 1.43 1.51 $ 58.80 $ 122,310


Map of annual mean wages of physician assistants by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Physician Assistants:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 3,040 0.89 0.94 $ 69.90 $ 145,390
California 15,540 0.88 0.92 $ 69.48 $ 144,520
Alaska 430 1.41 1.48 $ 69.45 $ 144,460
Connecticut 2,820 1.73 1.81 $ 68.89 $ 143,280
Nevada 1,260 0.89 0.94 $ 67.96 $ 141,360



Map of employment of physician assistants by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Physician Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 14,580 1.59 1.67 $ 66.77 $ 138,890
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,720 0.94 0.98 $ 66.52 $ 138,360
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,280 1.08 1.14 $ 58.77 $ 122,230
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,860 1.05 1.10 $ 57.45 $ 119,490
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 2,790 0.91 0.96 $ 70.32 $ 146,270
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 2,690 1.21 1.27 $ 58.42 $ 121,500
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 2,500 0.90 0.95 $ 58.98 $ 122,680
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 2,490 0.92 0.97 $ 63.84 $ 132,780
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,330 0.61 0.64 $ 63.41 $ 131,890
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2,200 1.70 1.78 $ 56.07 $ 116,620


Map of location quotient of physician assistants by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physician Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rochester, MN 1,100 9.39 9.85 $ 57.76 $ 120,130
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 790 3.51 3.68 $ 41.36 $ 86,020
Iowa City, IA 320 3.49 3.66 $ 57.53 $ 119,660
Ann Arbor, MI 630 3.00 3.15 $ 59.11 $ 122,960
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 860 2.61 2.74 $ 56.66 $ 117,850
Corvallis, OR 90 2.56 2.69 $ 70.16 $ 145,930
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 510 2.50 2.62 $ 63.23 $ 131,510
Winston-Salem, NC 660 2.48 2.61 $ 61.03 $ 126,950
Dover-Durham, NH-ME 120 2.44 2.56 $ 65.29 $ 135,810
Danbury, CT 180 2.42 2.54 $ 67.18 $ 139,740


Map of annual mean wages of physician assistants by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Physician Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 720 0.64 0.68 $ 82.87 $ 172,370
Napa, CA 30 0.43 0.45 $ 79.52 $ 165,400
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,120 0.88 0.93 $ 78.11 $ 162,480
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 90 0.65 0.68 $ 76.72 $ 159,570
Fairbanks, AK 40 1.08 1.13 $ 75.78 $ 157,610
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 140 0.92 0.96 $ 75.41 $ 156,850
Yuba City, CA 60 1.13 1.19 $ 74.72 $ 155,420
Leominster-Gardner, MA 30 0.65 0.68 $ 74.07 $ 154,060
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 750 0.73 0.76 $ 73.34 $ 152,540
Santa Rosa, CA 170 0.81 0.85 $ 72.57 $ 150,950

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Physician Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 380 1.52 1.60 $ 54.69 $ 113,750
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 310 0.80 0.84 $ 58.82 $ 122,340
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 280 1.50 1.58 $ 50.61 $ 105,270
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 260 1.91 2.00 $ 64.65 $ 134,480
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 260 1.06 1.11 $ 52.76 $ 109,740

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physician Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 210 2.09 2.19 $ 62.07 $ 129,100
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 160 2.03 2.13 $ 60.84 $ 126,540
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 260 1.91 2.00 $ 64.65 $ 134,480
Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 50 1.57 1.65 $ 65.40 $ 136,030
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 380 1.52 1.60 $ 54.69 $ 113,750

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Physician Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 60 0.59 0.62 $ 77.75 $ 161,720
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 40 0.59 0.62 $ 73.61 $ 153,120
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 30 0.56 0.59 $ 70.58 $ 146,800
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 50 0.22 0.24 $ 69.36 $ 144,260
Arizona nonmetropolitan area 60 0.67 0.70 $ 68.82 $ 143,150


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023