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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
120,090 1.5 % $54.04 $112,410 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $34.96 $44.62 $53.97 $62.75 $75.54
Annual Wage (2) $72,720 $92,800 $112,260 $130,530 $157,120


Industry profile for this occupation:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 66,800 2.52 $53.68 $111,650
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 29,530 0.53 $54.60 $113,580
Outpatient Care Centers 9,540 1.00 $58.33 $121,320
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 3,590 0.12 $51.60 $107,330
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 1,870 0.20 $52.02 $108,190

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 66,800 2.52 $53.68 $111,650
Outpatient Care Centers 9,540 1.00 $58.33 $121,320
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,480 0.56 $53.94 $112,190
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 29,530 0.53 $54.60 $113,580
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 1,870 0.20 $52.02 $108,190

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scientific Research and Development Services 320 0.04 $60.30 $125,410
Personal Care Services 80 0.01 $60.23 $125,280
Outpatient Care Centers 9,540 1.00 $58.33 $121,320
Individual and Family Services 100 (7) $57.26 $119,110
Employment Services 1,650 0.04 $56.51 $117,550


Geographic profile for this occupation:

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 13,270 1.39 1.70 $59.17 $123,080
California 10,890 0.63 0.77 $61.31 $127,520
Texas 8,040 0.65 0.79 $52.54 $109,270
Pennsylvania 7,200 1.22 1.49 $49.33 $102,620
Florida 6,630 0.75 0.92 $52.17 $108,510




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 470 1.49 1.83 $61.79 $128,530
New York 13,270 1.39 1.70 $59.17 $123,080
Maine 840 1.37 1.68 $54.45 $113,250
Montana 640 1.36 1.66 $54.00 $112,330
West Virginia 920 1.31 1.60 $49.28 $102,500




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Connecticut 2,140 1.29 1.57 $65.90 $137,060
Washington 2,800 0.84 1.03 $62.27 $129,520
New Jersey 2,520 0.62 0.75 $62.23 $129,440
Alaska 470 1.49 1.83 $61.79 $128,530
California 10,890 0.63 0.77 $61.31 $127,520





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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 11,470 1.19 1.45 $61.74 $128,420
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,460 0.55 0.68 $60.64 $126,130
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 3,070 1.07 1.30 $54.67 $113,710
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 3,050 1.09 1.33 $53.19 $110,630
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,660 0.73 0.89 $49.23 $102,400
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,310 0.84 1.03 $49.08 $102,090
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,240 0.70 0.86 $54.73 $113,830
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,000 0.43 0.52 $50.63 $105,300
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,970 0.75 0.91 $52.16 $108,490
Cleveland-Elyria, OH 1,940 1.85 2.27 $53.08 $110,400




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Muncie, IN 170 3.83 4.68 $28.35 $58,980
Ann Arbor, MI 770 3.43 4.19 $53.54 $111,360
Asheville, NC 580 2.92 3.57 $50.32 $104,660
Altoona, PA 160 2.76 3.37 $46.01 $95,700
Beckley, WV 110 2.51 3.07 $46.12 $95,920
Iowa City, IA 230 2.49 3.05 $55.02 $114,440
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 750 2.40 2.94 $49.04 $102,000
Rome, GA 90 2.35 2.87 $43.46 $90,400
Fayetteville, NC 300 2.29 2.80 $55.15 $114,710
Waterbury, CT 140 2.06 2.52 $74.30 $154,550




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Salinas, CA 100 0.55 0.68 $77.58 $161,370
Leominster-Gardner, MA 50 0.90 1.10 $75.12 $156,250
Waterbury, CT 140 2.06 2.52 $74.30 $154,550
Danbury, CT 130 1.62 1.98 $70.91 $147,500
New Bern, NC 50 1.21 1.48 $70.62 $146,880
Santa Rosa, CA (8) (8) (8) $69.34 $144,230
Visalia-Porterville, CA 80 0.52 0.64 $68.19 $141,840
Chico, CA 40 0.56 0.68 $66.48 $138,270
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 910 1.55 1.90 $66.37 $138,050
Yuba City, CA 80 1.76 2.15 $65.96 $137,210

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 330 1.26 1.54 $58.92 $122,550
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 280 0.72 0.88 $53.96 $112,230
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 280 1.45 1.78 $50.69 $105,430
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 270 1.09 1.33 $49.88 $103,760
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 220 1.06 1.30 $57.08 $118,720

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Maryland nonmetropolitan area 100 1.69 2.07 $49.18 $102,290
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 50 1.64 2.00 $60.16 $125,140
Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 150 1.58 1.93 $55.33 $115,100
West Montana nonmetropolitan area 120 1.55 1.90 $51.49 $107,090
East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 100 1.49 1.82 $57.65 $119,900

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Upper Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 50 0.55 0.67 $97.50 $202,790
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 0.72 0.88 $65.43 $136,090
Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area 190 1.27 1.56 $63.61 $132,310
Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area 40 0.23 0.29 $63.03 $131,100
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 140 1.25 1.53 $62.27 $129,510


About May 2019 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020