Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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:
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 |
United States Department of Labor
