Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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).

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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)
125,280	1.7 %	$ 55.81	$ 116,080	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Physician Assistants:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 36.88	$ 46.02	$ 55.48	$ 65.01	$ 78.11
Annual Wage (2)	$ 76,700	$ 95,730	$ 115,390	$ 135,220	$ 162,470

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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	67,870	2.62	$ 55.34	$ 115,120
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	30,860	0.55	$ 56.40	$ 117,320
Outpatient Care Centers	10,190	1.06	$ 61.93	$ 128,820
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	4,930	0.16	$ 51.93	$ 108,010
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	2,070	0.23	$ 53.43	$ 111,140

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	67,870	2.62	$ 55.34	$ 115,120
Outpatient Care Centers	10,190	1.06	$ 61.93	$ 128,820
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	1,630	0.61	$ 55.10	$ 114,600
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	30,860	0.55	$ 56.40	$ 117,320
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	2,070	0.23	$ 53.43	$ 111,140

Top paying industries for Physician Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Personal Care Services	120	0.02	$ 69.35	$ 144,260
Outpatient Care Centers	10,190	1.06	$ 61.93	$ 128,820
Scientific Research and Development Services	420	0.06	$ 59.81	$ 124,400
Employment Services	1,540	0.05	$ 57.89	$ 120,400
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	110	0.02	$ 57.68	$ 119,970

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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.

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)
New York	13,760	1.58	1.76	$ 60.76	$ 126,370
California	11,490	0.70	0.78	$ 64.99	$ 135,180
Texas	8,990	0.74	0.82	$ 53.94	$ 112,200
Florida	7,310	0.87	0.96	$ 52.32	$ 108,820
Pennsylvania	7,300	1.32	1.47	$ 51.69	$ 107,520

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)
New York	13,760	1.58	1.76	$ 60.76	$ 126,370
Connecticut	2,310	1.50	1.66	$ 70.24	$ 146,110
Maine	830	1.44	1.60	$ 56.34	$ 117,180
Alaska	430	1.44	1.60	$ 72.32	$ 150,430
North Carolina	6,140	1.43	1.59	$ 54.09	$ 112,510

Top paying states for Physician Assistants:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska	430	1.44	1.60	$ 72.32	$ 150,430
Connecticut	2,310	1.50	1.66	$ 70.24	$ 146,110
Rhode Island	220	0.49	0.54	$ 65.29	$ 135,800
California	11,490	0.70	0.78	$ 64.99	$ 135,180
Nevada	880	0.70	0.78	$ 64.77	$ 134,710

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	11,440	1.30	1.44	$ 63.16	$ 131,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,880	0.67	0.74	$ 62.71	$ 130,450
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,430	0.96	1.06	$ 51.23	$ 106,570
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	3,240	1.20	1.33	$ 56.42	$ 117,360
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,990	1.14	1.26	$ 56.32	$ 117,140
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	2,850	1.09	1.22	$ 55.49	$ 115,410
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,370	0.54	0.60	$ 53.15	$ 110,550
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,080	0.83	0.92	$ 49.19	$ 102,320
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	2,030	0.68	0.76	$ 64.03	$ 133,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	2,020	0.67	0.74	$ 56.79	$ 118,120

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)
Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA	180	4.78	5.30	$ 51.43	$ 106,970
Muncie, IN	200	4.53	5.03	$ 28.54	$ 59,370
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC	840	3.77	4.18	$ 35.28	$ 73,380
Fayetteville, NC	340	2.77	3.08	$ 55.46	$ 115,350
Ann Arbor, MI	560	2.70	3.00	$ 52.47	$ 109,140
Iowa City, IA	230	2.68	2.98	$ 55.93	$ 116,340
Rome, GA	100	2.68	2.97	$ 45.31	$ 94,250
Asheville, NC	470	2.55	2.83	$ 51.69	$ 107,520
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	750	2.42	2.69	$ 52.60	$ 109,420
Beckley, WV	100	2.40	2.67	$ 68.71	$ 142,910