Physician Assistants pay in the U.S.
$141,280avg. a year
$67.92 an hour · 162,150 employed
Physician Assistants in the U.S. earn an average of $141,280 a year and a median of $135,880. Pay is highest in California ($169,110) and lowest in Mississippi ($106,820).
$135,880Median pay
$67.92Average hourly
+22%Avg. pay since 2020
162,150Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for physician assistants
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
113,600 jobs
California
$169,110
$81.30 an hour
23,540 jobs
Washington
$164,430
$79.05 an hour
34,790 jobs
New Jersey
$162,100
$77.93 an hour
42,250 jobs
Oregon
$155,300
$74.66 an hour
519,140 jobs
New York
$155,150
$74.59 an hour
6410 jobs
Vermont
$152,520
$73.33 an hour
71,060 jobs
New Hampshire
$150,150
$72.19 an hour
8700 jobs
Alaska
$148,080
$71.19 an hour
93,660 jobs
Minnesota
$147,630
$70.98 an hour
103,570 jobs
Connecticut
$146,930
$70.64 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Physician Assistants pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $131k$131k–$137k$137k–$146k$146k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $207,660 | $99.84 |
| Salinas, CA | $202,320 | $97.27 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $182,610 | $87.79 |
| Vallejo, CA | $182,520 | $87.75 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $177,840 | $85.50 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $171,940 | $82.66 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $170,150 | $81.80 |
| Modesto, CA | $168,960 | $81.23 |
Related jobs
- Registered Nurses$101,420
- Physicians, All Other$262,040
- Nurse Practitioners$137,300
- Pharmacists$140,920
- Physical Therapists$105,280
- Dental Hygienists$98,990
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Physician Assistants pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $110,860 | $104,960 | 930 |
| Alaska | $148,080 | $150,700 | 700 |
| Arizona | $140,850 | $134,650 | 3,750 |
| Arkansas | $118,430 | $118,430 | 850 |
| California | $169,110 | $165,650 | 13,600 |
| Colorado | $139,580 | $134,540 | 3,270 |
| Connecticut | $146,930 | $139,860 | 3,570 |
| Delaware | $143,840 | $139,350 | 860 |
| District of Columbia | $146,230 | $135,140 | 470 |
| Florida | $134,470 | $129,620 | 9,310 |
| Georgia | $112,090 | $115,390 | 5,610 |
| Hawaii | $146,780 | $164,050 | 530 |
| Idaho | $132,540 | $133,790 | 1,320 |
| Illinois | $131,880 | $131,950 | 3,790 |
| Indiana | $144,260 | $132,050 | 2,110 |
| Iowa | $139,870 | $134,770 | 1,200 |
| Kansas | $127,240 | $125,640 | 890 |
| Kentucky | $119,990 | $120,760 | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $130,290 | $128,870 | 1,360 |
| Maine | $134,690 | $131,170 | 1,030 |
| Maryland | $139,740 | $137,560 | 2,950 |
| Massachusetts | $146,480 | $142,410 | 4,470 |
| Michigan | $132,140 | $131,510 | 6,310 |
| Minnesota | $147,630 | $141,190 | 3,660 |
| Mississippi | $106,820 | $105,920 | 320 |
| Missouri | $137,710 | $135,130 | 2,300 |
| Montana | $140,800 | $141,470 | 600 |
| Nebraska | $132,810 | $133,040 | 1,330 |
| Nevada | $135,790 | $134,660 | 1,090 |
| New Hampshire | $150,150 | $150,960 | 1,060 |
| New Jersey | $162,100 | $165,690 | 4,790 |
| New Mexico | $134,670 | $139,920 | 700 |
| New York | $155,150 | $160,880 | 19,140 |
| North Carolina | $130,030 | $129,360 | 7,490 |
| North Dakota | $130,930 | $133,450 | 510 |
| Ohio | $136,560 | $132,090 | 4,900 |
| Oklahoma | $138,700 | $136,550 | 1,770 |
| Oregon | $155,300 | $155,780 | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $125,160 | $127,070 | 9,020 |
| Rhode Island | $146,630 | $139,930 | 810 |
| South Carolina | $120,720 | $122,490 | 2,250 |
| South Dakota | $131,910 | $133,200 | 680 |
| Tennessee | $117,300 | $118,240 | 2,240 |
| Texas | $135,850 | $134,550 | 10,110 |
| Utah | $132,530 | $134,740 | 1,610 |
| Vermont | $152,520 | $150,490 | 410 |
| Virginia | $142,630 | $135,940 | 4,340 |
| Washington | $164,430 | $164,360 | 3,540 |
| West Virginia | $128,830 | $128,610 | 1,080 |
| Wisconsin | $136,750 | $133,950 | 3,580 |
| Wyoming | $137,320 | $136,080 | 330 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$163,570
16,800 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$108,080
3,970 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$163,340
3,890 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$147,520
3,550 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$139,080
3,390 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$136,770
3,230 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$134,170
3,050 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$140,520
3,050 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do physician assistants make?
The average is $141,280 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $135,880 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $67.92, and the median is $65.33 an hour.
Which state pays physician assistants the most?
California, with an average of $169,110 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $207,660.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $99,380 a year, and the top 10% earn over $190,280.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1071. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.