How much does a physician assistant make?

The average physician assistant salary in the United States is $118,812. Physician assistant salaries typically range between $70,000 and $201,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for physician assistants is $57.12 per hour. Physician assistant salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Physician assistants earn the highest average salary in Vermont.

Physician assistant salary

Q: What state pays Physician Assistants the most?

Vermont pays Physician Assistants the most in the United States, with an average salary of $162,792 per year, or $78.27 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a physician assistant?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a physician assistant if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Massachusetts you should be paid close to $162,367 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Physician Assistant?

A good starting salary for a physician assistant is $77,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a physician assistant in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for physician assistants is $130,021, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a physician assistant can vary by state.

Q: Can you make $200k as a PA?

Yes, you can make $200k as a PA (physician assistant). While the mean salary for a PA is $112,000 a year, there are some PAs who specialize in certain areas (e.g., emergency room medicine) and have the potential to earn around $200k a year.

Q: How much does a PA get paid a year?

A PA gets paid $112,260 a year. The range in earning potential for a physician assistant (PA) can be as high as $205,000 a year to as low as $108,610 a year. The major factors that impact the earning potential of a PA include the type of PA and the location.

Q: How much does a PA make starting out?

A PA makes around $100,428 a year starting out. The range, however, typically falls between $93,352 and $107,851 a year. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on education, certifications, and additional skills.

Q: What is the highest-paid physician assistant specialty?

The highest-paid physician assistant (PA) specialty is emergency room PAs. Working as a physician assistant in emergency room medicine is the highest-earning position for a PA, with an annual median salary of $205,040 a year.

Average physician assistant salary

$118,812

$57.12 hourly rate

Entry-level physician assistant salary

$70,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Average Physician Assistant Salary

The average salary for a Physician Assistant in the United States stands at $118,812 annually. This figure reflects a blend of various factors, including geographical location and industry. For instance, Physician Assistants in metropolitan areas often earn higher salaries compared to those in rural settings.

Salary by State

States such as California and New York typically offer among the highest salaries for this profession, with averages exceeding $130,000. Conversely, regions with lower living costs may present opportunities at lower salary levels, averaging around $100,000.

Experience Matters

Years of experience also play a critical role in determining earnings. Entry-level Physician Assistants may start at around $80,000, while those with several years of experience and specialized skills can exceed $150,000. It's essential for aspiring professionals to consider these factors when evaluating their career paths.

Conclusion

Understanding the salary landscape for Physician Assistants empowers job seekers to make informed career decisions. By exploring various states and evaluating factors such as experience and specialization, individuals can better position themselves for lucrative opportunities.

On this page

Physician assistant salary by:

Let Zippi find your next physician assistant job

Let Zippi find your next physician assistant job

Where can a Physician Assistant earn more?

Compare salary by location

193k

173k

153k

133k

113k

93k

73k

Columbus, OH$172,215

Indianapolis, IN$103,186

Compare salary by company

204k

184k

164k

144k

Marshall University$194,285

Huntsville Hospital$174,461

Physician assistant salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a physician assistant typically falls between $108,772 and $142,000.

zippia

$118,812yearly

glassdoor[1]

$142,000yearly

indeed[2]

$122,415yearly

comparably[3]

$108,772yearly

Salary.com[4]

$117,716yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$118,000yearly

SalaryExpert[6]

$127,595yearly

CareerExplorer[7]

$121,530yearly

Average physician assistant salary by state

The average physician assistant salary in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average physician assistant salary states are Montana, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for physician assistants

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Vermont	$162,792	$78.27
2	New York	$149,785	$72.01
3	Connecticut	$151,153	$72.67
4	Maine	$144,516	$69.48
5	Minnesota	$141,452	$68.01
6	Pennsylvania	$131,190	$63.07
7	Massachusetts	$162,367	$78.06
8	Alaska	$135,058	$64.93
9	New Jersey	$146,963	$70.66
10	New Hampshire	$122,175	$58.74
11	Wisconsin	$116,212	$55.87
12	West Virginia	$124,859	$60.03
13	Rhode Island	$130,301	$62.64
14	Hawaii	$125,535	$60.35
15	Maryland	$127,697	$61.39
16	Nevada	$112,065	$53.88
17	Michigan	$116,654	$56.08
18	Ohio	$124,609	$59.91
19	New Mexico	$103,529	$49.77
20	District of Columbia	$142,988	$68.74
21	Delaware	$128,444	$61.75
22	North Carolina	$110,215	$52.99
23	Kentucky	$112,720	$54.19
24	Indiana	$103,339	$49.68
25	Arizona	$103,999	$50.00
26	Illinois	$110,651	$53.20
27	North Dakota	$98,986	$47.59
28	Virginia	$114,196	$54.90
29	California	$120,319	$57.85
30	Washington	$104,874	$50.42
31	South Dakota	$91,644	$44.06
32	Oregon	$101,655	$48.87
33	Arkansas	$107,046	$51.46
34	Iowa	$101,704	$48.90
35	Texas	$98,184	$47.20
36	Tennessee	$96,303	$46.30
37	Montana	$90,518	$43.52
38	Florida	$98,560	$47.38
39	Mississippi	$99,618	$47.89
40	South Carolina	$90,714	$43.61
41	Oklahoma	$88,727	$42.66
42	Wyoming	$92,009	$44.24
43	Nebraska	$93,698	$45.05
44	Georgia	$94,580	$45.47
45	Colorado	$92,605	$44.52
46	Louisiana	$82,546	$39.69
47	Kansas	$90,521	$43.52
48	Utah	$91,069	$43.78
49	Missouri	$84,519	$40.63
50	Alabama	$77,773	$37.39
51	Idaho	$71,728	$34.48

Top physician assistant jobs near you

Highest paying cities for physician assistants

The highest-paying cities for physician assistants are Boston, MA, Hartford, CT, and Syracuse, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Boston, MA	$172,215	$82.80
2	Hartford, CT	$158,639	$76.27
3	Syracuse, NY	$157,158	$75.56
4	Portland, ME	$148,660	$71.47
5	Washington, DC	$147,181	$70.76
6	Rochester, MN	$145,859	$70.12
7	Philadelphia, PA	$134,544	$64.68
8	Cleveland, OH	$131,816	$63.37
9	Baltimore, MD	$129,993	$62.50
10	San Francisco, CA	$126,880	$61.00
11	Huntington, WV	$121,405	$58.37
12	Detroit, MI	$118,678	$57.06
13	Madison, WI	$113,922	$54.77
14	Raleigh, NC	$113,763	$54.69
15	Las Vegas, NV	$112,508	$54.09
16	Chicago, IL	$112,463	$54.07
17	Seattle, WA	$107,419	$51.64
18	Tucson, AZ	$105,661	$50.80
19	San Antonio, TX	$103,644	$49.83
20	Indianapolis, IN	$103,186	$49.61

Physician Assistants are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Physician assistant salary details

A physician assistant's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $201,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average physician assistant salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a physician assistant's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$201,000	$16,750	$97
75th Percentile	$156,000	$13,000	$75
Average	$118,812	$9,901	$57
25th Percentile	$90,000	$7,500	$43
10th Percentile	$70,000	$5,833	$34

Highest paying physician assistant jobs

The highest paying types of physician assistants are pain management physician, obstetrics gynecology physician, and physician extender.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Nurse Practitioner	$100,033	$8,336	$48.09	27,912
Obstetrics Gynecology Physician	$253,219	$21,102	$121.74	47,501
Pain Management Physician	$253,724	$21,144	$121.98	109,196
Physician	$238,887	$19,907	$114.85	46,489
Physician Extender	$244,718	$20,393	$117.65	73,599

Top companies hiring physician assistants now:

Which companies pay physician assistants the most?

Physician assistant salaries at Marshall University and Staten Island Academy are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average physician assistant salary at companies like St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Marshall University	$194,285	$93.41
2	Staten Island Academy	$185,392	$89.13
3	St. Joseph Regional Medical Center	$184,615	$88.76
4	Central Vermont Medical Center	$183,724	$88.33
5	Presbyterian	$183,011	$87.99
6	Winthrop Hospital	$182,638	$87.81
7	Interfaith Medical Center	$182,344	$87.67
8	West Virginia University	$182,342	$87.66
9	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$182,013	$87.51
10	Mayo Clinic	$181,868	$87.44
11	One Brooklyn Health	$180,412	$86.74
12	New York Methodist Hospital	$179,324	$86.21
13	Nicklaus Children's Hospital	$178,172	$85.66
14	BronxCare Health System	$177,313	$85.25
15	University of Kentucky	$177,206	$85.20
16	Correctional Services Corporation LLC	$177,201	$85.19
17	Cedars-Sinai	$175,969	$84.60
18	Albany Medical Center	$175,801	$84.52
19	GradyHealth	$174,889	$84.08
20	Huntsville Hospital	$174,461	$83.88

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$99,000$96,800$94,600$92,400$90,200$88,000

MaleFemale

Physician assistant salary trends

The average physician assistant salary has risen by $27,522 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average physician assistant earned $91,290 annually, but today, they earn $118,812 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for physician assistants over the last decade.

Compare physician assistant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average physician assistant salary over time

Compare physician assistant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Physician assistant salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$119,000	$57.12	+2.7%
2024	$116,000	$55.57	+3.3%
2023	$112,000	$53.77	+3.5%
2022	$108,000	$51.91	+3.2%
2021	$104,000	$50.24	+3.3%

Recently added physician assistant salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Aspen Dental	Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner (NP)	Mars, PA	06/30/2025	$156,525
Aspen Dental	Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner (NP	Delaware	06/30/2025	$156,525
Sound Physicians	Acute Care Physician Assistant	Buffalo, NY	06/30/2025	$140,000
Sound Physicians	Hospital Medicine Physician Assistant	Puyallup, WA	06/30/2025	$160,000
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Atlanta, GA	06/30/2025	$143,481
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Eastover, SC	06/30/2025	$143,481
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Jackson, MS	06/30/2025	$143,481
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Chattanooga, TN	06/30/2025	$143,481
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Fairbanks, AK	06/30/2025	$143,481
Doc's Drugs	Physician Assistant	Beckley, WV	06/30/2025	$143,481

Physician assistant salary FAQs

What state pays Physician Assistants the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a physician assistant?

What is a good starting salary for a Physician Assistant?

Can you make $200k as a PA?

How much does a PA get paid a year?

How much does a PA make starting out?

What is the highest-paid physician assistant specialty?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.

Search for physician assistant jobs

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physician Assistant
Physician Assistant Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs