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Best states for a surgical physician assistant
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a surgical physician assistant at Mercy Medical Center, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for surgical physician assistants that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of surgical physician assistants in America is $264,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for surgical physician assistants. Wisconsin is the best state for surgical physician assistants, where the median salary is $164,237.We found that Wisconsin is the best state for surgical physician assistant jobs, whereas Alabama is the worst.
10 best states for surgical physician assistants in 2026
1. Wisconsin
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 933 Average annual salary: $164,237 Lowest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $249,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
2. Alaska
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 126 Average annual salary: $171,124 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $255,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
3. Minnesota
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 808 Average annual salary: $171,177 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $256,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
4. Vermont
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 83 Average annual salary: $172,451 Lowest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $255,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. Nevada
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 277 Average annual salary: $162,880 Lowest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $248,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
6. Nebraska
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $176,915 Lowest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $262,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
7. New Mexico
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 314 Average annual salary: $154,885 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $240,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
8. North Dakota
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 151 Average annual salary: $151,496 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $238,000 Location Quotient: 1.59
9. Massachusetts
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 802 Average annual salary: $172,945 Lowest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $254,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
10. Maine
Total surgical physician assistant jobs: 268 Average annual salary: $153,332 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $236,000 Location Quotient: 1.98
Surgical physician assistant jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a surgical physician assistant
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a surgical physician assistant
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $164,237 | $108,000 | 5,795,483 | 933 |
| 2 | Alaska | $171,124 | $114,000 | 739,795 | 126 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $171,177 | $114,000 | 5,576,606 | 808 |
| 4 | Vermont | $172,451 | $116,000 | 623,657 | 83 |
| 5 | Nevada | $162,880 | $106,000 | 2,998,039 | 277 |
| 6 | Nebraska | $176,915 | $119,000 | 1,920,076 | 181 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $154,885 | $99,000 | 2,088,070 | 314 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $151,496 | $96,000 | 755,393 | 151 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $172,945 | $117,000 | 6,859,819 | 802 |
| 10 | Maine | $153,332 | $99,000 | 1,335,907 | 268 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $163,343 | $109,000 | 3,588,184 | 424 |
| 12 | Michigan | $156,961 | $102,000 | 9,962,311 | 743 |
| 13 | Arizona | $155,351 | $100,000 | 7,016,270 | 750 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $157,211 | $103,000 | 10,273,419 | 986 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $157,211 | $102,000 | 3,004,279 | 159 |
| 16 | California | $168,113 | $111,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,323 |
| 17 | New York | $155,421 | $102,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,621 |
| 18 | Texas | $150,030 | $96,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,272 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $157,919 | $104,000 | 9,005,644 | 754 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $147,940 | $95,000 | 1,815,857 | 147 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $142,585 | $88,000 | 869,666 | 199 |
| 22 | Washington | $151,464 | $96,000 | 7,405,743 | 789 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $146,008 | $94,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,671 |
| 24 | Montana | $146,155 | $92,000 | 1,050,493 | 159 |
| 25 | Ohio | $149,578 | $96,000 | 11,658,609 | 755 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $149,540 | $93,000 | 1,427,538 | 132 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $146,932 | $93,000 | 4,454,189 | 344 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $163,883 | $109,000 | 693,972 | 77 |
| 29 | Illinois | $149,489 | $95,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,005 |
| 30 | Maryland | $154,531 | $101,000 | 6,052,177 | 523 |
| 31 | Oregon | $145,537 | $91,000 | 4,142,776 | 475 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $145,927 | $91,000 | 579,315 | 44 |
| 33 | Iowa | $145,811 | $91,000 | 3,145,711 | 288 |
| 34 | Indiana | $141,054 | $88,000 | 6,666,818 | 728 |
| 35 | Colorado | $146,317 | $92,000 | 5,607,154 | 511 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $145,820 | $92,000 | 2,984,100 | 145 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $132,415 | $83,000 | 1,342,795 | 269 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $130,410 | $80,000 | 3,930,864 | 321 |
| 39 | Virginia | $145,717 | $94,000 | 8,470,020 | 684 |
| 40 | Utah | $143,391 | $89,000 | 3,101,833 | 180 |
| 41 | Kansas | $140,204 | $87,000 | 2,913,123 | 221 |
| 42 | Florida | $127,549 | $79,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,011 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $122,909 | $75,000 | 6,715,984 | 710 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | $141,638 | $90,000 | 1,059,639 | 83 |
| 45 | Delaware | $142,877 | $92,000 | 961,939 | 54 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $118,521 | $72,000 | 5,024,369 | 551 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $122,004 | $74,000 | 4,684,333 | 344 |
| 48 | Georgia | $125,033 | $77,000 | 10,429,379 | 906 |
| 49 | Missouri | $128,311 | $78,000 | 6,113,532 | 448 |
| 50 | Idaho | $115,130 | $68,000 | 1,716,943 | 123 |
| 51 | Alabama | $114,009 | $69,000 | 4,874,747 | 264 |
Highest paying states for surgical physician assistants
| Rank | State | Avg. Surgical Physician Assistant Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wisconsin | $164,237 |
| 2 | Alaska | $171,124 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $171,177 |
| 4 | Vermont | $172,451 |
| 5 | Nevada | $162,880 |
| 6 | Nebraska | $176,915 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $154,885 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $151,496 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $172,945 |
| 10 | Maine | $153,332 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $163,343 |
| 12 | Michigan | $156,961 |
| 13 | Arizona | $155,351 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $157,211 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $157,211 |
| 16 | California | $168,113 |
| 17 | New York | $155,421 |
| 18 | Texas | $150,030 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $157,919 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $147,940 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $142,585 |
| 22 | Washington | $151,464 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $146,008 |
| 24 | Montana | $146,155 |
| 25 | Ohio | $149,578 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $149,540 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $146,932 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $163,883 |
| 29 | Illinois | $149,489 |
| 30 | Maryland | $154,531 |
| 31 | Oregon | $145,537 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $145,927 |
| 33 | Iowa | $145,811 |
| 34 | Indiana | $141,054 |
| 35 | Colorado | $146,317 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $145,820 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $132,415 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $130,410 |
| 39 | Virginia | $145,717 |
| 40 | Utah | $143,391 |
| 41 | Kansas | $140,204 |
| 42 | Florida | $127,549 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $122,909 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | $141,638 |
| 45 | Delaware | $142,877 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $118,521 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $122,004 |
| 48 | Georgia | $125,033 |
| 49 | Missouri | $128,311 |
| 50 | Idaho | $115,130 |
| 51 | Alabama | $114,009 |
Surgical physician assistant best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025