Physician Assistants Salary: $166,382 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 155,540 physician assistants nationally earn a mean of $166,382. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Physician Assistants: what the data shows
Common questions about physician assistants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a physician assistants?
Physician Assistants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1071.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 155,540 workers.
What does a physician assistants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a physician assistants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $133,260 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $166,382 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $97,448 |
| 25th percentile | $133,554 |
| Median (50th) | $165,458 |
| 75th percentile | $202,970 |
| 90th percentile | $225,260 |
What education do you need?
For Physician Assistants, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is physician assistants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 20.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 44.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 155,540.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do physician assistantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 155,540 | 17.6% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 143,290 | 16.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 142,480 | 16.2% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 101,950 | 11.6% |
| Offices of Physicians | 82,260 | 9.3% |
| Hospitals | 81,620 | 9.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Physician Assistants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Licensed Practical Nurses | 632,430 | $62,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Physician Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
155,540 Workforce in 2023
The Physician Assistants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Physician Assistants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$166,382 Average Wage
In 2023, Physician Assistants earned an average of $166,382.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Physician Assistants.
Salary distribution for Physician Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
3.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
61,684 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 20.2%
74,171 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 44.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Physician Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Physician Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Physician Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Physician Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
13.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Physician Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Physician Assistants.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 11,650 employees, $163,385 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Physician Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 3,550 employees, $162,460 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,160 employees, $165,221 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,160 employees, $157,938 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,120 employees, $170,952 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 1,100 employees, $155,340 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 770 employees, $174,776 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 760 employees, $159,880 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 350 employees, $148,078 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 250 employees, $165,591 avg wage
- Modesto MSA: 200 employees, $172,740 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Physician Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Physician Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Physician Assistants in 2023 was 155,540 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Physician Assistants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Physician Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Physician Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Physician Assistants in 2023 were Health Sciences, Biology, Chemistry.
Common majors for Physician Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Physician Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Physician Assistants.
Skills
Physician Assistants need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking.
Required skills for Physician Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Physician Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Physician Assistants include Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling.
Knowledge areas required for Physician Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Physician Assistants include Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Physician Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Physician Assistants.
Daily Activities
Physician Assistants spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Physician Assistants.
About
Physician Assistants
The average yearly wage for Physician Assistants was $166,382 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1071 - Physician Assistants
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Physician Assistants reports an average salary of $166,382, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 155,540 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.