How Much Do Physician Assistants Make a Year? PA Salary Calculator
BLS physician assistant pay at every level and in every state, employer differences, on-call schedules and take-home after 2026 tax
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How Much Do Physician Assistants Make a Year? PA Salary Calculator
Printed 2026-10-27 from billorganizingapp.com/income/calculators/physician-assistant-salary/ — an estimate for planning, not financial or tax advice.
United States physician assistants: median $65.33/hr, 10th–90th percentile $47.78–$91.48 (BLS OEWS May 2025). Your rate is in the between the median and the 75th percentile.
Estimate for 2026: federal income tax (standard deduction), Social Security and Medicare, a flat state rate you enter, and the overtime deduction on the half-time premium when your overtime is legally required. No credits or itemised deductions. Starting wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, which excludes overtime and shift differentials.
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Physician assistants earned a median salary of $135,880 in May 2025, or $65.33 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 162,150 PAs. The bottom tenth earned under $99,380 and the top tenth over $190,280; on-call pay and bonuses aren't counted.
Physician assistants: pay at every level
This is the BLS line for physician assistants (SOC 29-1071) on employers' payrolls. Medical assistants, who do clinical and clerical tasks but don't practice medicine, are a separate occupation with their own calculator here. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47.78 | $99,380 | $8,282 | $78,744 |
| 25th percentile | $58.02 | $120,670 | $10,056 | $93,721 |
| Median | $65.33 | $135,880 | $11,323 | $104,140 |
| 75th percentile | $78.84 | $163,980 | $13,665 | $123,346 |
| 90th percentile | $91.48 | $190,280 | $15,857 | $141,681 |
Physician assistant pay by state
New Jersey ($165,690), California ($165,650) and Washington ($164,360) are nearly tied at the top; Alabama is lowest at $104,960. New York employs the most PAs, 19,140, at $160,880.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $79.66 | $165,690 | 4,790 |
| California | $79.64 | $165,650 | 13,600 |
| Washington | $79.02 | $164,360 | 3,540 |
| Hawaii | $78.87 | $164,050 | 530 |
| New York | $77.35 | $160,880 | 19,140 |
| Oregon | $74.89 | $155,780 | 2,250 |
| New Hampshire | $72.58 | $150,960 | 1,060 |
| Alaska | $72.45 | $150,700 | 700 |
| Vermont | $72.35 | $150,490 | 410 |
| Massachusetts | $68.47 | $142,410 | 4,470 |
| Montana | $68.02 | $141,470 | 600 |
| Minnesota | $67.88 | $141,190 | 3,660 |
| New Mexico | $67.27 | $139,920 | 700 |
| Rhode Island | $67.27 | $139,930 | 810 |
| Connecticut | $67.24 | $139,860 | 3,570 |
| Delaware | $67.00 | $139,350 | 860 |
| Maryland | $66.13 | $137,560 | 2,950 |
| Oklahoma | $65.65 | $136,550 | 1,770 |
| Wyoming | $65.42 | $136,080 | 330 |
| Virginia | $65.36 | $135,940 | 4,340 |
| District of Columbia | $64.97 | $135,140 | 470 |
| Missouri | $64.96 | $135,130 | 2,300 |
| Iowa | $64.79 | $134,770 | 1,200 |
| Utah | $64.78 | $134,740 | 1,610 |
| Nevada | $64.74 | $134,660 | 1,090 |
| Arizona | $64.73 | $134,650 | 3,750 |
| Texas | $64.69 | $134,550 | 10,110 |
| Colorado | $64.68 | $134,540 | 3,270 |
| Wisconsin | $64.40 | $133,950 | 3,580 |
| Idaho | $64.32 | $133,790 | 1,320 |
| North Dakota | $64.16 | $133,450 | 510 |
| South Dakota | $64.04 | $133,200 | 680 |
| Nebraska | $63.96 | $133,040 | 1,330 |
| Ohio | $63.51 | $132,090 | 4,900 |
| Indiana | $63.49 | $132,050 | 2,110 |
| Illinois | $63.44 | $131,950 | 3,790 |
| Michigan | $63.23 | $131,510 | 6,310 |
| Maine | $63.06 | $131,170 | 1,030 |
| Florida | $62.32 | $129,620 | 9,310 |
| North Carolina | $62.19 | $129,360 | 7,490 |
| Louisiana | $61.96 | $128,870 | 1,360 |
| West Virginia | $61.83 | $128,610 | 1,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $61.09 | $127,070 | 9,020 |
| Kansas | $60.41 | $125,640 | 890 |
| South Carolina | $58.89 | $122,490 | 2,250 |
| Kentucky | $58.06 | $120,760 | 1,360 |
| Arkansas | $56.94 | $118,430 | 850 |
| Tennessee | $56.85 | $118,240 | 2,240 |
| Georgia | $55.48 | $115,390 | 5,610 |
| Mississippi | $50.92 | $105,920 | 320 |
| Alabama | $50.46 | $104,960 | 930 |
Which employers pay physician assistants most
Government ($157,040) and outpatient care centers ($153,500) pay PAs the most; hospitals pay $141,150 and physicians' offices, which employ 53% of PAs, $132,000 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $157,040 |
| Outpatient care centers | $153,500 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $141,150 |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $134,770 |
| Offices of physicians | $132,000 |
A physician assistant's schedule
Most PAs work full time. Schedules vary and can include nights, weekends and holidays, and PAs may be on call, ready to respond with little notice (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Physicians' offices employ 53% of them and hospitals 26%; on-call pay, where it's paid, isn't in BLS's wage figures.
Overtime for physician assistants
Federal rules say certified PAs who completed four years of pre-professional and professional study generally meet the duties test for the learned-professional exemption (29 CFR 541.301), so a PA salaried at $684 a week or more usually isn't owed overtime (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). A PA paid by the hour is.
Training, licenses and pay
PAs typically need a master's from an accredited program, usually 2 years or more after a bachelor's, and applicants often bring patient-care experience as medical assistants, EMTs or paramedics. Every state requires a license; passing the national exam earns the PA-C credential, kept by continuing education and periodic recertification. Postgraduate programs in specialties like emergency medicine and psychiatry are optional (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Related tools and guides
More ways to work with your physician assistant pay:
Official sources
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS May 2025: Physician Assistants (29-1071) wage estimates
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physician Assistants
- U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #17D: Exemption for professional employees
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: OEWS FAQ: how wages are defined (overtime and shift differentials excluded)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do physician assistants make a year?+
$135,880 a year ($65.33 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $120,670 to $163,980.
Which state pays physician assistants the most?+
New Jersey ($79.66 an hour, $165,690 a year), then California and Washington; Alabama pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Do physician assistants get overtime?+
Certified PAs paid a salary of at least $684 a week generally don't: federal rules treat them as learned professionals (29 CFR 541.301; DOL Fact Sheet #17D). Hourly PAs are owed time and a half after 40 hours.
Which employers pay physician assistants the most?+
In the Occupational Outlook Handbook's industry table, government employers outside schools and hospitals have the highest median, and physicians' offices — the largest employer — the lowest of the five listed.
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