Chiropractors
Median $79,200
Occupation · SOC 29-1071
Physician Assistants: pay and where the jobs are
What physician assistants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$135,880 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $141,280
- Median hourly wage
- $65.33
- Mean hourly wage
- $67.92
- Employment
- 162,150
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1071.
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See where your pay falls among physician assistants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do physician assistants make?
The median annual wage for physician assistants was $135,880 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $99,380 and the highest-paid 10% more than $190,280. As an hourly rate, the median is $65.33. About 162,150 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Jersey ($165,690), California ($165,650) and Washington ($164,360). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for physician assistants looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,380 | $47.78 | $8,282 | $6,562 |
| 25th percentile | $120,670 | $58.02 | $10,056 | $7,810 |
| Median | $135,880 | $65.33 | $11,323 | $8,678 |
| 75th percentile | $163,980 | $78.84 | $13,665 | $10,279 |
| 90th percentile | $190,280 | $91.48 | $15,857 | $11,777 |
Physician Assistants: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$115,490 take-home in national prices
2
$113,688 take-home in national prices
3
$113,375 take-home in national prices
Where a median physician assistant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4,790 | $165,690 | $117,860 | $207,000 | $115,264 | $105,937 |
| California | 13,600 | $165,650 | $99,380 | $225,190 | $111,174 | $100,410 |
| Washington | 3,540 | $164,360 | $125,580 | $218,150 | $121,326 | $113,375 |
| Hawaii | 530 | $164,050 | $79,280 | $178,110 | $112,250 | $102,091 |
| New York | 19,140 | $160,880 | $106,440 | $201,410 | $112,333 | $104,088 |
| Oregon | 2,250 | $155,780 | $123,100 | $198,490 | $103,429 | $100,066 |
| New Hampshire | 1,060 | $150,960 | $119,540 | $175,380 | $114,447 | $109,871 |
| Alaska | 700 | $150,700 | $106,060 | $201,270 | $113,998 | $111,371 |
| Vermont | 410 | $150,490 | $112,460 | $186,960 | $106,551 | $108,772 |
| Massachusetts | 4,470 | $142,410 | $65,220 | $204,140 | $101,048 | $95,547 |
| Montana | 600 | $141,470 | $112,200 | $165,560 | $101,329 | $107,062 |
| Minnesota | 3,660 | $141,190 | $112,390 | $183,320 | $98,898 | $100,281 |
| Rhode Island | 810 | $139,930 | $98,760 | $200,030 | $100,763 | $98,517 |
| New Mexico | 700 | $139,920 | $70,010 | $172,900 | $101,376 | $109,938 |
| Connecticut | 3,570 | $139,860 | $106,380 | $180,900 | $99,019 | $95,569 |
| Delaware | 860 | $139,350 | $108,560 | $175,970 | $98,098 | $98,287 |
| Maryland | 2,950 | $137,560 | $110,190 | $174,280 | $98,902 | $94,229 |
| Oklahoma | 1,770 | $136,550 | $102,890 | $173,010 | $98,999 | $112,700 |
| Wyoming | 330 | $136,080 | $102,320 | $177,900 | $104,277 | $112,499 |
| Virginia | 4,340 | $135,940 | $98,330 | $213,010 | $97,179 | $96,117 |
| District of Columbia | 470 | $135,140 | $84,520 | $213,560 | $95,116 | $86,547 |
| Missouri | 2,300 | $135,130 | $82,690 | $169,650 | $98,214 | $108,144 |
| Iowa | 1,200 | $134,770 | $102,330 | $182,940 | $98,912 | $112,705 |
| Utah | 1,610 | $134,740 | $82,910 | $171,430 | $97,365 | $98,484 |
| Nevada | 1,090 | $134,660 | $60,040 | $175,300 | $103,306 | $103,328 |
| Arizona | 3,750 | $134,650 | $106,030 | $174,420 | $100,327 | $99,652 |
| Texas | 10,110 | $134,550 | $102,650 | $169,000 | $103,231 | $106,361 |
| Colorado | 3,270 | $134,540 | $104,590 | $174,090 | $97,421 | $94,536 |
| Wisconsin | 3,580 | $133,950 | $102,420 | $169,150 | $96,378 | $102,426 |
| Idaho | 1,320 | $133,790 | $100,590 | $160,120 | $96,729 | $101,293 |
| North Dakota | 510 | $133,450 | $77,300 | $173,860 | $101,136 | $113,688 |
| South Dakota | 680 | $133,200 | $104,660 | $158,020 | $102,308 | $115,490 |
| Nebraska | 1,330 | $133,040 | $103,720 | $165,540 | $97,025 | $107,682 |
| Ohio | 4,900 | $132,090 | $96,460 | $210,350 | $98,354 | $106,014 |
| Indiana | 2,110 | $132,050 | $105,810 | $196,280 | $97,656 | $104,637 |
| Illinois | 3,790 | $131,950 | $105,160 | $162,330 | $95,067 | $95,107 |
| Michigan | 6,310 | $131,510 | $104,000 | $162,570 | $95,815 | $99,582 |
| Maine | 1,030 | $131,170 | $107,630 | $169,250 | $92,475 | $95,285 |
| Florida | 9,310 | $129,620 | $98,530 | $181,610 | $99,861 | $96,565 |
| North Carolina | 7,490 | $129,360 | $101,100 | $164,770 | $95,031 | $100,747 |
| Louisiana | 1,360 | $128,870 | $100,920 | $162,200 | $95,869 | $108,686 |
| West Virginia | 1,080 | $128,610 | $98,200 | $160,890 | $94,170 | $105,221 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,020 | $127,070 | $99,050 | $158,690 | $94,128 | $96,471 |
| Kansas | 890 | $125,640 | $98,280 | $168,480 | $90,930 | $100,957 |
| South Carolina | 2,250 | $122,490 | $77,620 | $158,860 | $89,572 | $95,545 |
| Kentucky | 1,360 | $120,760 | $79,550 | $161,820 | $89,676 | $99,464 |
| Arkansas | 850 | $118,430 | $88,160 | $159,080 | $87,964 | $101,181 |
| Tennessee | 2,240 | $118,240 | $93,380 | $141,670 | $92,012 | $100,154 |
| Georgia | 5,610 | $115,390 | $62,230 | $172,050 | $84,997 | $88,270 |
| Mississippi | 320 | $105,920 | $44,030 | $165,630 | $79,840 | $91,820 |
| Alabama | 930 | $104,960 | $83,020 | $145,100 | $78,374 | $88,237 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1071. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.