Physician Assistant Salary by State
How much physician assistants earn in each state. SOC code 29-1071 (Physician Assistants). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$135,880Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$141,280Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$65.33Mean $67.92/hour
- U.S. employment162,150Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateCalifornia$169,110 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do physician assistants make?
Nationally, physician assistants earn a median of $135,880 a year and a mean of $141,280 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $120,670 (25th percentile) and $163,980 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $99,380 and the top 10% more than $190,280.
That median is 2.7× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $169,110 in California (highest) to $106,820 in Mississippi (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, Oklahoma comes out on top at $155,524 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $99,380 | $8,282 | $47.78 |
| 25th | $120,670 | $10,056 | $58.01 |
| Median | $135,880 | $11,323 | $65.33 |
| 75th | $163,980 | $13,665 | $78.84 |
| 90th | $190,280 | $15,857 | $91.48 |
| Mean | $141,280 | $11,773 | $67.92 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Physician Assistant salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $169,110 | $165,650 | $79.64 | $99,380 | $225,190 | $149,639 | 13,600 |
| Washington | $164,430 | $164,360 | $79.02 | $125,580 | $218,150 | $153,607 | 3,540 |
| New Jersey | $162,100 | $165,690 | $79.66 | $117,860 | $207,000 | $152,289 | 4,790 |
| Oregon | $155,300 | $155,780 | $74.89 | $123,100 | $198,490 | $150,658 | 2,250 |
| New York | $155,150 | $160,880 | $77.35 | $106,440 | $201,410 | $149,101 | 19,140 |
| Vermont | $152,520 | $150,490 | $72.35 | $112,460 | $186,960 | $153,561 | 410 |
| New Hampshire | $150,150 | $150,960 | $72.58 | $119,540 | $175,380 | $144,875 | 1,060 |
| Alaska | $148,080 | $150,700 | $72.45 | $106,060 | $201,270 | $147,168 | 700 |
| Minnesota | $147,630 | $141,190 | $67.88 | $112,390 | $183,320 | $143,195 | 3,660 |
| Connecticut | $146,930 | $139,860 | $67.24 | $106,380 | $180,900 | $135,000 | 3,570 |
| Hawaii | $146,780 | $164,050 | $78.87 | $79,280 | $178,110 | $149,136 | 530 |
| Rhode Island | $146,630 | $139,930 | $67.27 | $98,760 | $200,030 | $136,784 | 810 |
| Massachusetts | $146,480 | $142,410 | $68.47 | $65,220 | $204,140 | $134,603 | 4,470 |
| District of Columbia | $146,230 | $135,140 | $64.97 | $84,520 | $213,560 | $122,966 | 470 |
| Indiana | $144,260 | $132,050 | $63.49 | $105,810 | $196,280 | $141,533 | 2,110 |
| Delaware | $143,840 | $139,350 | $67.00 | $108,560 | $175,970 | $139,629 | 860 |
| Virginia | $142,630 | $135,940 | $65.36 | $98,330 | $213,010 | $134,461 | 4,340 |
| Arizona | $140,850 | $134,650 | $64.73 | $106,030 | $174,420 | $133,714 | 3,750 |
| Montana | $140,800 | $141,470 | $68.02 | $112,200 | $165,560 | $149,545 | 600 |
| Iowa | $139,870 | $134,770 | $64.79 | $102,330 | $182,940 | $153,497 | 1,200 |
| Maryland | $139,740 | $137,560 | $66.13 | $110,190 | $174,280 | $131,010 | 2,950 |
| Colorado | $139,580 | $134,540 | $64.68 | $104,590 | $174,090 | $130,495 | 3,270 |
| Oklahoma | $138,700 | $136,550 | $65.65 | $102,890 | $173,010 | $155,524 | 1,770 |
| Missouri | $137,710 | $135,130 | $64.96 | $82,690 | $169,650 | $148,822 | 2,300 |
| Wyoming | $137,320 | $136,080 | $65.42 | $102,320 | $177,900 | $146,796 | 330 |
| Wisconsin | $136,750 | $133,950 | $64.40 | $102,420 | $169,150 | $142,349 | 3,580 |
| Ohio | $136,560 | $132,090 | $63.51 | $96,460 | $210,350 | $142,338 | 4,900 |
| Texas | $135,850 | $134,550 | $64.69 | $102,650 | $169,000 | $138,568 | 10,110 |
| Nevada | $135,790 | $134,660 | $64.74 | $60,040 | $175,300 | $134,660 | 1,090 |
| Maine | $134,690 | $131,170 | $63.06 | $107,630 | $169,250 | $135,227 | 1,030 |
| New Mexico | $134,670 | $139,920 | $67.27 | $70,010 | $172,900 | $151,757 | 700 |
| Florida | $134,470 | $129,620 | $62.32 | $98,530 | $181,610 | $125,358 | 9,310 |
| Nebraska | $132,810 | $133,040 | $63.96 | $103,720 | $165,540 | $147,658 | 1,330 |
| Idaho | $132,540 | $133,790 | $64.32 | $100,590 | $160,120 | $140,094 | 1,320 |
| Utah | $132,530 | $134,740 | $64.78 | $82,910 | $171,430 | $136,239 | 1,610 |
| Michigan | $132,140 | $131,510 | $63.23 | $104,000 | $162,570 | $136,705 | 6,310 |
| South Dakota | $131,910 | $133,200 | $64.04 | $104,660 | $158,020 | $150,339 | 680 |
| Illinois | $131,880 | $131,950 | $63.44 | $105,160 | $162,330 | $131,950 | 3,790 |
| North Dakota | $130,930 | $133,450 | $64.16 | $77,300 | $173,860 | $149,944 | 510 |
| Louisiana | $130,290 | $128,870 | $61.96 | $100,920 | $162,200 | $146,111 | 1,360 |
| North Carolina | $130,030 | $129,360 | $62.19 | $101,100 | $164,770 | $137,179 | 7,490 |
| West Virginia | $128,830 | $128,610 | $61.83 | $98,200 | $160,890 | $143,698 | 1,080 |
| Kansas | $127,240 | $125,640 | $60.41 | $98,280 | $168,480 | $139,445 | 890 |
| Pennsylvania | $125,160 | $127,070 | $61.09 | $99,050 | $158,690 | $130,195 | 9,020 |
| South Carolina | $120,720 | $122,490 | $58.89 | $77,620 | $158,860 | $130,726 | 2,250 |
| Kentucky | $119,990 | $120,760 | $58.06 | $79,550 | $161,820 | $133,880 | 1,360 |
| Arkansas | $118,430 | $118,430 | $56.94 | $88,160 | $159,080 | $136,283 | 850 |
| Tennessee | $117,300 | $118,240 | $56.85 | $93,380 | $141,670 | $128,662 | 2,240 |
| Georgia | $112,090 | $115,390 | $55.48 | $62,230 | $172,050 | $119,823 | 5,610 |
| Alabama | $110,860 | $104,960 | $50.46 | $83,020 | $145,100 | $118,198 | 930 |
| Mississippi | $106,820 | $105,920 | $50.92 | $44,030 | $165,630 | $121,747 | 320 |
Highest median pay
- New Jersey — $165,690
- California — $165,650
- Washington — $164,360
- Hawaii — $164,050
- New York — $160,880
Lowest median pay
- Alabama — $104,960
- Mississippi — $105,920
- Georgia — $115,390
- Tennessee — $118,240
- Arkansas — $118,430
Best pay after cost of living
- Oklahoma — $155,524
- Washington — $153,607
- Vermont — $153,561
- Iowa — $153,497
- New Jersey — $152,289
The most physician assistants work in New York (19,140 jobs), California and Texas.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a physician assistant make?
The national median wage for physician assistants is $135,880 a year and the mean is $141,280, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays physician assistants the most?
California has the highest mean wage for physician assistants at $169,110, and New Jersey has the highest median at $165,690.
Which state pays physician assistants the least?
Mississippi has the lowest mean wage for physician assistants among states with published data, at $106,820.
Where do physician assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, Oklahoma ranks first at $155,524 in national-average dollars, followed by Washington and Vermont.