Physician Assistant Salary

Physician Assistants earn a median $135,880 a year nationally. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

U.S. median

$135,880

$65.33 per hour

Range

$99,380 – $190,280

10th to 90th percentile

Employed

162,150

across the U.S.

Physician Assistant take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Your take-home pay

$104,140

per year · effective tax rate 23.4%

$8,678Monthly

$4,339Twice a month

$4,005Every 2 weeks

$50.07Hourly

Federal income tax$21,345
Social Security (6.2%)$8,425
Medicare (1.45%)$1,970
Texas income tax$0
Take-home pay$104,140

Marginal rate: 24% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

Percentile	Salary	Hourly	Take-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)	$99,380	$47.78	$78,744
25th percentile	$120,670	$58.01	$93,721
Median (50th)	$135,880	$65.33	$104,140
75th percentile	$163,980	$78.84	$123,346
90th percentile (top earners)	$190,280	$91.48	$141,681

Best cities for physician assistants (after tax & cost of living)

#	Metro area	Median	Take-home	Real value*	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$223,640	$146,400	$132,581	1,030
2	San Antonio, TX	$140,160	$107,065	$113,038	650
3	Seattle, WA	$167,290	$125,609	$113,026	1,920
4	Oklahoma City, OK	$138,920	$100,512	$111,176	1,020
5	Dayton, OH	$138,400	$102,839	$110,944	510
6	Anchorage, AK	$152,710	$115,643	$109,698	460
7	Cleveland, OH	$135,860	$101,173	$107,719	750
8	Columbus, OH	$137,550	$102,281	$107,135	1,140
9	Rochester, MN	$137,340	$97,190	$107,012	480
10	Houston, TX	$137,240	$105,070	$106,530	2,390
11	Omaha, NE	$134,130	$97,720	$106,321	720
12	North Port, FL	$142,510	$108,672	$106,107	520
13	Worcester, MA	$152,860	$108,323	$105,657	470
14	San Francisco, CA	$184,380	$121,975	$105,503	1,830
15	Austin, TX	$134,550	$103,231	$105,267	680
16	Kansas City, MO	$133,350	$97,081	$104,903	540
17	Riverside, CA	$165,490	$111,066	$104,344	1,020
18	Winston, NC	$130,730	$95,913	$104,204	730
19	St. Louis, MO	$136,120	$98,844	$103,950	1,260
20	New York, NY	$167,650	$117,004	$103,945	16,800
21	Portland, OR	$163,810	$109,314	$103,692	1,110
22	Nashville, TN	$129,050	$99,472	$103,253	750
23	Las Vegas, NV	$134,660	$103,306	$103,084	650
24	Jacksonville, FL	$132,350	$101,727	$102,255	1,100
25	New Haven, CT	$149,960	$106,916	$102,254	740

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

San Jose, CA — $223,640
San Francisco, CA — $184,380
New York, NY — $167,650
Seattle, WA — $167,290
Riverside, CA — $165,490
San Diego, CA — $165,160
Portland, OR — $163,810
Los Angeles, CA — $161,890
Sacramento, CA — $161,470
Kiryas Joel, NY — $154,610
Worcester, MA — $152,860
Anchorage, AK — $152,710
New Haven, CT — $149,960
Washington, DC — $148,200
Bridgeport, CT — $145,400

Physician Assistant salary by state

State	Median	Take-home	Range	Jobs
New Jersey	$165,690	$116,151	$117,860 – $207,000	4,790
California	$165,650	$111,158	$99,380 – $225,190	13,600
Washington	$164,360	$123,606	$125,580 – $218,150	3,540
Hawaii	$164,050	$112,356	$79,280 – $178,110	530
New York	$160,880	$112,776	$106,440 – $201,410	19,140
Oregon	$155,780	$104,620	$123,100 – $198,490	2,250
New Hampshire	$150,960	$114,447	$119,540 – $175,380	1,060
Alaska	$150,700	$114,269	$106,060 – $201,270	700
Vermont	$150,490	$106,475	$112,460 – $186,960	410
Massachusetts	$142,410	$101,703	$65,220 – $204,140	4,470
Montana	$141,470	$101,329	$112,200 – $165,560	600
Minnesota	$141,190	$99,519	$112,390 – $183,320	3,660
Rhode Island	$139,930	$101,863	$98,760 – $200,030	810
New Mexico	$139,920	$101,376	$70,010 – $172,900	700
Connecticut	$139,860	$100,619	$106,380 – $180,900	3,570
Delaware	$139,350	$98,656	$108,560 – $175,970	860
Maryland	$137,560	$99,025	$110,190 – $174,280	2,950
Oklahoma	$136,550	$98,999	$102,890 – $173,010	1,770
Wyoming	$136,080	$104,277	$102,320 – $177,900	330
Virginia	$135,940	$97,179	$98,330 – $213,010	4,340
District of Columbia	$135,140	$95,116	$84,520 – $213,560	470
Missouri	$135,130	$98,214	$82,690 – $169,650	2,300
Iowa	$134,770	$98,912	$102,330 – $182,940	1,200
Utah	$134,740	$98,263	$82,910 – $171,430	1,610
Nevada	$134,660	$103,306	$60,040 – $175,300	1,090
Arizona	$134,650	$100,142	$106,030 – $174,420	3,750
Texas	$134,550	$103,231	$102,650 – $169,000	10,110
Colorado	$134,540	$98,013	$104,590 – $174,090	3,270
Wisconsin	$133,950	$97,102	$102,420 – $169,150	3,580
Idaho	$133,790	$96,729	$100,590 – $160,120	1,320
North Dakota	$133,450	$101,136	$77,300 – $173,860	510
South Dakota	$133,200	$102,308	$104,660 – $158,020	680
Nebraska	$133,040	$97,025	$103,720 – $165,540	1,330
Ohio	$132,090	$98,699	$96,460 – $210,350	4,900
Indiana	$132,050	$97,656	$105,810 – $196,280	2,110
Illinois	$131,950	$95,067	$105,160 – $162,330	3,790
Michigan	$131,510	$95,815	$104,000 – $162,570	6,310
Maine	$131,170	$93,038	$107,630 – $169,250	1,030
Florida	$129,620	$99,861	$98,530 – $181,610	9,310
North Carolina	$129,360	$95,031	$101,100 – $164,770	7,490
Louisiana	$128,870	$95,869	$100,920 – $162,200	1,360
West Virginia	$128,610	$93,907	$98,200 – $160,890	1,080
Pennsylvania	$127,070	$94,217	$99,050 – $158,690	9,020
Kansas	$125,640	$90,930	$98,280 – $168,480	890
South Carolina	$122,490	$88,796	$77,620 – $158,860	2,250
Kentucky	$120,760	$89,676	$79,550 – $161,820	1,360
Arkansas	$118,430	$87,739	$88,160 – $159,080	850
Tennessee	$118,240	$92,012	$93,380 – $141,670	2,240
Georgia	$115,390	$84,641	$62,230 – $172,050	5,610
Mississippi	$105,920	$79,840	$44,030 – $165,630	320
Alabama	$104,960	$77,686	$83,020 – $145,100	930

Frequently asked questions

How much does a physician assistant make?

The national median salary for physician assistants is $135,880 a year ($65.33 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $99,380 and the top 10% earn over $190,280. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays physician assistants the most?

New Jersey has the highest median pay at $165,690. After taxes and local prices, San Jose, CA offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many physician assistants are there in the U.S.?

About 162,150 people work as physician assistants nationwide.

All 71 cities