How much does a physician assistant make?

The median physician assistant salary in the United States is $135,880 per year ($65.33/hour). Salaries range from $99,380 (10th percentile) to $190,280 (90th percentile). There are 162,150 physician assistant jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays physician assistants the most?

The highest paying state for physician assistants is New Jersey at $165,690 median salary.

Is physician assistant a good career?

Physician Assistant employment is projected to grow 20.4% from 2024 to 2034 (much faster than average). There are approximately 12,000 job openings per year. Typical education required: Master's degree.

What interview questions are asked for physician assistant roles?

Common physician assistant interview questions include: "Walk me through evaluating a patient with acute abdominal pain.", "How do you handle a controlled substance request?", "Tell me about a difficult clinical decision.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Hospital systems (Kaiser, HCA, Ascension, academic medical centers) typically uses 2-3 rounds.

What is the career ladder for physician assistants?

The typical physician assistant career ladder: PA-C (First 2 years) (0-2 yrs, $115-145k · Surgical / ED $130-165k) → Established PA (2-8 yrs, $130-170k · Surgical $155-200k · Derm/Ortho $165-220k) → Senior PA / Lead PA (8+ yrs, $155-205k · Specialty $195-260k+).

What certifications should physician assistants get?

Top-ROI certifications for physician assistants: PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam) ($550 exam.); Specialty Certificates (CAQ — Certificate of Added Qualifications) ($1,000-1,500 per specialty.); ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) ($500-1,000.).

How do you negotiate a physician assistant salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $135,880, p75 $163,980), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Given my [X years], my [specialty procedural skills], and market for [region], I was expecting $[X + 10-20%]. Also: sign-on of $[Y], loan repayment support (industry standard $10-30k/year), CE budget of $[Z]/year, and c...

Physician Assistant Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Physician Assistants

The median physician assistant salary in the United States is $135,880 per year ($65.33/hour). Salaries range from $99,380 at the entry level to $190,280+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 162,150 physician assistant jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 20.4% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asPAPhysician AssociatePA-C

Median Salary

$135,880

per year

Hourly Rate

$65.33

per hour

Employment

162,150

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$99,380

25th percentile

$120,670

Median

$135,880

75th percentile

$163,980

90th percentile

$190,280

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+20.4%

Much faster than average

Annual Openings

12,000

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Master's degree

Physician Assistant Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for physician assistants.

PAs practice medicine on a healthcare team, prescribing and diagnosing under a physician-collaboration model. Faster path to prescriptive practice than MD (2-3 year master's after bachelor's + healthcare experience). Career splits by specialty: primary care, emergency medicine, surgery (highest paid, first-assist), specialty clinics (dermatology, ortho, cardio), and hospital medicine. PA compensation has grown 40% over the last decade — often outearning primary care physicians when specialty is factored.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Clinical reasoning + differential diagnosis

Broad medical education. Rapid differential across body systems.

Procedures

Suturing, incision + drainage, joint injections, central lines (in some settings), first-assist in surgery.

Prescriptive authority + pharmacology

Full prescriptive authority in most states. Controlled substances typically.

Order + interpret diagnostics

Labs, imaging, EKG interpretation.

Documentation for billing

E/M coding, medical necessity, chart notes at physician-level detail.

Collaborative practice

Team-based model with physician oversight. Delegated authority varies by state.

Specialty procedural skills

Surgery: retracting, cauterizing, closing. Derm: biopsies, cryotherapy, cosmetic. Ortho: injections, casting.

How to Become a Physician Assistant

1
Bachelor's + PA prerequisites + healthcare experience
Sciences + patient contact hours (varies 500-3,000 depending on program). Common backgrounds: EMT, RN, medical scribe, athletic trainer.
2
GRE + apply to PA programs (CASPA)
Highly competitive — average acceptance rate ~15%. GPA 3.5+ + patient care experience.
3
2-3 year Master's PA program
Didactic year + clinical year (7-11 rotations). Cost $80-180k tuition.
4
Pass PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam)
Standardized exam. Pass rate ~95%. Recertification every 10 years.
5
State license + DEA number
State-by-state. NCCPA certification required for most licensure.
6
First job: primary care, ED, or surgery
ED and surgery pay highest. Primary care easier entry. Specialty clinics take experienced PAs.

Career Progression

PA-C (First 2 years)

0-2 yrs$115-145k · Surgical / ED $130-165k

•Full clinical panel with physician oversight
•Common presentations + protocols
•Building specialty knowledge

Next: Established PA.

Established PA

2-8 yrs$130-170k · Surgical $155-200k · Derm/Ortho $165-220k

•Independent clinical work within scope
•Precepting students
•Specialty procedure competency

Next: Senior PA or lead.

Senior PA / Lead PA

8+ yrs$155-205k · Specialty $195-260k+

•Team leadership among PAs
•Clinical mentoring
•Practice quality initiatives

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 11 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through evaluating a patient with acute abdominal pain.technical

Vital signs first. Focused history: onset, location, quality, radiation, associated symptoms, food/sex/travel exposure. Physical: abdomen (inspection, auscultation, palpation with attention to peritonitis signs, Murphy sign, McBurney's, obturator sign). Labs: CBC, BMP, lipase, urinalysis, urine hCG for reproductive-age women. Imaging based on differential (ultrasound for RUQ/pelvis, CT for LLQ or ambiguous). Screens for clinical reasoning depth.

Q2. How do you handle a controlled substance request?situational

Assess indication + functional impact + alternatives tried. Check PDMP. Understand physical dependence + addiction risk. Consider non-opioid + non-benzo alternatives. Naloxone conversation if opioids prescribed. Boundaries + expectations documented.

Q3. Tell me about a difficult clinical decision.behavioral

STAR. Real decision — complex differential, communication with collaborating physician, patient advocacy. Screens for judgment + team-based practice.

Q4. Why PA over MD or NP?culture

Concrete. 'PA education broader than NP specialty focus. Faster than MD without residency debt. Team-based model fits my clinical philosophy.' Not: 'Shorter school.'

Q5. How do you keep learning post-graduation?behavioral

AAPA journal + specialty CE. UpToDate subscription. Case discussions with collaborating physicians. Specialty conferences. Screens for continuous learning.

Resume Template — PA-C (0-2 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

PA-C (0-2 yrs)

▸Managed patient panel of 22-28 daily in emergency department; independently seen and treated 60% of level 3-5 acuity patients.
▸Completed 400+ procedures including 180 laceration repairs, 60 joint injections, and 12 central lines under physician oversight.
▸Passed PANCE with 92nd-percentile score on first attempt.
▸Precepted 3 PA students during clinical rotations; all rated instruction top-tier on program feedback.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Vague on procedures — PA programs teach hands-on, employers expect it.
✗Poor documentation.
✗Not knowing state-specific practice authority + PA scope.
✗Bad-mouthing physicians or collaborating providers.
✗Overselling — 'I independently managed' when collaborating physician was involved.
✗No specialty interest or continuing learning plan.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Specialty procedural skills (surgery, derm, ortho) — significant premium.
✓Emergency medicine or surgery experience — $10-25k premium.
✓Bilingual for community + underserved practice.
✓Loan repayment programs (NHSC, IHS) — $50k+ over 2 years.
✓Sign-on bonus for hard-to-fill specialties.
✓Continuing education budget ($3-5k annually).
✓Non-compete clause negotiation.

Physician Assistant Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired physician assistants. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
✓ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
✓ Missing skills / keywords flagged
✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Physician Assistant Career Kit — $19

✓ All 11 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 6 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews — real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

“The interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

— Anonymous, Financial Analyst

“Copy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

— Anonymous, Software Developer

“The 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

— Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Physician Assistant Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$105K

$166K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
New Jersey	$165,690	+21.9%	4,790
California	$165,650	+21.9%	13,600
Washington	$164,360	+21.0%	3,540
Hawaii	$164,050	+20.7%	530
New York	$160,880	+18.4%	19,140
Oregon	$155,780	+14.6%	2,250
New Hampshire	$150,960	+11.1%	1,060
Alaska	$150,700	+10.9%	700
Vermont	$150,490	+10.8%	410
Massachusetts	$142,410	+4.8%	4,470

Showing 1–10 of 51

Physician Assistant Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$223,640	+64.6%
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$198,070	+45.8%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$184,380	+35.7%
Yuba City, CA	$183,460	+35.0%
Vallejo, CA	$179,520	+32.1%
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$172,750	+27.1%
Napa, CA	$172,170	+26.7%
Salinas, CA	$170,180	+25.2%
Urban Honolulu, HI	$170,060	+25.2%
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	$168,080	+23.7%

Showing 1–10 of 348

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A physician assistant earning $135,880/year would need 439 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 471 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

See all sports & celebrity salaries →

📈 See how physician assistant salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Physician Assistant salary trend (2011–2024) →