What Is the Salary of a Physician Assistant?
What Is the Salary of a Physician Assistant?
By: Savanna Perry, PA-C
Physician assistant salaries land in the low six figures, but the exact number depends on which source you check. The BLS and NCCPA report large sample sizes with combined base and bonus, while the AAPA survey is the most comprehensive (breaking out base, bonus, and benefits by state) despite a smaller sample. Payscale has the smallest, least reliable sample. Around 2017, reported averages clustered near $100,000, and PA salaries have trended upward over time. [VERIFY]
Last Updated: June 12, 2026
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What do the BLS and NCCPA reports say about PA salaries?
How much do PAs make is a question everyone asks, whether you're considering PA school, in a program, or already practicing. Different sources answer it with different strengths and weaknesses.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects salary data from employers, averaged over two to three years and including incentive pay and bonuses. For 2016, the BLS reported a mean annual wage of $102,090 for PAs, with the bottom 10% near $65,620 and the top near $142,210. [VERIFY] The sample is huge, covering roughly 104,050 PAs, though there's a lag in the data and salary is reported as gross combined compensation. The NCCPA, the certifying body, collects data through PA profiles and reported an average salary of $104,131, with the highest median pay in emergency medicine and dermatology around $115,000 and the lowest near $85,000 in fields like pediatrics and ob/gyn. [VERIFY]
How do the AAPA salary survey and Payscale compare?
The AAPA, the national professional society for PAs, sends an annual salary survey to members. For the 2016 survey it reached 89,228 PAs and students with 15,999 respondents, and reported a median salary of $97,000, with the highest pay in surgical sub-specialties and out west, and the lowest in primary care and the Midwest. The median full-time bonus was $5,000. [VERIFY]
The AAPA survey is the most comprehensive of all, breaking data down by state and showing benefits like time off, insurance, and retirement, plus base versus bonus and full-time versus part-time. Its drawback is the smaller sample size. Payscale.com is a self-reporting survey with only about 5,479 respondents and a median salary around $91,402 as of May 2017. [VERIFY] It's the first result when you google PA salary, but its tiny sample and unclear data timing make it the least reliable of the four.
This one comes from PA Cents, a blog all about the financial side of being a PA, from salary and loans to debt and negotiations. I reposted it because it's one of my favorites for breaking down where these salary numbers actually come from. In our experience, applicants and new grads put a lot of weight on a single salary figure, when the smarter move is understanding the source and using comprehensive data like the AAPA survey to negotiate confidently.
What's the bottom line on PA salary, and how can you use it?
Across the 2017 reports, the average PA salary sat in the low $100,000 range, with a few thousand dollars of variation between sources. Keep in mind the reports are released in the current year but reflect data collected the prior year, so 2017 figures come from 2016 data. The AAPA and Payscale separated base salary from bonus, while the NCCPA and BLS combined them.
Overall, PA salaries have increased over time, and the outlook points to continued growth. One PA noted her base salary rose almost $20,000 over five years after a job change. These reports are useful whether you're exploring the career or negotiating an offer. If you're practicing or graduating soon, salary data helps you negotiate a fair wage and see what others in your specialty and region are earning. A quick plug: completing the AAPA survey as a member improves the data for everyone.
Every Pre-PA Should Know...
Salary reports lag by a year, so the figures released in a given year actually reflect data collected the year before. [VERIFY]
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Listen: PA Contracts and Negotiation: An Interview with Leanne
Leanne works as an independent contractor, which is a version of the PA career most students have never even heard of.
Leanne works as an independent contractor, which is a version of the PA career most students have never even heard of.
She moves between specialties and settings instead of sitting in one clinic, and that flexibility is one of the things I love most about this profession. You are not locked into whatever you match with first.
The bigger reason I wanted her on: contracts. New grads get handed an offer letter, feel grateful, and sign it without reading past the salary line. Leanne walks through what's actually in a contract, what's negotiable, and why knowing your own value matters before you're sitting across the table.
This is a few years down the road for most of you listening, but it's worth having in your head early.
What we talk about
Working as an independent contractor PA
Moving between specialties and settings
What's actually in a PA contract
Which pieces are negotiable and which aren't
Common mistakes new grads make when signing
Knowing your worth before the conversation starts
Resources
Follow The Pre-PA Club: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · All episodes
Listen: Negotiating Your First PA Contract with Leanne Hahn
You are allowed to negotiate. Say it again until you believe it.
You are allowed to negotiate. Say it again until you believe it.
Leanne Hahn from Advanced Practice Provider Solutions walks through what's inside a PA contract and which parts deserve a second look. Termination clauses. Notice periods. Restrictive covenants and non-competes, which can genuinely limit where you're able to work if you leave.
Her rule that stuck with me: if it isn't in writing, it doesn't exist. Verbal promises about schedule, CME money, or a raise at six months are worth nothing when the person who made them leaves.
New grads worry that asking questions makes them look ungrateful. It doesn't. It makes you look like someone who reads.
What we talk about
What's actually in a PA employment contract
Termination clauses and notice periods
Non-competes and restrictive covenants
Why everything needs to be in writing
How to negotiate without burning the relationship
What new grads most often overlook
Resources
Follow The Pre-PA Club: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · All episodes
Need to Know:
PA salaries generally fall in the low six figures [VERIFY]
BLS and NCCPA report large samples with combined base and bonus
The AAPA survey is the most comprehensive, with state and benefits breakdowns
Payscale has the smallest, least reliable sample size
Emergency medicine and dermatology tend to report the highest median pay [VERIFY]
PA salaries have trended upward and the outlook looks strong
FAQ
Around 2017, reported averages clustered in the low $100,000 range across the BLS, NCCPA, and AAPA, with some variation by source. PA salaries have trended upward since. [VERIFY]
The AAPA salary survey is the most comprehensive, breaking out base, bonus, and benefits by state and employment type, though it has a smaller sample size.
Sources differ in sample size, data timing, and whether they combine or separate base salary and bonus, which shifts the reported figures.
Emergency medicine, dermatology, and surgical sub-specialties tend to report higher median salaries, while primary care and pediatrics report lower. [VERIFY]
It's the least reliable of the major sources due to its very small, self-reported sample and unclear data timing, so use it only for a rough idea.
Use comprehensive data like the AAPA survey, broken down by state and specialty, to understand fair pay and benefits before negotiating an offer.
CLOSING
There's no single number for PA salary, but knowing where each figure comes from lets you read the data with a clear eye and negotiate from a position of knowledge. Lean on comprehensive sources like the AAPA survey when it counts. If you're still mapping out the path to becoming a PA, our resources can help you plan each step with confidence.
Pre-PA Counseling → https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling/
You May Also Like:
How I Paid Off My PA School Debt
How to Apply to Physician Assistant School
What Is Lateral Mobility for Physician Assistants?
Negotiating Your First PA Job Offer
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