Physician Assistant Salary 2026: Pay, Monthly & More
If you’re researching a physician assistant salary in the United States, the latest official wage data puts the profession well into six-figure annual compensation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $135,880 for physician assistants in May 2025, while the 2026 AAPA Salary Report found that median PA compensation reached $140,000 in 2025.
That works out to roughly $11,323 per month at the BLS median, before taxes and other deductions. Actual compensation varies by specialty, experience, location, employer, work setting, and whether compensation includes productivity pay or bonuses.
Physician Assistant Salary: Quick Answer
The latest BLS benchmark shows a median physician assistant salary of $135,880 per year, or about $11,323 per month when the annual figure is divided by 12. The BLS wage distribution shows that the lowest 10% earned less than $99,380, while the highest 10% earned more than $190,280.
The 2026 AAPA Salary Report gives another useful benchmark: median PA compensation rose to $140,000 in 2025, representing a 4.5% increase from $134,000 in 2024. AAPA also reported that nearly 58% of full-time PAs received a bonus in 2025, with a median bonus of $6,000.
| Salary benchmark | Annual amount | Approx. monthly equivalent |
| BLS lower 10% benchmark | Below $99,380 | Below $8,282 |
| BLS median | $135,880 | $11,323 |
| BLS upper 10% benchmark | Above $190,280 | Above $15,857 |
| AAPA median PA compensation, 2025 | $140,000 | $11,667 |
Important: The monthly figures above are simple annual-to-monthly equivalents. They are not take-home pay.
BLS data are occupational wage estimates, while AAPA data are profession-specific compensation survey results. Their methodologies differ, so the figures should be used as complementary benchmarks rather than combined into one artificial salary range.
Physician Assistant Salary Per Month
Using the BLS median annual wage of $135,880, the approximate monthly gross equivalent is:
$135,880 ÷ 12 = $11,323 per month
This is before federal and state taxes, Social Security and Medicare taxes, health insurance premiums, retirement contributions, and other deductions.
A PA earning compensation around the AAPA 2025 median of $140,000 would have an approximate gross monthly equivalent of $11,667.
These calculations are useful for comparing annual and monthly compensation, but they should not be described as guaranteed monthly paychecks.
Physician Assistant Monthly Pay Examples
| Annual compensation | Approx. monthly equivalent |
| $99,380 | $8,282 |
| $120,000 | $10,000 |
| $125,000 | $10,417 |
| $135,880 | $11,323 |
| $140,000 | $11,667 |
| $150,000 | $12,500 |
| $175,000 | $14,583 |
| $190,280 | $15,857 |
The figures in this table are mathematical annual-to-monthly conversions, not separate national salary benchmarks.
Physician Assistant Hourly Pay
BLS reports a median hourly wage of approximately $65.33 for physician assistants based on its May 2025 data.
AAPA’s 2026 report and other compensation surveys can produce different hourly figures because PAs may be compensated through salary, hourly arrangements, productivity-based pay, bonuses, or combinations of these methods.
AAPA reported that approximately 83% of PAs were salaried employees in 2025, while 14% were paid hourly and 3% were primarily compensated through productivity.Therefore, an hourly rate should not automatically be multiplied by 2,080 hours and presented as a guaranteed annual salary.
Physician Assistant Salary for New Graduates
There is no single official nationwide “new graduate PA salary” published by BLS.
The BLS lower 10% figure of less than $99,380 should not be labeled as a new-graduate salary. It represents the lower end of the entire occupational wage distribution, which includes workers with different levels of experience and circumstances.
Current Salary.com estimates provide a separate market benchmark. As of October 1, 2026, Salary.com reported a 10th-percentile physician assistant salary of $107,437 and a median estimate of $124,772. Its experience model separately estimated $121,110 for PAs with less than one year of experience.
Because Salary.com uses its own compensation methodology, these figures should be treated as a market estimate rather than an official starting salary.
For someone entering the profession, the actual offer can depend on:
- State
- Specialty
- Employer
- Hospital or clinic
- Academic or community setting
- Shift requirements
- Call responsibilities
- Prior clinical experience
- Negotiated compensation
- Bonus structure
- Productivity incentives
Physician Assistant Salary by Experience
Experience generally affects compensation, but there is no universally applicable salary ladder for every PA.
Salary.com currently estimates the following progression:
| Experience level | Salary.com estimate |
| Less than 1 year | $121,110 |
| 1–2 years | $121,388 |
| 2–4 years | $124,772 |
| 5–8 years | $128,183 |
| More than 8 years | $128,426 |
These are Salary.com estimates as of October 2026 and should not be presented as official national salary levels.
The relatively modest differences in this particular dataset also demonstrate why experience should not be treated as the only salary variable.
A PA may increase compensation more substantially by changing:
- Specialty
- Geographic market
- Employer
- Shift arrangement
- Leadership responsibilities
- Productivity structure
- Clinical responsibilities
- Management role
Physician Assistant Compensation by Specialty
Specialty can have a meaningful effect on compensation.
The 2025 AAPA Salary Report, based on 2024 compensation, reported these median compensation levels among major specialty areas:
| Specialty area | Median compensation |
| Emergency medicine | $146,000 |
| Surgical subspecialties | $136,000 |
| Other specialties | $135,000 |
| All PAs | $134,000 |
| Pediatric subspecialties | $132,000 |
| Internal medicine subspecialties | $131,000 |
| Primary care | $125,850 |
AAPA defines compensation in this context as base salary, annualized hourly wage, and productivity pay; bonus is not included.
The newer 2026 AAPA report puts profession-wide median compensation at $140,000 for 2025, but its detailed customized specialty and state tables are provided through the AAPA salary-report resource rather than in the public announcement.
This distinction matters because readers should not assume that an older specialty-specific number represents the current 2026 median for every specialty.
Physician Assistant Salary by Work Setting
The BLS provides useful wage data by industry.
For May 2025, median wages included:
| Work setting / industry | Median annual wage |
| Government, excluding state/local education and hospitals | $157,040 |
| Outpatient care centers | $153,500 |
| Hospitals — state, local and private | $141,150 |
| Educational services — state, local and private | $134,770 |
| Offices of physicians | $132,000 |
These figures are industry benchmarks, not guarantees for every employer within each category.
For example, a PA working at a hospital may have a different compensation package from another PA working at a different hospital in another state.
Physician Assistant Salary by State
Location is one of the most important variables in PA compensation.
The BLS publishes physician assistant wage estimates at the national, state, metropolitan and nonmetropolitan levels through its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
A national salary should therefore not be used as the expected salary in every state.
The 2025 AAPA report found that California, Hawaii and Alaska had the highest reported base salaries in its state analysis, while Oklahoma, Michigan and Missouri ranked highly after adjusting for cost of living.
This illustrates why two different questions should be separated:
Where is PA pay highest?
and
Where does PA compensation provide the strongest purchasing power?
They are not necessarily the same thing.
For a state-specific article, use current BLS OEWS data or the latest AAPA state-specific data rather than copying a national average.
Physician Assistant In-Hand Salary
There is no single nationwide physician assistant “in-hand salary.”
Take-home pay depends on:
- Federal income tax
- State income tax
- Social Security tax
- Medicare tax
- Health insurance
- Dental and vision insurance
- Retirement contributions
- Flexible spending accounts
- Other payroll deductions
- Bonus treatment
- Filing status
For example, a PA earning $135,880 in gross annual compensation does not automatically take home $135,880 after taxes.
Likewise, dividing $135,880 by 12 gives a gross monthly equivalent, not a monthly bank deposit.
Why Exact Take-Home Figures Can Be Misleading
Two PAs with the same gross salary can have different net pay because they may live in different states, have different filing statuses, contribute different amounts to retirement plans, or receive different employer benefits.
For this reason, Salary In US should avoid publishing a single “PA take-home salary” without stating the assumptions used.
Government Physician Assistant Salary
Government employment is a meaningful part of the PA market.
BLS reported a $157,040 median wage in the industry category “government, excluding state and local education and hospitals” for physician assistants in May 2025.
Federal PA jobs can also use federal pay systems rather than a single nationwide private-sector salary.
For example, OPM publishes special-rate tables for occupational series 0603, Physician Assistant, including certain federal locations and agencies. Some 2026 special-rate tables show grades such as GS-7, GS-9 and GS-11 with location-specific rates.
Therefore, a federal PA salary should be researched using:
- Occupational series
- Grade
- Step
- Location
- Agency
- Special-rate eligibility
- Applicable locality adjustment
It would be inaccurate to say that every federal PA earns one fixed GS salary.
VA Physician Assistant Employment
The Department of Veterans Affairs has an Office of Physician Assistant Services and describes VA as the largest employer of physician assistants in the United States. VA PAs work across areas of Veteran care.
VA also highlights salary, benefits, flexible schedules and insurance options as part of its PA employment package.
The important point is that VA PA compensation should not be confused with the Title 38 physician pay tables used for physicians. Those physician tables apply to physicians, dentists, podiatrists and optometrists, not ordinary PA positions.
Private-Sector Physician Assistant Salary
Private-sector PA compensation can take several forms:
- Annual salary
- Hourly compensation
- Productivity compensation
- Bonus
- Quality incentives
- Shift differential
- Call pay
- Signing bonus
- Retention bonus
- Employer-paid benefits
The AAPA’s 2026 survey found that about 83% of PAs were salaried, 14% were compensated hourly and 3% were primarily compensated through productivity in 2025.
This is important when comparing job offers.
A $135,000 base salary with a strong bonus and retirement package is not necessarily equivalent to a $145,000 offer with little employer-paid benefits.
Physician Assistant Salary by Employer
There is no reliable nationwide employer salary table that can accurately state what every hospital or medical group pays its PAs.
Employer-level compensation can vary based on:
- Location
- Specialty
- Experience
- Union status
- Shift
- Call requirements
- Productivity
- Benefits
- Staffing shortages
- Employer type
- Negotiated contract
For an individual job offer, the actual employment contract or current job advertisement is more useful than a broad national average.
When publishing employer-specific salary content, label the source clearly as either:
- Official employer posting
- Employee-reported compensation
- Salary database estimate
- Contract/pay-scale document
Do not present employee-reported compensation as an official employer pay rate.
Factors That Affect Physician Assistant Salary
Several factors can change what a PA earns.
1. Specialty
Emergency medicine, surgical specialties and other higher-demand specialties can have different compensation structures from primary care.
2. Experience
Experience can improve negotiating leverage and may qualify a PA for senior clinical, specialist or leadership roles.
3. Location
Salary varies by state, metropolitan area and local labor market.
4. Employer
Hospitals, physician practices, outpatient centers, government employers and academic institutions can use different compensation systems.
5. Productivity
Some PA compensation packages include productivity-based payments.
AAPA’s 2026 report specifically highlighted RVU-based compensation as an increasingly important part of PA compensation.
6. Leadership Responsibilities
A PA who moves into management or administration may have a substantially different compensation structure.
7. Work Schedule
Night shifts, weekends, holidays, call and other schedule requirements can affect total compensation.
8. Benefits
A lower base salary can sometimes be accompanied by stronger retirement, insurance, paid leave or professional-development benefits.
What Does a Physician Assistant Do?
Physician assistants are licensed healthcare professionals who examine, diagnose and treat patients while working within the applicable physician collaboration or practice framework.
According to BLS, PAs may:
- Review medical histories
- Examine patients
- Order and interpret diagnostic tests
- Diagnose illnesses and injuries
- Provide treatments
- Prescribe medication
- Educate patients
- Monitor patient progress
- Work with physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals
Their responsibilities vary by specialty and state.
PAs work in areas including primary care, emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and many other specialties.
Physician Assistant Qualification and Eligibility
Becoming a PA requires substantially more education than becoming a medical assistant.
BLS states that physician assistants typically need a master’s degree from an accredited educational program, and all states require PAs to be licensed.
Typical preparation includes:
- Bachelor’s-level education
- Prerequisite science coursework
- Patient-care experience
- Admission to an accredited PA program
- Graduate PA education
- Clinical training
- PANCE certification examination
- State licensure
BLS says PA programs generally require at least two years of post-baccalaureate study and include classroom, laboratory and supervised clinical education.
How to Become a Physician Assistant
Step 1: Complete Undergraduate Education
Most PA programs require applicants to have completed a bachelor’s degree and prerequisite science coursework.
Step 2: Gain Patient-Care Experience
Programs may value or require direct patient-care experience. Requirements vary by program.
Step 3: Complete an Accredited PA Program
The PA educational program must meet the applicable accreditation requirements.
Step 4: Complete Clinical Training
Students receive supervised clinical training across areas such as family medicine, internal medicine and emergency medicine.
Step 5: Pass the PANCE
The NCCPA states that graduates of an ARC-PA-accredited entry-level PA program are eligible to apply for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, or PANCE.
Step 6: Obtain State Licensure
All states require PAs to be licensed. State-specific rules determine the exact requirements for practice.
Step 7: Maintain Certification
PAs must maintain the applicable certification and continuing education requirements.
The NCCPA’s current certification system includes continuing medical education requirements and recertification processes.
Physician Assistant Career Growth
A PA career does not have to remain a single clinical role.
Possible directions include:
New Graduate PA
↓
Experienced Clinical PA
↓
Specialty PA
↓
Senior/Lead PA
↓
Clinical Leadership or Management
PAs can also specialize in areas such as:
- Emergency medicine
- Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Psychiatry
- Critical care
- Oncology
- Primary care
- Hospital medicine
- Pediatrics
Additional postgraduate education and specialty certification can also support career development. BLS notes that postgraduate PA programs are available in specialties including emergency medicine and psychiatry.
Physician Assistant Benefits and Other Compensation
Salary is only one part of a PA’s employment package.
Potential benefits include:
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Retirement contributions
- Paid vacation
- Sick leave
- Paid holidays
- Professional-development funding
- CME support
- Licensing reimbursement
- Certification reimbursement
- Malpractice coverage
- Bonus opportunities
- Productivity incentives
- Signing bonuses
- Relocation assistance
Not every employer provides every benefit.
The 2026 AAPA report found that the median employer-provided professional-development funding reported by PAs in 2025 was $2,200.
Physician Assistant Job Outlook
The employment outlook for physician assistants is strong.
BLS projects physician assistant employment to grow 21% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the 3% projected growth for all occupations. BLS projects approximately 11,500 PA openings per year, on average, over the decade.
BLS attributes demand partly to an aging population, increasing chronic disease and the continuing development of team-based healthcare models.
This employment outlook does not guarantee an individual’s salary or job placement, but it is an important consideration when evaluating the profession.
Physician Assistant vs Nurse Practitioner
Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are both advanced healthcare professionals, but they follow different educational and professional pathways.
| Factor | Physician Assistant | Nurse Practitioner |
| Typical entry education | Master’s degree | Master’s degree |
| National certification | PANCE/NCCPA pathway | NP specialty certification |
| Clinical role | Broad medical model | Nursing/advanced-practice model |
| Specialties | Broad range | Broad range |
| Licensing | State-specific | State-specific |
| Salary | Varies by specialty/location | Varies by specialty/location |
BLS lists a May 2025 median annual wage of $135,880 for physician assistants and $129,210? Wait—do not use an unverified NP figure here. For an accurate comparison, use the current BLS NP profile at the time this section is updated rather than inserting a stale number.
The important point is that PA and NP compensation should be compared using the same year, geographic market, specialty and compensation methodology.
Physician Assistant Salary After Taxes
Gross salary is not the same as take-home salary.
For example:
$135,880 annual gross pay
is approximately:
$11,323 gross per month
But the amount deposited into a PA’s bank account will be lower after applicable taxes and deductions.
A personalized take-home calculation requires at least:
- State
- Filing status
- Annual compensation
- Retirement contributions
- Insurance deductions
- Other payroll deductions
For this reason, this article does not present one supposedly universal “PA in-hand salary.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average physician assistant salary in 2026?
The latest BLS median wage available in 2026 is $135,880 per year, based on May 2025 data. AAPA’s 2026 Salary Report found median PA compensation of $140,000 for 2025.
How much does a physician assistant make per month?
At the BLS median annual wage of $135,880, the approximate monthly gross equivalent is $11,323 before taxes and deductions.
What is a physician assistant’s starting salary?
There is no single official national starting salary. Salary.com currently estimates a 10th-percentile PA salary of about $107,437, but this should be treated as a market estimate rather than an official new-graduate salary.
Do physician assistants make six figures?
Yes. The BLS median annual wage for PAs is $135,880, which is above $100,000. However, actual pay varies by location, specialty, employer and experience.
What is the highest physician assistant salary?
There is no single maximum salary for the profession. BLS reports that the highest 10% of physician assistants earned more than $190,280 in May 2025. Individual compensation can differ because of specialty, productivity pay, leadership responsibilities and other factors.
Do physician assistants get bonuses?
Many do, although bonuses are not universal. AAPA reported that nearly 58% of full-time PAs received a bonus in 2025, with a median bonus of $6,000 among those receiving one.
Which PA specialties pay the most?
Specialty compensation varies. In the 2025 AAPA report, emergency medicine had median compensation of $146,000, while surgical subspecialties had median compensation of $136,000. These figures were based on 2024 compensation and should not be treated as the current 2026 salary for every PA in those specialties.
Is physician assistant salary higher in hospitals?
Hospital-based PA compensation can be competitive. BLS reported a May 2025 median wage of $141,150 for PAs in hospitals, compared with $132,000 in offices of physicians.
Do PAs need a master’s degree?
Typically, yes. BLS states that physician assistants generally need a master’s degree from an accredited educational program.
Do physician assistants need to be licensed?
Yes. All states require physician assistants to be licensed, and certification through the NCCPA/PANCE pathway is an important part of the profession’s credentialing process.
Is PA salary different by state?
Yes. BLS publishes state and metropolitan wage estimates for physician assistants, and AAPA’s salary research also shows geographic differences. Cost of living should be considered alongside nominal salary.
Is physician assistant a good career financially?
The profession offers strong compensation and a projected 21% employment growth rate from 2025 to 2035, but the financial value depends on education costs, location, specialty, employer, benefits and individual career goals.
Conclusion
A physician assistant can earn a strong six-figure income in the United States. The latest BLS data puts the median annual wage at $135,880, while the 2026 AAPA Salary Report reports $140,000 in median PA compensation for 2025.
The number you can actually earn depends on much more than the job title. Specialty, state, employer, experience, schedule, productivity compensation, bonuses and benefits can all change the final package.
For anyone comparing PA career opportunities, the most useful approach is to compare the full compensation package, not just the advertised base salary.
