Physician Assistant Compensation

The median annual wage of physician assistants was $86,410 in May 2010. The median annual wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $57,450, and the top 10 percent earned more than $117,720.

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Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of physician assistants in May 2010 were as follows:

Hospitals; state, local, and private	$89,500
Outpatient care centers	$88,160
Offices of physicians	$85,340
Government	$85,170
Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private	$80,810

Most physician assistants work full time. In hospitals, physician assistants may work nights, weekends, or holidays. They may also be on call, meaning they must be ready to respond to a work request with little notice.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition