Physician assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

167k

Average Age

39.1

Estimated Job Growth

20.3%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$134,335

Average Male Salary

$164,562

Average Female Salary

$119,129

About

Physician assistants are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Physician assistants was $134,335 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Physician assistants are Chicago City (West)--West Town & Near West Side PUMA, IL, Hamilton County (Central)--Carmel City & Fishers Town (West) PUMA, IN, and Bucks County (Southern Central) PUMA, PA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Physician assistants are Carver County PUMA, MN, Bucks County (Southern Central) PUMA, PA, and Hamilton County (Central)--Carmel City & Fishers Town (West) PUMA, IN.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Physician assistants workforce. Physician assistants workforce in 2024 was 167,284 people, of which 66.5% were women and 33.5% were men.

Physician assistants are paid most in Ada (North), Payette, Canyon (North), Gem & Washington Counties--Eagle City PUMA, ID but are relatively concentrated in Carver County PUMA, MN.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

55,988

Male Workforce

± 5.81k

111,296

Female Workforce

± 8.19k

The Physician assistants workforce in 2024 was 167,284 people (66.5% women and 33.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 44.2% between 2014 (115,986) and 2024 (167,284).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Physician assistants.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nevada ($172,296), Delaware ($170,002), and Idaho ($167,917).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$134,335

AVERAGE WAGE

#71 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Physician assistants earned an average of $134,335, $64,457 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Physician assistants in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Physician assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.324, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Physician assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Physician assistants compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Physician assistants and on wages for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Physician assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Physician assistants, by average wage, is U. S. Air Force ($242,158).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

167k

2024 Workforce

± 10,036

4.78%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.19%

This graphic shows the share of Physician assistants employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Physician assistants at 48.4%, followed by Offices of physicians with 32.4% and Outpatient care centers with 14.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Physician assistants in the US. The workforce of Physician assistants in 2024 was 167,284 people, with 66.5% woman, and 33.5% men. The average age of male Physician assistants in the workforce is 42.4 and of female Physician assistants is 37.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Physician assistants is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Physician assistants in 2024 was 167,284 people, with 66.5% woman, and 33.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (37,784 people), 25 to 29 years (30,057 people), and 35 to 39 years (28,759 people). Among them they concentrated 57.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 10.2% of Physician assistants workers were Hispanic and 89.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (45.5%), Puerto Rican (12)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (7.96)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 73.7% of the Physician assistants workforce were White, of which 67.4% were women and 32.6% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (8.79%) and Asian (8.73%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Physician assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Physician assistants is Biology but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Biology.

Among the necessary skills for Physician assistants, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Physician assistants need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Physician assistants in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Biology (46,671 people), Health (42,034 people), and Psychology (9,716 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Physician assistants workers were Graduate Degree (125,817 people), Bachelors Degree (29,586 people), and High School or Equivalent (4,103 people).

The graphic shows the Physician assistants workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Physician assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physician assistants need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Physician Assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Physician Assistants are expected to see a growth of 20.3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

20.3%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Physician assistants. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.