Physician assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2022 Workforce

148k

Average Age

39.3

Average Salary

$130,129

Average Male Salary

$161,778

Average Female Salary

$113,882

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 $130,129 in 2022.

The locations that employ the most Physician assistants are NYC-Manhattan Community District 8--Upper East Side & Roosevelt Island PUMA, NY, NYC-Staten Island Community District 3--South Shore PUMA, NY, and Allen County (Outside Fort Wayne City) PUMA, IN. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Physician assistants are Allen County (Outside Fort Wayne City) PUMA, IN, Capital Region Planning Commission 2--East Baton Rouge Parish (South) PUMA, LA, and NYC-Staten Island Community District 3--South Shore PUMA, NY.

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

Employment and salary information for the Physician assistants workforce. Physician assistants workforce in 2022 was 148,113 people, of which 66.1% were women and 33.9% were men. Physician assistants are paid most in San Mateo County (East Central)--Redwood City, San Carlos & Belmont Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Allen County (Outside Fort Wayne City) PUMA, IN.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

50,241

Male Workforce

± 5.5k

97,872

Female Workforce

± 7.68k

The Physician assistants workforce in 2022 was 148,113 people (66.1% women and 33.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 27.7% between 2014 (115,986) and 2022 (148,113).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2022, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Delaware ($185,404), Kansas ($171,454), and South Dakota ($166,064).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$130,129

AVERAGE WAGE

#24 in the ranking (2022)

$64,683

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2022, Physician assistants earned an average of $130,129, $65,446 more than the average national salary of $64,683

The graph shows the ranking of Physician assistants in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2022.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.329

WAGE GINI

In 2022, Physician assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.329, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. 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 Offices of chiropractors ($285,415).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

148k

2022 Workforce

± 9,444

7.32%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.55%

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 49.7%, followed by Offices of physicians with 35.6% and Outpatient care centers with 14.7%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Physician assistants in the US. The workforce of Physician assistants in 2022 was 148,113 people, with 66.1% woman, and 33.9% men. The average age of male Physician assistants in the workforce is 42.9 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 2022 was 148,113 people, with 66.1% woman, and 33.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (31,790 people), 25 to 29 years (27,046 people), and 35 to 39 years (26,056 people). Among them they concentrated 57.4% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2022, 10.1% of Physician assistants workers were Hispanic and 89.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (73.1%), Puerto Rican (19.8)%, and Cuban (7.1)%

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

Races

In 2022, 75.9% of the Physician assistants workforce were White, of which 66.7% were women and 33.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (8.81%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).

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 2022 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 2022 (counting all academic degrees) were Biology (40,620 people), Health (38,657 people), and Business (8,208 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 (109,148 people), Bachelors Degree (27,120 people), and Associates Degree (4,072 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.