Physician Assistants are not to be confused with Medical assistants. A Physician Assistant practices medicine under the supervision of a Physician or Surgeon. Physician Assistants are usually required to already have a college degree and some health related work experience before entering into the 2-year (generally) program. There are several different avenues for this training and prerequisites vary depending on the school.
Physician Assistant Salary Stats
In 2010, the bureau of labor statistics informs that there were 81,420 Physician Assistants employed in the United States. The mean annual Physician Assistant salary was $87,140 or $41.89 hourly. The middle 50% ranged from $73,040 annually or $35.12 hourly to $101,690 annually or $48.89 hourly. The lowest 10% Physicians Assistant salary was $57,450 annually ($27.62 hourly) or less and the top 10% was $117,720 annually ($56.60 hourly) or more. As you can see, when considering how much do physician assistants make it’s important to determine the other important factors if you want an accurate number. The large differences in wages for this category depend on the industry employed in, years of experience, level of education, and geographical area of employment.
Top Industries in Terms of Salary
The industries with the top paying Physician Assistant salaries are in Employment Services at the top with $104,860 annually or $50.41 hourly, Office Administrative Services with $93,730 annually or $45.06 hourly, Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services at $93,230 annually or $44.83 hourly, Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services at $92,860 annually or $44.64 hourly and Specialty Hospitals (excluding Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) at $92,620 annually or $44.53 hourly. The range of these salaries is tight and is not far off the national average of $87,140.
How Much do Physician Assistants Make in different States?
Geographic area also plays a role in the Physician Assistant salary, however these differences are not as marked. The top paying state for this occupation was Washington at $98,620 mean annual wage or $47.41 hourly. These areas again have a very tight range and next on the top paying list is Wyoming at $97,890 annually or $47.06 hourly, District of Columbia at $97,550 annually or $46.90 hourly, Connecticut at $97,420 annually or $46.84 hourly and Texas at $96,940 annually or $46.61 hourly. There is a less that $2,000 annual difference between these top 5 paying states.
Metropolitan areas however are a different story. There is a significant range in Physician Assistant salaries between the top 10 highest paying areas and although Texas may have the lower state average, it is home to the highest paying metropolitan area which is Amarillo TX at $135,620 mean annual wage or $65.20 hourly. The top 10 areas are a mixed bag with Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida in the running ranging from $130,200 annually or $62.60 hourly in Racine Wisconsin down to $110,700 annually or $53.22 hourly in Tyler Texas.
There is also a broad range of Physician Assistant salaries in the top 5 highest paying non-metropolitan areas as well. The top area is Southern West Virginia at $122,690 mean annual wage or $58.99 hourly. New Hampshire, Southeastern Nebraska, East Kentucky and eastern Montana hold the next 4 spots ranging respectively from $107,790 annually or $51.82 hourly down to $98,450 annually or $47.33 hourly.
Offices of Physicians hold more than half of the positions for Physician Assistants in the United States with a mean annual salary of $87,150 or $41.90 almost precisely where the national average sits at. With Physicians being in critical shortage within North America, this profession is destined to become more popular to meet growing demands for health care, and has the potential for accelerated growth in the future. At this point if you were looking for salary information before considering how to become a physician assistant you might want to head over to this page!
Finally, if you are currently debating a career path you might be interested in learning more about a medical assistant position or being a registered nurse!
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