Occupational Employment and Wages, 2002
29-1071 Physician Assistants
Provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants. Exclude "Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics" (29-2041), "Medical Assistants" (31-9092), and "Registered Nurses" (29-1111).
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 61,910 |
5.1 % |
$30.53 |
$63,490 |
1.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$17.02 |
$23.87 |
$31.09 |
$37.15 |
$43.44 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$35,410 |
$49,640 |
$64,670 |
$77,280 |
$90,350 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Employment rank |
Wage rank |
|
Offices of physicians |
33,800 |
$30.50 |
$63,430 |
1 |
13 |
|
General medical and surgical hospitals |
15,670 |
$31.17 |
$64,820 |
2 |
10 |
|
Outpatient care centers |
3,010 |
$32.60 |
$67,800 |
3 |
5 |
|
Federal government (OES designation) |
2,250 |
$32.19 |
$66,960 |
4 |
8 |
|
Offices of other health practitioners |
1,330 |
$22.46 |
$46,720 |
5 |
21 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
State profile for this occupation: Top
States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
Wage rank within State |
|
South Carolina |
2,160 |
$22.11 |
$45,990 |
0.123% |
131 |
|
Maine |
640 |
$35.11 |
$73,040 |
0.108% |
16 |
|
Delaware |
390 |
$36.35 |
$75,600 |
0.097% |
29 |
|
Vermont |
270 |
$30.95 |
$64,370 |
0.092% |
39 |
|
Arizona |
2,000 |
$28.66 |
$59,610 |
0.089% |
66 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
Wage rank within State |
|
Arkansas |
160 |
$37.93 |
$78,900 |
0.014% |
14 |
|
Alaska |
150 |
$36.81 |
$76,560 |
0.052% |
21 |
|
Georgia |
1,380 |
$36.42 |
$75,750 |
0.036% |
30 |
|
Delaware |
390 |
$36.35 |
$75,600 |
0.097% |
29 |
|
Nebraska |
480 |
$36.13 |
$75,150 |
0.055% |
20 |
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
|
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSA |
370 |
$22.97 |
$47,770 |
0.306% |
|
Portland, ME MSA |
270 |
$36.88 |
$76,720 |
0.176% |
|
Bangor, ME MSA |
100 |
$34.13 |
$71,000 |
0.176% |
|
Grand Junction, CO MSA |
90 |
$25.32 |
$52,670 |
0.166% |
|
Glens Falls, NY MSA |
80 |
$32.04 |
$66,640 |
0.161% |
Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
|
Panama City, FL MSA |
(6) |
$51.63 |
$107,390 |
(6) |
|
Omaha, NE-IA MSA |
170 |
$46.34 |
$96,390 |
0.042% |
|
Canton-Massillon, OH MSA |
(6) |
$44.31 |
$92,170 |
(6) |
|
Modesto, CA MSA |
120 |
$43.80 |
$91,110 |
0.075% |
|
Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA |
70 |
$43.76 |
$91,030 |
0.035% |
About 2002 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia.
The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).
Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Data for detailed occupations does not sum to the totals because the totals include data for occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(6) Estimates not released.
All Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations
2002 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
2002 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
2002 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order
List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order
Download 2002 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files
Technical notes
Last Modified Date: November 26, 2003
Bureau of Labor Statistics
