Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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. Excludes "Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics" (29-2041), "Medical Assistants" (31-9092), "Registered Nurses" (29-1141), "Nurse Anesthetists" (29-1151), "Nurse Midwives" (29-1161), and "Nurse Practitioners" (29-1171).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic 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)
83,540 1.8 % $43.01 $89,470 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $29.18 $36.72 $42.62 $50.43 $57.72
Annual Wage (2) $60,690 $76,370 $88,660 $104,890 $120,060


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 47,600 2.03 $43.20 $89,860
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 18,780 0.36 $44.05 $91,620
Outpatient Care Centers 5,910 0.97 $44.45 $92,450
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 2,490 0.12 $40.19 $83,590
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 2,220 0.08 $39.97 $83,140

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Physicians 47,600 2.03 $43.20 $89,860
Outpatient Care Centers 5,910 0.97 $44.45 $92,450
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 18,780 0.36 $44.05 $91,620
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 630 0.29 $46.58 $96,880
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 1,180 0.17 $39.18 $81,500

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 630 0.29 $46.58 $96,880
Scientific Research and Development Services 280 0.04 $45.16 $93,930
Employment Services 1,390 0.05 $44.89 $93,370
Outpatient Care Centers 5,910 0.97 $44.45 $92,450
Office Administrative Services 60 0.01 $44.39 $92,330


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 9,690 1.15 1.77 $45.00 $93,600
California 8,170 0.58 0.89 $45.65 $94,940
Pennsylvania 4,730 0.85 1.31 $34.12 $70,960
Texas 4,630 0.45 0.69 $45.94 $95,560
North Carolina 4,080 1.07 1.64 $41.57 $86,460




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 550 1.76 2.70 $45.52 $94,680
Maine 720 1.26 1.93 $46.23 $96,160
West Virginia 850 1.22 1.87 $44.03 $91,570
Idaho 710 1.19 1.83 $43.34 $90,140
New York 9,690 1.15 1.77 $45.00 $93,600




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 220 0.48 0.74 $51.44 $107,000
Nevada (8) (8) (8) $49.13 $102,190
Washington 2,260 0.83 1.27 $48.99 $101,910
Connecticut 1,480 0.92 1.41 $48.30 $100,470
New Jersey 1,300 0.34 0.53 $48.01 $99,870





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 4,560 0.90 1.38 $45.95 $95,580
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 2,280 1.88 2.89 $47.01 $97,770
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,110 0.55 0.85 $47.05 $97,850
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 1,650 0.98 1.51 $38.80 $80,710
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 1,600 0.69 1.07 $38.76 $80,610
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,470 0.81 1.24 $30.68 $63,810
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 1,420 0.64 0.98 $41.42 $86,160
Baltimore-Towson, MD 1,290 1.03 1.59 $46.67 $97,080
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,140 0.45 0.69 $48.55 $100,980
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 1,090 0.80 1.23 $49.70 $103,370




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Glens Falls, NY 140 2.71 4.16 $41.53 $86,390
Lewiston, ID-WA 60 2.46 3.77 $49.08 $102,080
Rochester, MN 210 2.15 3.31 $47.64 $99,100
Fayetteville, NC 270 2.11 3.24 $43.90 $91,310
Idaho Falls, ID 100 2.07 3.18 $48.65 $101,200
Anchorage, AK 320 1.91 2.93 $45.20 $94,020
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 2,280 1.88 2.89 $47.01 $97,770
Charleston, WV 260 1.80 2.76 $37.54 $78,090
Ann Arbor, MI 340 1.77 2.71 $40.32 $83,860
Winston-Salem, NC 340 1.73 2.65 $43.13 $89,720




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Racine, WI 70 0.98 1.50 $67.18 $139,730
Gainesville, GA 110 1.58 2.42 $57.63 $119,870
Tyler, TX (8) (8) (8) $56.87 $118,300
Yuma, AZ 60 1.02 1.56 $56.48 $117,470
Ocala, FL 40 0.47 0.73 $55.31 $115,050
Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL 30 0.77 1.18 $53.61 $111,500
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach, FL Metropolitan Division 150 0.30 0.46 $53.25 $110,770
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 500 0.51 0.79 $52.94 $110,120
Flint, MI 150 1.19 1.83 $52.79 $109,800
Bellingham, WA (8) (8) (8) $52.78 $109,790

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 340 1.18 1.81 $43.93 $91,380
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 320 1.73 2.65 $33.21 $69,080
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 260 0.93 1.43 $39.84 $82,870
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 240 0.62 0.95 $39.39 $81,930
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 220 1.63 2.50 $63.70 $132,490

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 130 1.76 2.70 $42.61 $88,630
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 320 1.73 2.65 $33.21 $69,080
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 220 1.63 2.50 $63.70 $132,490
Southcentral Idaho nonmetropolitan area 100 1.51 2.32 $43.54 $90,550
Central South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 50 1.42 2.17 $43.65 $90,790

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 220 1.63 2.50 $63.70 $132,490
Other New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 130 1.35 2.07 $53.94 $112,210
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 200 1.07 1.65 $53.34 $110,950
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 80 0.53 0.81 $53.08 $110,400
Southeastern Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 50 1.05 1.62 $50.68 $105,410


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012