Healthcare Practitioners

Physician Assistants

SOC 29-1071

Examine, diagnose, and treat patients under a physician's supervision.

The job

Median pay

$136k

$121k to $164k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+21% projected

Openings a year

12k

BLS projection

Typical education

Master's

Our model

AI displacement risk

Very low

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

32/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

28th pct

More exposed than 28% of occupations · modeled estimate · 12th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

88/100

At a glance

Employment for Physician Assistants is projected to grow 21% over the decade to 2035, 17 points above the typical occupation we cover. Growth is the contrast with Nurse Practitioners: +21% here against +41% there. Typical entry-level education is a master's degree. At $135,880 a year, median pay runs $68,690 above the typical occupation we cover (39% above the Healthcare Practitioners median). Annual openings for Physician Assistants come to about 11,500. Works-with-AI scores 32/100 against very low displacement risk, leaning toward augmentation, with modeled exposure at the 28th percentile.

Take the next step

Weigh it against Nurse AnesthetistsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostNew Jersey leads at $166k; all states are listed below Find careers like itOpen the map at Physician Assistants and explore its neighbours See open jobsPhysician Assistants roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Physician Assistants, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsSelf-reported pay and reviews on Glassdoor

Similar pay in Healthcare Practitioners

Key skills

Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Speaking
Active Learning

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
New York	19,140	2.0	1.9×	$161k
California	13,600	0.7	0.7×	$166k
Texas	10,110	0.7	0.7×	$135k
Florida	9,310	0.9	0.9×	$130k
Pennsylvania	9,020	1.5	1.4×	$127k
North Carolina	7,490	1.5	1.4×	$129k
Michigan	6,310	1.4	1.4×	$132k
Georgia	5,610	1.1	1.1×	$115k
Ohio	4,900	0.9	0.8×	$132k
New Jersey	4,790	1.1	1.1×	$166k

All 50 states and DC

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Massachusetts	4,470	1.2	1.2×	$142k
Virginia	4,340	1.1	1.0×	$136k
Illinois	3,790	0.6	0.6×	$132k
Arizona	3,750	1.2	1.1×	$135k
Minnesota	3,660	1.2	1.2×	$141k
Wisconsin	3,580	1.2	1.2×	$134k
Connecticut	3,570	2.1	2.0×	$140k
Washington	3,540	1.0	1.0×	$164k
Colorado	3,270	1.1	1.1×	$135k
Maryland	2,950	1.1	1.0×	$138k
Missouri	2,300	0.8	0.8×	$135k
Oregon	2,250	1.1	1.1×	$156k
South Carolina	2,250	1.0	0.9×	$122k
Tennessee	2,240	0.7	0.7×	$118k
Indiana	2,110	0.7	0.6×	$132k
Oklahoma	1,770	1.0	1.0×	$137k
Utah	1,610	0.9	0.9×	$135k
Kentucky	1,360	0.7	0.7×	$121k
Louisiana	1,360	0.7	0.7×	$129k
Nebraska	1,330	1.3	1.3×	$133k
Idaho	1,320	1.5	1.5×	$134k
Iowa	1,200	0.8	0.7×	$135k
Nevada	1,090	0.7	0.7×	$135k
West Virginia	1,080	1.5	1.5×	$129k
New Hampshire	1,060	1.6	1.5×	$151k
Maine	1,030	1.6	1.5×	$131k
Alabama	930	0.4	0.4×	$105k
Kansas	890	0.6	0.6×	$126k
Delaware	860	1.8	1.7×	$139k
Arkansas	850	0.7	0.6×	$118k
Rhode Island	810	1.6	1.6×	$140k
Alaska	700	2.2	2.1×	$151k
New Mexico	700	0.8	0.8×	$140k
South Dakota	680	1.5	1.4×	$133k
Montana	600	1.2	1.1×	$141k
Hawaii	530	0.8	0.8×	$164k
North Dakota	510	1.2	1.1×	$133k
Washington DC	470	0.7	0.6×	$135k
Vermont	410	1.3	1.3×	$150k
Wyoming	330	1.2	1.1×	$136k
Mississippi	320	0.3	0.3×	$106k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ16,800 jobs · $168k median
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA3,970 jobs · $112k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA3,890 jobs · $162k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH3,550 jobs · $142k median
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD3,390 jobs · $136k median
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,230 jobs · $135k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,050 jobs · $128k median
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ3,050 jobs · $135k median

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.