Sort by any column. Employment is the number of physician assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Physician Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Physician Assistants earn the most in New Jersey at $165,690 a year and the least in Alabama at $104,960 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $135,880. All 51 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $165,690
- National median
- $135,880
- Lowest median
- $104,960
- States reporting
- 51
New Jersey
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Physician Assistants
- 1. New Jersey$165,690 median · $152,282 adjusted · 4,790 employed
- 2. California$165,650 median · $149,612 adjusted · 13,600 employed
- 3. Washington$164,360 median · $153,589 adjusted · 3,540 employed
- 4. Hawaii$164,050 median · $149,203 adjusted · 530 employed
- 5. New York$160,880 median · $149,072 adjusted · 19,140 employed
Lowest-paying states for Physician Assistants
- 51. Alabama$104,960 median · $118,168 adjusted · 930 employed
- 50. Mississippi$105,920 median · $121,813 adjusted · 320 employed
- 49. Georgia$115,390 median · $119,832 adjusted · 5,610 employed
- 48. Tennessee$118,240 median · $128,704 adjusted · 2,240 employed
- 47. Arkansas$118,430 median · $136,225 adjusted · 850 employed
Physician Assistant salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $165,690 | $134,710 | $192,370 | 4,790 | $152,282 |
| 2 | California | $165,650 | $136,730 | $206,990 | 13,600 | $149,612 |
| 3 | Washington | $164,360 | $138,050 | $177,930 | 3,540 | $153,589 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $164,050 | $126,780 | $170,060 | 530 | $149,203 |
| 5 | New York | $160,880 | $134,480 | $174,710 | 19,140 | $149,072 |
| 6 | Oregon | $155,780 | $134,390 | $169,550 | 2,250 | $150,714 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $150,960 | $134,050 | $170,790 | 1,060 | $144,924 |
| 8 | Alaska | $150,700 | $126,530 | $169,930 | 700 | $147,227 |
| 9 | Vermont | $150,490 | $131,400 | $166,050 | 410 | $153,627 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $142,410 | $128,020 | $169,980 | 4,470 | $134,658 |
| 11 | Montana | $141,470 | $129,750 | $156,350 | 600 | $149,474 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $141,190 | $131,720 | $163,690 | 3,660 | $143,164 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $139,930 | $129,690 | $167,710 | 810 | $136,811 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $139,920 | $106,240 | $153,560 | 700 | $151,737 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $139,860 | $129,370 | $165,140 | 3,570 | $134,987 |
| 16 | Delaware | $139,350 | $128,800 | $156,880 | 860 | $139,618 |
| 17 | Maryland | $137,560 | $125,140 | $160,090 | 2,950 | $131,061 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $136,550 | $129,250 | $161,560 | 1,770 | $155,448 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $136,080 | $119,990 | $158,550 | 330 | $146,810 |
| 20 | Virginia | $135,940 | $120,580 | $162,790 | 4,340 | $134,456 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $135,140 | $127,990 | $165,890 | 470 | $122,965 |
| 22 | Missouri | $135,130 | $121,680 | $163,170 | 2,300 | $148,794 |
| 23 | Iowa | $134,770 | $120,060 | $159,950 | 1,200 | $153,563 |
| 24 | Utah | $134,740 | $123,570 | $152,480 | 1,610 | $136,288 |
| 25 | Nevada | $134,660 | $117,280 | $163,550 | 1,090 | $134,688 |
| 26 | Arizona | $134,650 | $123,990 | $156,500 | 3,750 | $133,745 |
| 27 | Texas | $134,550 | $122,720 | $156,000 | 10,110 | $138,630 |
| 28 | Colorado | $134,540 | $124,100 | $156,400 | 3,270 | $130,555 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $133,950 | $125,640 | $156,800 | 3,580 | $142,356 |
| 30 | Idaho | $133,790 | $126,820 | $146,230 | 1,320 | $140,103 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $133,450 | $107,030 | $155,010 | 510 | $150,013 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $133,200 | $112,570 | $142,330 | 680 | $150,362 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $133,040 | $112,820 | $146,790 | 1,330 | $147,653 |
| 34 | Ohio | $132,090 | $109,780 | $150,000 | 4,900 | $142,378 |
| 35 | Indiana | $132,050 | $123,220 | $166,230 | 2,110 | $141,489 |
| 36 | Illinois | $131,950 | $122,780 | $145,600 | 3,790 | $132,005 |
| 37 | Michigan | $131,510 | $119,990 | $143,030 | 6,310 | $136,681 |
| 38 | Maine | $131,170 | $121,340 | $140,640 | 1,030 | $135,157 |
| 39 | Florida | $129,620 | $111,360 | $156,920 | 9,310 | $125,341 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $129,360 | $110,320 | $140,030 | 7,490 | $137,141 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $128,870 | $117,130 | $144,100 | 1,360 | $146,100 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $128,610 | $108,960 | $148,160 | 1,080 | $143,703 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $127,070 | $107,260 | $137,220 | 9,020 | $130,232 |
| 44 | Kansas | $125,640 | $107,110 | $137,390 | 890 | $139,495 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $122,490 | $105,560 | $134,100 | 2,250 | $130,657 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $120,760 | $102,430 | $136,080 | 1,360 | $133,941 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $118,430 | $103,810 | $133,270 | 850 | $136,225 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $118,240 | $102,690 | $132,500 | 2,240 | $128,704 |
| 49 | Georgia | $115,390 | $62,230 | $141,740 | 5,610 | $119,832 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $105,920 | $82,580 | $132,680 | 320 | $121,813 |
| 51 | Alabama | $104,960 | $98,710 | $122,830 | 930 | $118,168 |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Physician Assistants, that changes the ranking: New Jersey leads on raw pay at $165,690, while Oklahoma leads once prices are taken into account at $155,448.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Physician Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Physician Assistants the most?
New Jersey reports the highest median wage for Physician Assistants at $165,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($165,650) and Washington ($164,360).
Which state pays Physician Assistants the least?
Alabama reports the lowest median for Physician Assistants at $104,960 a year, $60,730 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Physician Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Oklahoma first at $155,448 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $136,550. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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