The national average hourly pay for physician assistants is $55.81 per hour, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment statistics survey. Wages and living costs vary from place to place, however.
The highest average hourly wage for PAs is in Alaska, but the state also holds the nation's fifth-highest cost of living, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. After adjusting for cost of living, PAs in Alaska are paid the 17th-most.
Hawaii's sky-high living expenses means that its 22nd-ranked PA average hourly wage lands it at the bottom of the list, after adjusting for cost of living.
Here is every state, ranked by its living cost-adjusted average PA wage:
|
Rank |
State |
PA hourly mean wage |
Cost of living as a % of nat'l avg. |
COL-adjusted PA wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Oklahoma |
$56.79 |
85.7% |
$66.27 |
|
2 |
Iowa |
$56.62 |
89% |
$63.62 |
|
3 |
New Mexico |
$59.43 |
93.6% |
$63.49 |
|
4 |
West Virginia |
$54.70 |
88.5% |
$61.81 |
|
5 |
Wyoming |
$56.57 |
91.8% |
$61.62 |
|
6 |
Nevada |
$64.77 |
105.4% |
$61.45 |
|
7 |
Kansas |
$52.71 |
86.4% |
$61.01 |
|
8 |
Minnesota |
$58.79 |
96.8% |
$60.73 |
|
9 |
Connecticut |
$70.24 |
116.7% |
$60.19 |
|
10 |
Nebraska |
$54.44 |
91.5% |
$59.50 |
|
11 |
Texas |
$53.94 |
90.9% |
$59.34 |
|
12 |
North Dakota |
$57.34 |
96.7% |
$59.30 |
|
13 |
Michigan |
$53.39 |
91.6% |
$58.29 |
|
14 |
Illinois |
$52.97 |
91.4% |
$57.95 |
|
15 |
Wisconsin |
$54.73 |
94.8% |
$57.73 |
|
16 |
Rhode Island |
$65.29 |
113.8% |
$57.37 |
|
17 |
Alaska |
$72.32 |
126.7% |
$57.08 |
|
18 |
Georgia |
$50.11 |
87.8% |
$57.07 |
|
19 |
North Carolina |
$54.09 |
95% |
$56.94 |
|
20 |
Idaho |
$56.71 |
99.7% |
$56.88 |
|
21 |
Ohio |
$51.73 |
92% |
$56.23 |
|
22 |
South Dakota |
$52.54 |
93.8% |
$56.01 |
|
23 |
Indiana |
$49.05 |
88.9% |
$55.17 |
|
24 |
Washington |
$62.46 |
113.9% |
$54.84 |
|
25 |
Tennessee |
$48.86 |
89.5% |
$54.59 |
|
26 |
Arkansas |
$48.91 |
89.9% |
$54.40 |
|
27 |
Montana |
$56.30 |
104.8% |
$53.72 |
|
28 |
New Jersey |
$63.08 |
118.6% |
$53.19 |
|
29 |
Pennsylvania |
$51.69 |
97.9% |
$52.80 |
|
30 |
Vermont |
$61.56 |
116.7% |
$52.75 |
|
31 |
New Hampshire |
$59.65 |
113.2% |
$52.69 |
|
32 |
South Carolina |
$49.59 |
94.2% |
$52.64 |
|
33 |
Delaware |
$53.86 |
103.9% |
$51.84 |
|
34 |
Arizona |
$54.74 |
106.9% |
$51.21 |
|
35 |
Missouri |
$45.20 |
88.6% |
$51.02 |
|
36 |
Utah |
$52.22 |
102.4% |
$51.00 |
|
37 |
Florida |
$52.32 |
103% |
$50.80 |
|
38 |
Colorado |
$53.06 |
105.1% |
$50.49 |
|
39 |
Virginia |
$51.94 |
103.2% |
$50.33 |
|
40 |
Alabama |
$42.55 |
87.5% |
$48.63 |
|
41 |
Louisiana |
$45.08 |
92.8% |
$48.58 |
|
42 |
Mississippi |
$41.05 |
84.9% |
$48.35 |
|
43 |
Maine |
$56.34 |
116.9% |
$48.20 |
|
44 |
Oregon |
$57.24 |
120.6% |
$47.46 |
|
45 |
California |
$64.99 |
139.8% |
$46.49 |
|
46 |
New York |
$60.76 |
136.8% |
$44.42 |
|
47 |
Maryland |
$55.27 |
125.1% |
$44.18 |
|
48 |
Kentucky |
$38.17 |
95.2% |
$40.09 |
|
49 |
Massachusetts |
$56.65 |
147.9% |
$38.30 |
|
50 |
Hawaii |
$55.63 |
189.9% |
$29.29 |
Methodology
Figures in the far right column are calculated by multiplying the state's average PA wage and its cost of living modifier.