Physician Assistant-OES291071-May2013

Physician Assistants

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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2013
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)

88,110

1.6 %

$45.36

$94,350

0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
Percentile

10%

25%

50%
(Median)

75%

90%

Hourly Wage

$29.82

$38.38

$44.70

$53.57

$62.80

Annual Wage (2)

$62,030

$79,820

$92,970

$111,430

$130,620

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

50,510

2.09

$45.62

$94,890

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

19,380

0.37

$45.96

$95,590

Outpatient Care Centers

6,040

0.90

$47.25

$98,280

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Federal Executive Branch (OES
Designation)

2,410

0.12

$40.41

$84,050

Colleges, Universities, and Professional
Schools

2,210

0.08

$43.98

$91,490

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

50,510

2.09

$45.62

$94,890

Outpatient Care Centers

6,040

0.90

$47.25

$98,280

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

19,380

0.37

$45.96

$95,590

Specialty (except Psychiatric and
Substance Abuse) Hospitals

790

0.33

$48.74

$101,370

Offices of Other Health Practitioners

1,190

0.16

$43.64

$90,770

Industry

Employment
(1)

Percent of
industry
employment

Hourly
mean wage

Annual
mean wage
(2)

Employment Services

2,160

0.07

$49.86

$103,710

Home Health Care Services

70

0.01

$49.35

$102,640

Office Administrative Services

(8)

(8)

$48.81

$101,530

Specialty (except Psychiatric and
Substance Abuse) Hospitals

790

0.33

$48.74

$101,370

Outpatient Care Centers

6,040

0.90

$47.25

$98,280

Top paying industries for this occupation:

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.

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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

9,780

1.13

1.70

$46.95

$97,660

California

8,230

0.56

0.84

$47.52

$98,830

Texas

5,410

0.50

0.75

$49.17

$102,260

Pennsylvania

5,010

0.89

1.34

$39.44

$82,030

Florida

4,640

0.62

0.94

$46.48

$96,670

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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)

Maine

990

1.71

2.57

$49.75

$103,490

West Virginia

980

1.38

2.07

$39.24

$81,610

South Dakota

520

1.29

1.94

$43.49

$90,450

New York

9,780

1.13

1.70

$46.95

$97,660

Vermont

330

1.10

1.66

$46.07

$95,830

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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

0.72

$53.17

$110,600

Nevada

1,040

0.90

1.36

$51.19

$106,470

New Hampshire

530

0.86

1.29

$51.13

$106,350

New Jersey

1,350

0.35

0.53

$51.12

$106,330

Washington

1,990

0.70

1.06

$51.05

$106,190

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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 PlainsWayne, NY-NJ
Metropolitan Division

4,800

0.92

1.38

$48.33

$100,540

Nassau-Suffolk, NY
Metropolitan Division

1,950

1.57

2.37

$47.80

$99,420

Houston-Sugar LandBaytown, TX

1,710

0.62

0.93

$48.45

$100,770

Philadelphia, PA
Metropolitan Division

1,650

0.89

1.35

$37.95

$78,950

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Boston-CambridgeQuincy, MA NECTA
Division

1,580

0.90

1.36

$41.05

$85,380

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville,
IL Metropolitan Division

1,580

0.43

0.64

$37.98

$78,990

Atlanta-Sandy SpringsMarietta, GA

1,450

0.63

0.94

$44.75

$93,090

Baltimore-Towson, MD

1,380

1.08

1.62

$42.13

$87,640

Washington-ArlingtonAlexandria, DC-VA-MDWV Metropolitan Division

1,320

0.56

0.84

$41.70

$86,740

Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale,
AZ

1,240

0.70

1.05

$51.14

$106,370

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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

2.65

3.99

$43.37

$90,200

Lewiston, ID-WA

50

2.20

3.30

$47.16

$98,100

Ann Arbor, MI

440

2.15

3.24

$47.14

$98,050

Idaho Falls, ID

110

2.13

3.20

$44.10

$91,740

Winston-Salem, NC

420

2.04

3.06

$44.52

$92,600

Springfield, MA-CT

570

1.95

2.94

$42.39

$88,180

Huntington-Ashland, WVKY-OH

210

1.92

2.89

$41.01

$85,290

Portland-South PortlandBiddeford, ME

370

1.88

2.84

$47.68

$99,180

Fairbanks, AK

70

1.85

2.79

$46.27

$96,240

Fayetteville, NC

220

1.75

2.63

$46.01

$95,700

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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)

Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL

30

0.73

1.10

$80.48

$167,400

Santa Fe, NM

80

1.43

2.15

$75.46

$156,950

Texarkana-Texarkana, TX
-AR

(8)

(8)

(8)

$67.62

$140,650

Flint, MI

120

0.88

1.33

$63.89

$132,890

Brownsville-Harlingen,
TX

80

0.63

0.94

$61.93

$128,810

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Barnstable Town, MA

60

0.65

0.98

$61.36

$127,620

Modesto, CA

110

0.69

1.04

$60.92

$126,710

Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Metropolitan Division

240

0.27

0.40

$60.67

$126,200

Norwich-New London, CT
-RI

60

0.50

0.75

$60.02

$124,840

Racine, WI

60

0.80

1.21

$59.97

$124,730

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

410

1.38

2.08

$44.97

$93,530

Southwest Maine
nonmetropolitan area

350

1.86

2.79

$52.50

$109,200

Kansas nonmetropolitan
area

230

0.60

0.90

$42.55

$88,500

East Central Pennsylvania
nonmetropolitan area

200

0.82

1.23

$45.23

$94,070

Balance of Lower Peninsula
of Michigan
nonmetropolitan area

190

0.64

0.97

$42.01

$87,380

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)

Central South Dakota
nonmetropolitan area

70

2.22

3.34

$43.43

$90,340

Western South Dakota
nonmetropolitan area

60

1.90

2.86

$43.18

$89,810

Southwest Maine
nonmetropolitan area

350

1.86

2.79

$52.50

$109,200

Eastern Montana
nonmetropolitan area

60

1.65

2.48

$48.54

$100,960

Northeast Maine
nonmetropolitan area

110

1.61

2.42

$48.20

$100,250

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

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Nonmetropolitan area

Employment
(1)

Employment
per thousand
jobs

Location
quotient (9)

Hourly
mean wage

Annual
mean wage
(2)

Eastern Utah
nonmetropolitan area

40

0.81

1.22

$68.93

$143,380

Sussex County, Delaware
nonmetropolitan area

40

0.57

0.86

$60.51

$125,870

Eastern Texas
nonmetropolitan area

70

0.24

0.37

$54.93

$114,260

Northwestern Washington
nonmetropolitan area

30

0.72

1.08

$54.91

$114,200

Southern Oregon & Linn
County nonmetropolitan
area

30

0.32

0.49

$54.57

$113,500

About May 2013 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 2013 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2013 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2013 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2013 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2013 Occupation Profiles

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Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 1, 2014

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Division of Occupational Employment Statistics, PSB Suite 2135, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20212-0001
www.bls.gov/OES | Telephone: 1-202-691-6569 | Contact OES

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