Healthcare · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Physician Assistant (2024)

The median Physician Assistant salary is $215,600 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Austin, TX offers the best purchasing power at $147,155 adjusted.

$141,148

National Median

$215,600

Highest City

$107,900

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$215,600	$96,430 – $136,342	195.8	$110,112	0
2	San Francisco, CA	$167,090	$103,650 – $220,310	179.6	$93,035	1,980
3	New York, NY	$163,540	$104,000 – $208,000	187.2	$87,361	15,550
4	Seattle, WA	$163,460	$124,890 – $211,080	149.4	$109,411	1,910
5	Portland, OR	$156,450	$107,680 – $209,150	130.1	$120,254	980
6	Los Angeles, CA	$156,210	$86,510 – $220,200	166	$94,102	4,710
7	San Diego, CA	$153,530	$95,870 – $213,880	160.2	$95,836	1,100
8	Austin, TX	$151,570	$107,490 – $193,500	103	$147,155	520
9	Minneapolis, MN	$140,610	$124,370 – $170,050	106.2	$132,401	2,340
10	Washington, DC	$137,650	$92,930 – $197,470	152.8	$90,085	2,840
11	Detroit, MI	$135,300	$105,930 – $154,530	95.1	$142,271	2,010
12	Boston, MA	$135,000	$63,860 – $190,910	152.1	$88,757	3,370
13	Houston, TX	$134,840	$103,170 – $174,700	96.5	$139,731	2,290
14	Salt Lake City, UT	$134,390	$95,280 – $164,900	101.4	$132,535	930
15	Phoenix, AZ	$133,970	$108,990 – $175,580	100.7	$133,039	2,870
16	Charlotte, NC	$132,110	$101,370 – $163,430	96.7	$136,618	2,500
17	Denver, CO	$131,730	$99,840 – $180,520	112.8	$116,782	1,810
18	Dallas, TX	$131,380	$106,090 – $166,630	104.1	$126,206	3,330
19	Philadelphia, PA	$130,240	$99,700 – $167,720	118.4	$110,000	3,000
20	Miami, FL	$128,420	$81,040 – $175,080	123.1	$104,322	2,370
21	Raleigh, NC	$125,710	$89,010 – $158,620	99.8	$125,962	1,300
22	Nashville, TN	$124,010	$99,590 – $149,240	100.3	$123,639	810
23	Chicago, IL	$122,990	$103,000 – $159,720	107.3	$114,623	3,180
24	Tampa, FL	$114,990	$83,990 – $156,880	99.6	$115,452	1,610
25	Atlanta, GA	$107,900	$59,990 – $163,820	99.2	$108,770	2,670

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Physician Assistant paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Austin, TX	$147,155	$151,570	103
2	Detroit, MI	$142,271	$135,300	95.1
3	Houston, TX	$139,731	$134,840	96.5
4	Charlotte, NC	$136,618	$132,110	96.7
5	Phoenix, AZ	$133,039	$133,970	100.7
6	Salt Lake City, UT	$132,535	$134,390	101.4
7	Minneapolis, MN	$132,401	$140,610	106.2
8	Dallas, TX	$126,206	$131,380	104.1
9	Raleigh, NC	$125,962	$125,710	99.8
10	Nashville, TN	$123,639	$124,010	100.3
11	Portland, OR	$120,254	$156,450	130.1
12	Denver, CO	$116,782	$131,730	112.8
13	Tampa, FL	$115,452	$114,990	99.6
14	Chicago, IL	$114,623	$122,990	107.3
15	San Jose, CA	$110,112	$215,600	195.8
16	Philadelphia, PA	$110,000	$130,240	118.4
17	Seattle, WA	$109,411	$163,460	149.4
18	Atlanta, GA	$108,770	$107,900	99.2
19	Miami, FL	$104,322	$128,420	123.1
20	San Diego, CA	$95,836	$153,530	160.2
21	Los Angeles, CA	$94,102	$156,210	166
22	San Francisco, CA	$93,035	$167,090	179.6
23	Washington, DC	$90,085	$137,650	152.8
24	Boston, MA	$88,757	$135,000	152.1
25	New York, NY	$87,361	$163,540	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Physician Assistant salary at $215,600. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Austin, TX offers the most purchasing power at $147,155 adjusted.

The national median Physician Assistant salary is $141,148 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $107,900 to $215,600 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.