Total physician assistant compensation has risen by about 5% in the last year, growing from $142,000 in 2024 to $149,000 in 2025, according to Medscape’s “Behind the Salary Trends: Medscape Physician Assistant Compensation Report 2025,” published June 6.
Here are 11 additional things to know about PA compensation in 2025:
- Base pay for PAs in 2025 reached $135,000, with total pay reaching $149,000 after bonuses and productivity incentives.
- The majority of PAs (55%) expected their end-of-year compensation to rise by between 1% and 10%, while 30% expected it to remain the same.
- Around 77% of PAs found compensation either important or very important when deciding to become a PA.
- Over half of PAs (56%) believe they are fairly compensated.
- There is a pay gap of nearly $20,000 between male and female PAs, with women earning an average of $143,000 in 2025, and men earning $161,000.
- PAs over 55 earn the highest yearly compensation, at $159,000.
- PAs working in the hospital critical care setting earn an average of $175,000, with private industry PAs earning $171,000 and operating room/surgery PAs ranking third at $165,000.
- PAs employed by hospital systems earn more than those employed by medical groups, at $155,000 and $144,000, respectively.
- PAs working in the western region earn the most of any other region, at $160,000.
- Exactly half of PAs are eligible for bonuses, with the average bonus totaling $8,000.
- PAs in urban and rural areas earn roughly the same compensation.
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