A jar of money with three sets of stacked coins to the right with plants growing out of the top of the conis
in-pacents PA Salary

2020 PA Salary of $112,410 According to BLS Report

BLS Report Shows Increased PA Salaries

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the 2019 median salary for PAs at $112,260, with the top 90% earning $157,120, an increase of just below 4% from the previous year when the median salary for PAs was $108,610.

The BLS report was last modified in May 2019 and includes salaries from the previous year. The data is collected from employers to come up with estimates. The increase in PA salaries is slightly higher than other reports with PAs earning closer to a 3% increase in wages.

This report includes production bonuses as a part of wages but does not include non-production bonuses. The NCCPA report uses total compensation, whereas the AAPA report divides compensation into base salary and bonus. These differences in reporting of PA salaries should be kept in mind as you review the data. The BLS report includes a high number of PAs, showing a total of 120,090 employed PAs.

PAs working in outpatient care centers earned the highest salaries with a mean of $121,320. New York had the highest number of employed PAs at 13,270, and a mean wage of $123,080. Connecticut had the highest salary for PAs at $137,060. Salinas, California was the top-paying metropolitan area with an annual salary of $161,370.

Salary reports can be helpful in negotiations to help show how much other PAs are earning; however, they rarely tell the whole story. PA compensation can include many benefits beyond a base salary, and you should keep these in mind when negotiating. The NCCPA report does not show other benefits for PAs. PAs with lower salaries could have a generous retirement plan or health insurance, and this is not represented in a base salary.

The bottom line to this report is that PA salaries continue to increase, and the job outlook is growing more than average. If you’re looking at salaries and job opportunities, the PA career still shows a lot of promise.

What do you think of this report? Does it seem accurate? Please comment below the original post, sign up to receive future posts by email and share with your friends!