Full 2022 AAPA Salary Report Shows Increased PA Compensation 

The AAPA recently released its 2022 AAPA salary report, which showed increased salaries for PAs in 2021 compared to 2020. PA compensation was up 4.5% in 2021 to $115,000. After a down year in 2020 with a decrease in PA salaries after several years of increases, the new report is a good sign for the profession. It indicates a rebound from the lows we saw during the Covid pandemic shutdown. 

The AAPA is the national organization that represents PAs. They conducted a PA salary survey in February and released the report this summer. Over 10,000 PAs completed the study; however, only about 6% of the 150,000 certified PAs. The information is available for free to AAPA members. 

A new feature of the report is a digital version that allows a more customized review of the data. With this version, you can change the information to your situation. The full PDF version of the report is available as well.

A strength of the AAPA salary report is the detail and that it reports total compensation, base salary, and bonus. It also looks at the data by state and specialty. 

A unique addition to the 2022 AAPA salary report is data on leadership positions, as one in three PAs reported being in a formal or informal leadership position. Those in formal leadership positions reported much higher salaries compared to the national average. 

The AAPA salary report is only one resource on PA salaries; because of the low response rate, it is best to compare it to other salary reports. When comparing actual salaries to these reports, it is essential to remember that it is a generalization of what PAs are making. Each job offer has different bonus and benefits packages that an average salary does not consider. A job offering a high salary does not mean that the bonus or benefits are great. 

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