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Small Increase in PA Salary According to 2019 AAPA Salary Report

2019 AAPA Salary Report Overview

The recently released 2019 American Academy of PAs (AAPA) salary report showed an increase in median annual salary for PAs to $107,500. This is an increase from $105,000 compared to the 2018 AAPA salary report.

The AAPA is the national professional organization representing PAs. The AAPA provides a range of services for PAs, including educational opportunities and advocacy for the PA profession. The AAPA collects salary data in February and releases an annual report on PA salaries based on the previous year.

Data for the annual AAPA salary report is collected based on a self-reported survey. The survey was available on the AAPA website and was emailed to AAPA members who did not opt-out of email communication. The 2019 AAPA report had a total of 13,099 PAs respond to the survey; and uses both the NCCPA and BLS salary reports to benchmark the data.

Of all the salary reports for PAs, the AAPA report is by far the most comprehensive report. It does the best job of breaking total compensation down into categories; such as base salary, productivity compensation, hourly vs annual compensation and bonus pay. It even shows a breakdown of each category by state.

A chart in this year’s report shows the breakdown of salary by state and cost-of-living adjusted base salary for PAs in each state. Comparing the cost of living to your salary helps provide a better perspective of how much spending power you have with your salary.

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Those working in critical access hospitals reported the highest salaries based on work setting, with a median salary of $140,000. PAs who were paid based on productivity reported the highest compensation with a median salary of $150,000. However, only 3.8% of PAs reported being paid based on productivity; the majority of PAs reported being paid on an annual salary.

Although the AAPA report gives a very comprehensive overview of PA salary, it does have short comings. The first is that only a small percentage of certified PAs responded to the salary survey. The response rate was up from last year, but the number is still low. With the low response rate it is important to compare the AAPA report with other reports, which all show salaries in about the same range. Another drawback to the AAPA report is that it is a self-reported survey. However, when you compare it to the BLS report, which is an employer reported survey, the salaries are comparable.

PA salary reports, such as this one, can be a valuable tool in negotiation. However, it should be used as a guideline and not a rule on what your salary should be. There are a lot of other variables that can affect what you might be offered and you should look at the total package when considering a job. The AAPA salary report is one of the many benefits offered to AAPA members, so make sure to get your copy or you’re wasting your membership.

There has been a slowdown in salary increases for PAs the past couple of years, but growth has been increasing more than in other fields. A small increase in salary is better than none at all.

Had a raise in a while? Has your salary been keeping up with these reports? Please comment below the original post, sign up to receive future posts by email and share with your friends!