There were about 133,000 physician assistant jobs in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Physician assistants mostly work in physician offices and hospital facilities, with smaller numbers of PAs working in outpatient care centers, academic institutions, and offices of other types of healthcare practitioners. Because of their training and the range of supervised physician services they can provide, physician assistants generally earn more than most healthcare occupations, excluding certain high-skill clinical occupations in medicine and dentistry. The BLS estimated that, as of May 2021, the national mean wage for physician assistants was $119,460 per year. There is, however, wide variation in the average annual wages earned by physician assistants from state to state. According to BLS data, here are the ten best and worst states for physician assistant pay as of May 2021:
The Best and Worst States for Physician Assistant Pay
| State | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | Wage Rank* |
| RI | 300 | $146,880 | 1st |
| AK | 440 | $145,830 | 2nd |
| CT | 2,670 | $141,790 | 3rd |
| NJ | 3,710 | $140,080 | 4th |
| NH | 800 | $137,330 | 5th |
| CA | 14,600 | $136,920 | 6th |
| WA | 2,490 | $136,130 | 7th |
| NM | 690 | $132,370 | 8th |
| NY | 13,670 | $131,810 | 9th |
| OR | 1,290 | $130,000 | 10th |
| U.S. | 132,940 | $119,460 | ------- |
| FL | 7,210 | $104,810 | 42nd |
| TN | 2,460 | $103,850 | 43rd |
| MD | 4,120 | $99,530 | 44th |
| SC | 1,630 | $97,370 | 45th |
| KY | 1,250 | $96,010 | 46th |
| AL | 440 | $95,470 | 47th |
| HI | 360 | $95,280 | 48th |
| MO | 1,540 | $95,280 | 49th |
| MS | 350 | $74,570 | 50th |
| AR | 760 | $71,640 | 51st |
(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on August 1, 2022