Physician Assistant Pay in the Southeastern U.S.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) most recent occupational employment data put physician assistant (PA) employment in the U.S. at just over 125,000 as of May 2020.  The twelve-state Southeastern U.S. was home to more than 29,200 of those physician assistants according to the BLS data.  BLS data revealed the region to be the worst in the nation for physician assistant pay levels.  The annual mean wage level for physician assistants failed to top the national average in any Southeastern state.  Moreover, eight Southeastern states ranked among the ten states in the country with the lowest physician assistant annual mean wage levels.  A further examination of BLS data from May 2020 revealed the following about physician assistant pay in the Southeastern U.S.:

Physician Assistant Pay in the Southeastern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AL	680	$88,500	49th
AR	580	$101,740	45th
FL	7,310	$108,820	37th
GA	5,080	$104,230	42nd
KY	1,070	$79,390	51st
LA	1,070	$93,770	48th
MS	290	$85,380	50th
NC	6,140	$112,510	29th
SC	1,530	$103,150	43rd
TN	2,080	$101,640	46th
VA	2,490	$108,040	39th
WV	920	$113,770	27th
U.S.	125,280	$116,080	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on April 24, 2021