2024 PA salary report: Key factors influencing PA pay and job satisfaction

The 2024 Medscape Physician Assistant Compensation Report reveals a modest upward trend in PA pay. However, despite these gains, many PAs remain dissatisfied with their take-home pay. Read on for more insights and takeaways from the report.

PAs saw a modest increase in salary in 2024

According to Medscape’s 2024 Physician Assistant Compensation Report, total compensation for PAs last year rose to $142,000 — up by roughly 4% from $134,000 in 2023. The single biggest component of that compensation is base pay, which rose by about 7%. This is also up from $129,000 in 2022, which indicates a rising trend in compensation but could also suggest that PAs are just benefitting from cost-of-living adjustments since inflation rose so drastically over the last three years as well.

How different practice settings impact pay

This year’s report showcases how different practice settings impact PA pay. It reveals that PAs who work in medical offices or clinics make $20,000 less than the top-paying practice setting — OR/surgery — who earned $156,000 in 2023. Emergency department and urgent care PAs earn $139,000 a year, and those who work in acute care hospitals and inpatient units made $135,000 last year.

Different compensation models impact PA income

When it comes to whether hourly or salary employees make more, hourly comes out on top, earning PAs an average of $143,000 compared to salaried PAs who made an average of $128,000 in 2023. It’s notable that PAs report more satisfaction from hourly models since their schedules can vary from light to very demanding — so getting paid for every hour becomes not only lucrative in the hourly model but more rewarding.

Pay comparisons by gender

However, what makes a more significant difference in pay than hourly or salaried is gender — male physician assistants reported earning more than women in the same positions, $152,000 for men vs. $144,000 for women in 2023, whether salaried or hourly. For salaried employees, male PAs earn $134,000 a year, and female PAs earn $125,000 a year. This gap appears to be because male PAs are more likely to negotiate salaries.

Older physician assistants are making more than their younger peers

PAs in older age groups are taking home more than younger PAs — in 2023, the 45+ group earned 13% more than their younger peers.

Regional and community type impact pay 

Physician assistants live and work in urban, suburban, exurban, and rural environments, and take-home pay is similar in all four types of places. The real difference comes from wider regional differences — PAs working on the West Coast can take home as much as $159,000 in the Pacific states, while to the east, compensation can dip to as low as $132,000 in the East Central region.

However, 2023 reporting on regional differences in pay shows that earnings go further in states that have pay somewhere between best and worst — New Mexico takes the top spot, followed by Texas and Wyoming. Iowa and Indiana, despite offering lower pay, also provide a lower cost of living.

Physician assistant satisfaction in 2024

PA satisfaction has dropped over time, from 74% in 2020 to the current 50/50 split that spans age and gender.

What might then be impacting satisfaction is compensation for work put in. Jason Raehl, an orthopedic surgery PA, explains, “I might have a week where I’m on call for a week and quite busy and a week where I’m not, and it doesn’t matter; it all stays the same when you’re salaried.” Jason has since switched to working locum tenens, where the hourly pay structure means he gets paid for his work. “If you work more than 40 hours, then you get paid time and a half for that work,” he explains. “So, if you have a lighter week, that’s great; you have more time to explore and do other things. If you have a heavier week, you are rewarded for that extra work, and sometimes that’s not the case in the medical profession, so that’s a huge benefit.”

PAs are in high demand as locum tenens. Give us a call at 800.453.3030 or view today’s physician assistant job openings to get started.