Physician Assistant Salary in California
Median annual pay in California
$165,650
$79.64/hour
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Adjusted for cost of living in California
$149,612
Regional Price Parity: 110.720 (U.S. = 100)
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Difference from the U.S. median ($135,880): +$29,770 (+21.9%)
California ranks 2nd of 51 states by median pay, and 10th of 51 after adjusting for cost of living.
Pay
| Annual | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,380 | $47.78 |
| 25th percentile | $136,730 | $65.73 |
| Median | $165,650 | $79.64 |
| 75th percentile | $206,990 | $99.52 |
| 90th percentile | $225,190 | $108.27 |
Employment
- Employment in California
- 13,600
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Comparison
Compared with the U.S.
- Median annual pay in California
- $165,650
- Median annual pay in the U.S.
- $135,880
- Difference
- +$29,770 (+21.9%)
Cost of living
$165,650 ÷ 110.720 × 100 = $149,612
Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Ranking
| Rank | Median annual pay | Adjusted for cost of living (annual) |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | ||
| 1st | $165,690 | $152,282 5th |
| California This page | ||
| 2nd | $165,650 | $149,612 10th |
| Washington | ||
| 3rd | $164,360 | $153,589 3rd |
| Hawaii | ||
| 4th | $164,050 | $149,203 12th |
Similar occupations
Related occupations from O*NET, in O*NET's order, with their BLS median pay. Each figure shows the place it is for.
- Emergency Medicine Physician salary in the U.S.
$335,550/year U.S.
- Family Medicine Physician salary in the U.S.
$244,180/year U.S.
- Cardiologist salary in California
$185,610/year California
- Nurse Practitioner salary in California
$168,520/year California
- Orthopedic Surgeon, Except Pediatric salary in California
$253,430/year California
- General Internal Medicine Physician salary in the U.S.
$256,560/year U.S.
Outlook
- Projected employment change, 2025–35 (U.S.)
- +21.1%
- Typical education needed for entry (U.S.)
- Master's degree
BLS publishes employment projections only for the U.S. as a whole. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Specialties included in this occupation
- Anesthesiologist Assistants
BLS publishes one wage figure for all Physician Assistants; it does not publish separate data for these specialties.
O*NET 31.0
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Physician Assistant salary in nearby places
- Physician Assistant salary in Arizona
$134,650/year Arizona
- Physician Assistant salary in Nevada
$134,660/year Nevada
- Physician Assistant salary in Oregon
$155,780/year Oregon
- Physician Assistant salary in the U.S.
$135,880/year U.S.
Sources and update
- Wages and employment: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
- Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Related occupations and specialties: O*NET® 31.0 Database, CC BY 4.0. Attributions
- Employment projections and typical education: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35.
- Neighboring states: U.S. Census Bureau, County Adjacency File, 2024.
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