PA’s Salary Increased to $120,204 in 2022

The 2022 Statistical Profile of Certified PAs is an annual report from the NCCPA, and it showed a slight increase in mean Physician Assistant/Associate salaries from $117,381 in 2021 to $120,204 in 2022. The information from this report was collected in 2022 but released in 2023.

The NCCPA is the national certifying organization for PAs. Every year they release a report with data collected from PA profiles created through the NCCPA website. They look at profiles that have been updated in the past three years. If a PA updated their profile in the past three years, their information would be included in the report, and as of December 31, 2022, 140,815 of the 168,318 certified PAs responded to at least a portion of the profile. This response rate is the highest among any reports on PAs and can be compared to the AAPA salary report, which only gets a response rate of about 6% of certified PAs. 

Only 3.9% of PAs reported earning more than $200,000, and 4.5% reported earning less than $60,000. The NCCPA profile asks for income from PA positions, so theoretically, PAs should respond with salaries that include base and bonus compensation. This report does not look at base and bonus separately, which the AAPA salary does. 

Although salary is included in this report, it is only a tiny portion of what is reported. Other reports focus on the specifics of compensation and benefits. This report includes additional data such as PA level of burnout, PA demographics, PA practice settings, and more. 

PA salaries can vary depending on location and specialty, but one way to look at the information is to see that PA salaries generally continue to trend upward. Looking at wages over three years allows for fewer fluctuations in one down year. As with any report on PA salary, it is essential to use it for general knowledge and trends on PA salaries as it does not directly compare everything that is part of a job offer. Bonus structure and benefits can significantly affect total compensation and should always be considered when comparing job offers. 

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