2021 PA Annual Salary Reports

One trend that we saw this past year in PA salaries is that they were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Like other professions, PAs were economically affected through layoffs, furloughs, and reduced hours. 

Multiple reports show the salary of a PA; however, each one gathers the data differently, and the salary data included varies. These reports can be a tool for PAs looking for a new position or PAs wanting to negotiate a raise.

Keep in mind that these reports show an average salary. Some PAs make well over this amount, and others make much less than this amount. Every job comes with additional benefits, and when evaluating a potential position, you should keep the total package in mind and not get fixated on salary alone.

When using the reports to aid in negotiation, it is best to use multiple to corroborate the data. The two surveys I like to reference are the NCCPA and AAPA, but more can help determine the 2021 salary of a PA.

NCCPA PA Annual Report

Current PA Salary – $115,470

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the certifying body for PAs. The 2020 NCCPA Profile Report used data as of December 31, 2020, and released in 2021.

The PA salary is from NCCPA profiles of certified PAs. When PAs log into their profile on the NCCPA website, there are several questions asked. Some PAs might not answer all the questions or have only partially completed the profile when the data was collected. However, this is a large sample size. There is a rolling collection and is reported based on total gross income from all PA positions.

The 2020 NCCPA Annual Report included 148,560 certified PAs and showed the average income for certified PAs to be $115,470. The highest paying specialties were dermatology and critical care; the lowest paying included adolescent medicine and pediatrics.

PA Salary Report Pros

• Large sample size. – Since this report is from the NCCPA profiles of certified PAs, it included 89% of certified PAs.
•  Breakdown of salaries for different specialties – The report looks at PA salary by specialty and not just PAs as a whole.

PA Salary Report Cons

• Not as comprehensive as other PA salary reports – It looks at practice setting and specialty, but does not go in-depth on the breakdown of base salary, bonus, and benefits.
• Uses a rolling cycle – It might not be the most recent year’s salaries.

AAPA PA Salary Survey

Current PA Salary – $110,000

The 2021 American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) salary report showed a decrease in PA salary from previous years to $110,000 in 2020. It is the only report showing a decline in salaries, but this could be because it looks at just one year.

The AAPA  is the national organization representing PAs. The AAPA salary report typically has a lower response rate compared to the NCCPA and BLS reports, with only 13,865 PAs responding to the 2020 survey. The data is from the previous calendar year, so the 2021 information is from 2020 salaries. The AAPA report shows the base, with separate information on bonuses and production compensation.

The AAPA salary survey is the most comprehensive report for PAs, as it breaks the data down by state. It even shows data for benefits, such as time off, insurance, retirement, etc.

This year’s report has an online version, making it much easier to search through the data and find information that is relevant to your situation.

PA Salary Report Pros

• Comprehensive data. – Shows data by state and specialty. Reports the breakdown of salary into base and bonus. It also includes benefits, such as time off, insurance, retirement, etc.
• Data collected is from the prior year (It should be the most up-to-date) and not averaged over multiple years.

PA Salary Report Cons

• Small sample size. – The 100,000+ PAs who did not respond to the survey possibly are making so much money they don’t have time to respond, or they might be the ones that aren’t making much, so they don’t want to share.
• Only available to AAPA members for free; non-members can purchase a copy.

BLS PA Employment Statistics

Current PA Salary – $115,390

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics is a source of salary information for all types of careers. The data is collected from employers over 2-3 years and averaged. The salary includes incentive pay and a production bonus. The BLS reported the 2021 salary for PAs to be $115,390.

The BLS report is an employer-reported survey and covers a wide range of employment settings.

PA Salary Report Pros

• Large sample size – As these surveys go out nationally and by the employers, the information covers most PA’s salaries.
• Collected from employers – The BLS reports are not a self-reported survey, which means there is less chance of self-inflation of the numbers.

PA Salary Report Cons

• Out-dated data. – The data averages over three years, so it includes data from past years and not just the current year
• Salary based on gross compensation – It is helpful to see compensation split into base salary and bonus, but this report is on total compensation.
• No data on salary by specialties

ZipRecruiter PA Salary Report

Current PA Salary – $107,038

ZipRecruiter is an online job search. It provides salary data based on job listings. ZipRecruiter uses an algorithm based on job title, location, and hiring company for salary estimates for listed positions.

The average 2021 PA base salary was $107,038, which was unchanged from 2020. The website allows you to see estimated salaries based on location.

PA Salary Report Pros

• Can view salary estimates based on location

PA Salary Report Cons

• Salaries are estimates based on job listings and not actual salaries
• It does not give a breakdown of compensation

How Much do PAs Make? – Overview of 2021 Physician Assistant Salary Reports

Use multiple Physician Assistant salary reports to determine the current salary, as each one collects data differently and provides varying types of data.

The NCCPA report might be the most accurate as it has the highest response rate, reaching over 89% of certified PAs. The downside is that it does not have in-depth data on PA compensation, and it collects data over multiple years.

For an in-depth overview of PA compensation, look at the AAPA salary survey. This survey does a great job of showing base salary, bonus, and production pay. It provides salary data based on state and specialty; and other information, such as the buying power of your salary depending on the region of employment.

When or how it was collected can cause variations in reported salaries. The AAPA survey was from compensation earned the prior year and was collected in February. The NCCPA report is on a rolling cycle. These differences can affect the amount that PAs are reporting.

The lowest reported salary was from ZipRecruiter, but it uses data based on job postings and not actual salaries. If most people are negotiating salaries higher than listed, it could make this number low. The slight differences in reported salaries can be accounted for by the methods they are collected. 

Although we saw a slight decrease in salaries according to the AAPA report, when we look at PA salaries over time, they have been increasing. Even though they might not be keeping up with inflation, there is growing demand and plenty of opportunities for PAs. If you’re looking for a new job or just entering the market, know what you’re worth, and use multiple salary reports to help negotiate your salary.

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