Physician assistant salary in Tennessee

Tennessee in the median ranking

Tennessee ranks 48th of 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC) by the physician assistant annual median in our data.

Rank is one plus the number of published state medians higher than this median; tied values share a rank. Missing state estimates are excluded. This orders employee-wage midpoints, not job quality, purchasing power or the pay offered to a particular clinician.

Tennessee is $17,640 (12.98%) below the national BLS OEWS May 2025 PA median, whose median is $135,880.

Calculation: $118,240 minus $135,880 = -$17,640; divide the absolute dollar difference by $135,880 and multiply by 100 for 12.98%.

The closest positions in the descending state list are shown below; at either end, both comparators are on the same side. These are rank neighbors, not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Tennessee is $190 (0.16%) below Arkansas (rank 47), whose median is $118,430.

Calculation: $118,240 minus $118,430 = -$190; divide the absolute dollar difference by $118,430 and multiply by 100 for 0.16%.

Tennessee is $2,850 (2.47%) above Georgia (rank 49), whose median is $115,390.

Calculation: $118,240 minus $115,390 = $2,850; divide the absolute dollar difference by $115,390 and multiply by 100 for 2.47%.

Source: the existing national PA guide and the linked state tables reproduce BLS OEWS May 2025 employee-wage estimates. Compare median with median; the national mean already discussed on this page remains a different statistic.

Compared with neighboring states

A border-focused view of Tennessee includes the following published PA medians.

Among the displayed bordering jurisdictions, Virginia has the highest listed median, $135,940; Alabama has the lowest, $104,960. Tennessee itself records $118,240.

Only bordering jurisdictions with an existing page and a usable median are displayed. Land and river borders count; open-water-only borders and corner-only contacts do not. These statewide estimates do not isolate a border town, commuting distance, local employer or specialty. Follow each state link for the original wage snapshot and its precision measures.

Other clinician wage guides in Tennessee

Tennessee: physicians, all other — broad BLS category · Tennessee: nurse practitioner pay — median $117,590 · Tennessee: physician assistant pay — median $118,240 · Tennessee: nurse anesthetist pay — median $211,450

These links hold geography constant while changing the occupation. The PA estimate on this page is not an interchangeable benchmark for another role. The physician link uses “physicians, all other,” a broad BLS category rather than a particular specialty average. Compare each published measure on its own terms; a difference between roles does not explain why employers pay differently.

What to check before accepting an offer in Tennessee

Tennessee's PA board asks for the official education transcript directly from the school and lists supervising-physician and termination-of-supervision forms separately. It warns that practicing on an expired license violates its rules. Check the actual license status, primary-source delivery and the practice paperwork for the proposed assignment before counting on a first shift.

Official state board resource

• Take the state-specific board instructions above to the employer and identify which approval is still outstanding.
• Match the written clinical duties to the actual license, practice arrangement and facility privileges, rather than relying on the salary category.
• Ask who owns onboarding, orientation and access clearance; get the answer before committing the first shift.

This note retains the state-specific information already cited on this PA page. It does not infer additional practice authority, compact eligibility, approvals or a completion date. The wage comparison and the board process answer different questions.

The published wage benchmark

BLS reports an annual mean wage of $117,300 and annual median wage of $118,240 for physician assistants in Tennessee. The hourly mean is $56.39; the hourly median is $56.85. These are employee wage estimates, not quoted contract rates. Employment estimate: 2,240. That is an estimated job count, not open jobs or a count of available clinicians.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS area data

National comparison

The national mean for this occupation is $141,280. Compare it as a separate national benchmark, not a prediction of your offer.

What the Tennessee numbers mean for a PA offer

Tennessee's PA annual mean is $23,980 below the published national PA mean of $141,280, a 17.0% difference between employee-wage estimates. Its mean is $940 below its median. Mean and median are different measures, not the ends of a salary range. These are employee wage estimates, not offers or total compensation. BLS reports $117,300 as the annual mean for physician assistants in Tennessee, with $118,240 as the median. The wage relative standard error is 1.3%. RSE describes estimate precision, not the spread between individual offers. The employment estimate is 2,240 employee jobs, not current vacancies.

PA practice and first-shift checks in Tennessee

Tennessee's PA board asks for the official education transcript directly from the school and lists supervising-physician and termination-of-supervision forms separately. It warns that practicing on an expired license violates its rules. Check the actual license status, primary-source delivery and the practice paperwork for the proposed assignment before counting on a first shift.

• Confirm that the written duties fit your experience, practice arrangement and facility privileges.
• Identify the owner of each remaining board, credentialing and orientation step.
• Compare the actual paid schedule, expenses and coverage, not an assumed local market range.

Official state board resource

What this data does and does not measure

OEWS includes full-time and part-time employees and does not include self-employed workers. Annual wage estimates generally use a 2,080-hour year; do not treat them as a part-time worker's actual yearly earnings. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. BLS publishes each rounded estimate separately, so use the published values rather than multiplying a rounded hourly wage. The occupation-level table does not provide a pay split for telemedicine, locum tenens, per diem or consulting. BLS uses the occupation name "Physician Assistants" (SOC 29-1071). This is a broad occupational benchmark, not a specialty-specific PA rate.

Sources: BLS OEWS frequently asked questions

How precise is the estimate?

Employment relative standard error: 11.0%. Wage relative standard error: 1.3%. RSE measures estimate precision; a smaller RSE means a more precise survey estimate.

Pay is one part of the job

Ask what work is included, who owns onboarding and what has to clear before the first shift. Keep your licenses and credentials current in one Saile profile, then check the app for relevant work.

Turn a salary benchmark into a useful offer comparison

Start with the published mean and median above, then compare the actual work rather than treating a wage estimate as a guaranteed offer. For PA work, confirm the clinical setting, procedures and applicable supervision or collaboration arrangements with the board and facility.

• Write down the patient scope, paid schedule, nights and call you are agreeing to cover.
• Ask which orientation, charting, messages, travel and administrative tasks are paid.
• Compare benefits, expenses, malpractice coverage, cancellation and exit terms beside the pay unit.
• Get the remaining licensing, privileges, orientation and system-access steps and their owners before committing a first shift.

Where to look and what to ask next

Check direct facility career pages and the Saile app for current opportunities. Search your role with the setting and schedule you want, such as temporary coverage, per diem or part-time. A published salary estimate is not evidence of a live vacancy. Ask the hiring team for the actual scope, dates and written terms before reserving your time.

Employee wages are not contractor take-home pay

The BLS figure excludes self-employed workers. For federal employment taxes, the IRS considers control and the relationship, not only the contract label. Self-employed individuals generally pay income and self-employment tax and may need estimated payments. Keep payment and expense records and take your actual arrangement to a tax professional; do not subtract a generic percentage and call it take-home pay.

Sources: IRS: Independent contractor or employee · IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center

Compare the work, not just the benchmark

Sources

• BLS May 2025 OEWS area data
• BLS OEWS frequently asked questions
• IRS: Independent contractor or employee
• IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center
• Official state board resource

Data period: May 2025. Published May 15, 2026.

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