Physician assistant salary in the Atlanta area
Start with Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA's BLS May 2025 employee wages: $108,080 mean annually and $111,810 median for physician assistants. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Atlanta area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $108,080 |
| Median annual wage | $111,810 |
| Employment estimate | 3,970 |
| Wage relative standard error | 23.4% |
Employee wages annualized at 2,080 hours. Not total compensation, guaranteed pay or a salary range. RSE measures estimate uncertainty, not your pay spread.
View official BLS wage data for this areaWhat the Atlanta area row can tell you
BLS covers Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $108,080, which is below the median of $111,810; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 3,970 counts employee jobs, not open positions. The wage relative standard error is 23.4%, which describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile.
The Georgia state mean for physician assistants is $112,090, so this metro mean is 3.6% below the state figure. The metro is part of the state estimate, so the two overlap.
Metro figures cover wage and salary employees only. Locum, 1099 and per diem pay can look very different, and benefits, call pay and bonuses are not included. Compare a written offer on hours, scope and benefits instead of reading these two wages as a salary range.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. How Saile salary pages work.
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How Atlanta compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 49 of 50; employment rank: 2 of 50. Rank = one plus metros with a larger estimate; ties share rank. This site’s group, not all US metros.
Versus highest-mean New York City ($163,570): $55,490 (33.9%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $0 (0.0%) equal to.
Dollar gap = metro mean minus comparator mean; percent = difference divided by comparator, times 100. Absolute gaps shown.
National comparison
BLS OEWS national mean: $141,280; Atlanta is $33,200 (23.5%) below it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
This is the only metro in this role group mapped to Georgia; see the Georgia state pay page.
Georgia mean: $112,090; employment: 5,610. Metro share = 3,970 divided by 5,610, multiplied by 100 = 70.8%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Atlanta: $281,650; Nurse practitioner mean in Atlanta: $134,960
What to check before using this number
The mean sits $3,730 (3.3%) below the $111,810 median; these are not salary-range endpoints.
This row's 23.4% RSE exceeds the 2.3% group median; use it for estimate precision only.
This employment row is larger than the 945 group median at 3,970; do not convert job counts into current vacancies.
Mean–median = mean minus median. Group median = middle sorted value (average of middle pair); unavailable RSE excluded.
Licensing in Georgia: physician state licensing guidance; PA Compact guidance. Check the relevant board and facility for your role.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metro/state rows; wages, not total compensation.
Physician assistant salary questions in the Atlanta area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Atlanta area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $108,080 and a median of $111,810 for physician assistants in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. These are employee wages, not total compensation, a guaranteed offer or a salary range.
What is the hourly pay equivalent in the Atlanta area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $51.96 per hour for the mean and $53.75 for the median, rounded to cents. This is an arithmetic equivalent, not a quoted locums, per-diem or telemedicine rate.
How many physician assistants work in the Atlanta area?
BLS estimates 3,970 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Atlanta area pay compare with Georgia?
The Georgia state mean for physician assistants is $112,090, so this metro mean is 3.6% below the state figure. The metro is part of the state estimate, so the two overlap.
How reliable is this metro estimate?
The wage relative standard error for this row is 23.4%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Atlanta rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Atlanta ranks 49 of 50 by mean wage and 2 of 50 by employment in this site's role group. Rank = one plus metros with larger estimates; ties share rank. This is not every US metro.
Which other Georgia metros can I compare with Atlanta?
Atlanta is the only metro in this site's role group mapped to Georgia. The linked state page reports a $112,090 mean; a single listed metro does not mean the state has no other labor markets.
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