Physician assistant salary in the Buffalo area
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY records $127,510 as the mean annual employee wage and $126,360 as the median for physician assistants in BLS May 2025 data. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Buffalo area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $127,510 |
| Median annual wage | $126,360 |
| Employment estimate | 1,040 |
| Wage relative standard error | 1.9% |
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 Buffalo area row can tell you
BLS covers Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $127,510, which is above the median of $126,360; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 1,040 counts employee jobs, not open positions. The wage relative standard error is 1.9%, which describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile.
The New York state mean for physician assistants is $155,150, so this metro mean is 17.8% 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 Buffalo compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 41 of 50; employment rank: 23 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): $36,060 (22.0%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $19,430 (18.0%) above.
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; Buffalo is $13,770 (9.7%) below it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
Albany: $140,600; New York City: $163,570; Rochester: $132,760; Syracuse: $135,060
New York mean: $155,150; employment: 19,140. Metro share = 1,040 divided by 19,140, multiplied by 100 = 5.4%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Buffalo: $261,410; Internal medicine physician mean in Buffalo: $220,800; Nurse practitioner mean in Buffalo: $135,110
What to check before using this number
The $126,360 median trails the mean by $1,150; neither measure defines your contract.
Wage RSE is 1.9%, lower than the group's 2.3% median; it measures uncertainty, not a pay percentile.
Against 945 at the group median, Buffalo reports 1,040 employee jobs, a larger estimate, not openings.
Mean–median = mean minus median. Group median = middle sorted value (average of middle pair); unavailable RSE excluded.
Licensing in New York: 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 Buffalo area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Buffalo area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $127,510 and a median of $126,360 for physician assistants in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY. 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 Buffalo area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $61.30 per hour for the mean and $60.75 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 Buffalo area?
BLS estimates 1,040 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Buffalo area pay compare with New York?
The New York state mean for physician assistants is $155,150, so this metro mean is 17.8% 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 1.9%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Buffalo rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Buffalo ranks 41 of 50 by mean wage and 23 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 New York metros can I compare with Buffalo?
Albany: $140,600 mean wage; New York City: $163,570 mean wage; Rochester: $132,760 mean wage; Syracuse: $135,060 mean wage. Mapped to New York; metro/state estimates overlap.
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