Physician assistant salary in the Detroit area
Start with Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI's BLS May 2025 employee wages: $132,280 mean annually and $131,830 median for physician assistants. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Detroit area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $132,280 |
| Median annual wage | $131,830 |
| Employment estimate | 2,400 |
| Wage relative standard error | 1.4% |
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 Detroit area row can tell you
BLS covers Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $132,280, which is above the median of $131,830; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 2,400 counts employee jobs, not open positions. The wage relative standard error is 1.4%, which describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile.
The Michigan state mean for physician assistants is $132,140, about the same as this metro mean. 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 Detroit compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 34 of 50; employment rank: 11 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): $31,290 (19.1%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $24,200 (22.4%) 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; Detroit is $9,000 (6.4%) below it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
Michigan mean: $132,140; employment: 6,310. Metro share = 2,400 divided by 6,310, multiplied by 100 = 38.0%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Detroit: $209,000; Internal medicine physician mean in Detroit: $184,440; Nurse practitioner mean in Detroit: $137,290
What to check before using this number
The mean sits $450 (0.3%) above the $131,830 median; these are not salary-range endpoints.
This row's 1.4% RSE falls below the 2.3% group median; use it for estimate precision only.
This employment row is larger than the 945 group median at 2,400; 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 Michigan: 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 Detroit area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Detroit area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $132,280 and a median of $131,830 for physician assistants in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. 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 Detroit area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $63.60 per hour for the mean and $63.38 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 Detroit area?
BLS estimates 2,400 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Detroit area pay compare with Michigan?
The Michigan state mean for physician assistants is $132,140, about the same as this metro mean. 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 1.4%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Detroit rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Detroit ranks 34 of 50 by mean wage and 11 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 Michigan metros can I compare with Detroit?
Grand Rapids: $129,820 mean wage. Mapped to Michigan; metro/state estimates overlap.
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