Physician assistant salary in the Memphis area
$120,440 is the annual employee-wage mean for physician assistants in Memphis, TN-MS-AR; BLS May 2025 reports the median separately at $121,900. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Memphis area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $120,440 |
| Median annual wage | $121,900 |
| Employment estimate | 290 |
| 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 Memphis area row can tell you
BLS covers Memphis, TN-MS-AR as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $120,440, which is below the median of $121,900; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 290 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 Tennessee state mean for physician assistants is $117,300, so this metro mean is 2.7% above 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 Memphis compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 45 of 50; employment rank: 47 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): $43,130 (26.4%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $12,360 (11.4%) 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; Memphis is $20,840 (14.8%) below it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
Knoxville: $112,760; Nashville: $124,670
Tennessee mean: $117,300; employment: 2,240. Metro share = 290 divided by 2,240, multiplied by 100 = 12.9%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Memphis: $344,940; Internal medicine physician mean in Memphis: $227,630; Nurse practitioner mean in Memphis: $121,660
What to check before using this number
The mean sits $1,460 (1.2%) below the $121,900 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 smaller than the 945 group median at 290; 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 Tennessee: 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 Memphis area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Memphis area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $120,440 and a median of $121,900 for physician assistants in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. 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 Memphis area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $57.90 per hour for the mean and $58.61 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 Memphis area?
BLS estimates 290 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Memphis, TN-MS-AR. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Memphis area pay compare with Tennessee?
The Tennessee state mean for physician assistants is $117,300, so this metro mean is 2.7% above 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 1.4%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Memphis rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Memphis ranks 45 of 50 by mean wage and 47 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 Tennessee metros can I compare with Memphis?
Knoxville: $112,760 mean wage; Nashville: $124,670 mean wage. Mapped to Tennessee; metro/state estimates overlap.
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