Physician assistant salary in the Pittsburgh area
Start with Pittsburgh, PA's BLS May 2025 employee wages: $120,080 mean annually and $125,230 median for physician assistants. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Pittsburgh area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $120,080 |
| Median annual wage | $125,230 |
| Employment estimate | 2,560 |
| 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 Pittsburgh area row can tell you
BLS covers Pittsburgh, PA as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $120,080, which is below the median of $125,230; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 2,560 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 Pennsylvania state mean for physician assistants is $125,160, so this metro mean is 4.1% 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 Pittsburgh compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 46 of 50; employment rank: 10 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): $43,490 (26.6%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $12,000 (11.1%) 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; Pittsburgh is $21,200 (15.0%) below it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
Pennsylvania mean: $125,160; employment: 9,020. Metro share = 2,560 divided by 9,020, multiplied by 100 = 28.4%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Pittsburgh: $281,280; Internal medicine physician mean in Pittsburgh: $293,820; Nurse practitioner mean in Pittsburgh: $123,580
What to check before using this number
Mean minus median is -$5,150; Pittsburgh's midpoint is $125,230, not a guaranteed offer.
At 1.9%, wage RSE is below the 2.3% group median, without explaining differences between jobs.
The 945 group median puts 2,560 employee jobs in context; above-median employment is not evidence of live hiring.
Mean–median = mean minus median. Group median = middle sorted value (average of middle pair); unavailable RSE excluded.
Licensing in Pennsylvania: 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 Pittsburgh area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Pittsburgh area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $120,080 and a median of $125,230 for physician assistants in Pittsburgh, PA. 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 Pittsburgh area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $57.73 per hour for the mean and $60.21 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 Pittsburgh area?
BLS estimates 2,560 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Pittsburgh, PA. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Pittsburgh area pay compare with Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania state mean for physician assistants is $125,160, so this metro mean is 4.1% 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 Pittsburgh rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Pittsburgh ranks 46 of 50 by mean wage and 10 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 Pennsylvania metros can I compare with Pittsburgh?
Philadelphia: $139,080 mean wage. Mapped to Pennsylvania; metro/state estimates overlap.
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