Physician assistant salary in the Portland-Vancouver area
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA records $160,130 as the mean annual employee wage and $163,810 as the median for physician assistants in BLS May 2025 data. These are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Portland-Vancouver area wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $160,130 |
| Median annual wage | $163,810 |
| Employment estimate | 1,110 |
| Wage relative standard error | 3.2% |
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 Portland-Vancouver area row can tell you
BLS covers Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA as one metropolitan area. The published mean is $160,130, which is below the median of $163,810; BLS does not say why. The employment estimate of 1,110 counts employee jobs, not open positions. The wage relative standard error is 3.2%, which describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile.
The Oregon state mean for physician assistants is $155,300, so this metro mean is 3.1% 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 Portland-Vancouver compares
Rank within this role group
Mean wage rank: 3 of 50; employment rank: 21 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): $3,440 (2.1%) below; versus lowest-mean Birmingham ($108,080): $52,050 (48.2%) 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; Portland-Vancouver is $18,850 (13.3%) above it, using the same gap formulas.
Same-state context
This is the only metro in this role group mapped to Oregon; see the Oregon state pay page.
Oregon mean: $155,300; employment: 2,250. Metro share = 1,110 divided by 2,250, multiplied by 100 = 49.3%. Overlapping estimates; multi-state ratios are not resident shares.
Same metro, other roles
Family medicine physician mean in Portland-Vancouver: $268,240; Internal medicine physician mean in Portland-Vancouver: $289,770; Nurse practitioner mean in Portland-Vancouver: $160,020
What to check before using this number
Mean minus median is -$3,680; Portland-Vancouver's midpoint is $163,810, not a guaranteed offer.
At 3.2%, wage RSE is above the 2.3% group median, without explaining differences between jobs.
The 945 group median puts 1,110 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 Oregon: 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 Portland-Vancouver area
What is the average physician assistant salary in the Portland-Vancouver area?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $160,130 and a median of $163,810 for physician assistants in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA. 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 Portland-Vancouver area?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $76.99 per hour for the mean and $78.75 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 Portland-Vancouver area?
BLS estimates 1,110 physician assistants employed as wage and salary employees in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA. This counts employee jobs, not open positions or current vacancies.
How does the Portland-Vancouver area pay compare with Oregon?
The Oregon state mean for physician assistants is $155,300, so this metro mean is 3.1% 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 3.2%. RSE describes how uncertain the estimate is. It is not a pay percentile or a negotiating band.
Where does Portland-Vancouver rank for physician assistant mean wages?
Portland-Vancouver ranks 3 of 50 by mean wage and 21 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 Oregon metros can I compare with Portland-Vancouver?
Portland-Vancouver is the only metro in this site's role group mapped to Oregon. The linked state page reports a $155,300 mean; a single listed metro does not mean the state has no other labor markets.
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