Physician Assistants
Also called: Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C), Family Practice Physician Assistant, Physician Assistant (PA), Physician's AssistantProvide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, and counsel patients. May, in some cases, prescribe medication. Must graduate from an accredited educational program for physician assistants.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 3 of its 12 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 21.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Physician assistants”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 93% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $104,960 | $98,710 to $122,830 | 930 |
| Alaska | $150,700 | $126,530 to $169,930 | 700 |
| Arizona | $134,650 | $123,990 to $156,500 | 3,750 |
| Arkansas | $118,430 | $103,810 to $133,270 | 850 |
| California | $165,650 | $136,730 to $206,990 | 13,600 |
| Colorado | $134,540 | $124,100 to $156,400 | 3,270 |
| Connecticut | $139,860 | $129,370 to $165,140 | 3,570 |
| Delaware | $139,350 | $128,800 to $156,880 | 860 |
| District of Columbia | $135,140 | $127,990 to $165,890 | 470 |
| Florida | $129,620 | $111,360 to $156,920 | 9,310 |
| Georgia | $115,390 | $62,230 to $141,740 | 5,610 |
| Hawaii | $164,050 | $126,780 to $170,060 | 530 |
| Idaho | $133,790 | $126,820 to $146,230 | 1,320 |
| Illinois | $131,950 | $122,780 to $145,600 | 3,790 |
| Indiana | $132,050 | $123,220 to $166,230 | 2,110 |
| Iowa | $134,770 | $120,060 to $159,950 | 1,200 |
| Kansas | $125,640 | $107,110 to $137,390 | 890 |
| Kentucky | $120,760 | $102,430 to $136,080 | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $128,870 | $117,130 to $144,100 | 1,360 |
| Maine | $131,170 | $121,340 to $140,640 | 1,030 |
| Maryland | $137,560 | $125,140 to $160,090 | 2,950 |
| Massachusetts | $142,410 | $128,020 to $169,980 | 4,470 |
| Michigan | $131,510 | $119,990 to $143,030 | 6,310 |
| Minnesota | $141,190 | $131,720 to $163,690 | 3,660 |
| Mississippi | $105,920 | $82,580 to $132,680 | 320 |
| Missouri | $135,130 | $121,680 to $163,170 | 2,300 |
| Montana | $141,470 | $129,750 to $156,350 | 600 |
| Nebraska | $133,040 | $112,820 to $146,790 | 1,330 |
| Nevada | $134,660 | $117,280 to $163,550 | 1,090 |
| New Hampshire | $150,960 | $134,050 to $170,790 | 1,060 |
| New Jersey | $165,690 | $134,710 to $192,370 | 4,790 |
| New Mexico | $139,920 | $106,240 to $153,560 | 700 |
| New York | $160,880 | $134,480 to $174,710 | 19,140 |
| North Carolina | $129,360 | $110,320 to $140,030 | 7,490 |
| North Dakota | $133,450 | $107,030 to $155,010 | 510 |
| Ohio | $132,090 | $109,780 to $150,000 | 4,900 |
| Oklahoma | $136,550 | $129,250 to $161,560 | 1,770 |
| Oregon | $155,780 | $134,390 to $169,550 | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $127,070 | $107,260 to $137,220 | 9,020 |
| Rhode Island | $139,930 | $129,690 to $167,710 | 810 |
| South Carolina | $122,490 | $105,560 to $134,100 | 2,250 |
| South Dakota | $133,200 | $112,570 to $142,330 | 680 |
| Tennessee | $118,240 | $102,690 to $132,500 | 2,240 |
| Texas | $134,550 | $122,720 to $156,000 | 10,110 |
| Utah | $134,740 | $123,570 to $152,480 | 1,610 |
| Vermont | $150,490 | $131,400 to $166,050 | 410 |
| Virginia | $135,940 | $120,580 to $162,790 | 4,340 |
| Washington | $164,360 | $138,050 to $177,930 | 3,540 |
| West Virginia | $128,610 | $108,960 to $148,160 | 1,080 |
| Wisconsin | $133,950 | $125,640 to $156,800 | 3,580 |
| Wyoming | $136,080 | $119,990 to $158,550 | 330 |
Nationally: $135,880. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 3 of its 12 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Interpret diagnostic test results for deviations from normal. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Prescribe therapy or medication with physician approval. | Not published |
| AI + software | Obtain, compile, and record patient medical data, including health history, progress notes, and results of physical examination. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine patients to obtain information about their physical condition. | Not published |
| AI + software | Administer or order diagnostic tests, such as x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| Not much | Instruct and counsel patients about prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, suturing and wound care, and infection management. | Not published |
| Not much | Visit and observe patients on hospital rounds or house calls, updating charts, ordering therapy, and reporting back to physician. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide physicians with assistance during surgery or complicated medical procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise and coordinate activities of technicians and technical assistants. | Not published |
| Not much | Order medical and laboratory supplies and equipment. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments |
Show all 13 activities
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer34%
- Advice or a recommendation30%
- An analysis or summary23%
- A document or report6%
- A plan or strategy1%
How they worked with Claude
17% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for physician assistants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 15,112 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 7%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 17,684 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
- 2 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 5%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% bachelor's
- 81% master's
- 14% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 37 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 2% high school
- 1% some college
- 1% associate's
- 17% bachelor's
- 61% master's
- 13% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,779 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Physician Assistant.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 37.0% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 0.8% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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