In 2014 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that at $107,390, the average salary for physician assistants in Texas was the fifth highest in the nation. Longview-based PAs actually enjoyed the second highest average salary of any metropolitan area nationwide, earning an average of $151,670 as of 2014. The rural areas of Texas also pay well, with physician assistants in the nonmetropolitan area of Eastern Texas earning the fifth highest average salary of any rural area nationwide that year.
Job growth for physician assistants is also expected to be much higher in Texas than in the country overall. The Texas Workforce Commission projected an increase of 44.1% in the number of jobs for physician assistants between 2012 and 2022. This is 16% higher than national growth rate projections published by the US Department of Labor.
Despite strong job growth projections, Texas is currently struggling with a shortage of physician assistants and physicians. In an analysis conducted by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, Texas ranked 38th nationally in terms of the number of PAs per capita.
Texas PAs are Among the Top Earners in their Profession Nationwide
Physician assistants in Texas earned a median salary that was 8.1% higher than the national median for this profession—$103,617 as of 2014 according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Experience is perhaps the single biggest factor in earnings for physician assistants in Texas, as evidenced by the fact that the most experienced professionals representing the 90th percentile ($122,600) earned nearly 60% more than those just entering practice ($76,987).
Salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that physician assistants in Tyler earned a higher median salary than their colleagues in other parts of Texas. Physician assistants within the 90th percentile in Longview, Fort Worth, and Brownsville earned more on average than the maximum values reported by the BLS:
*These values are equal to or greater than $90/hour or $187,199 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salary data above these values.