In 2014, U.S. News & World Report ranked physician assisting among the top twenty best paying jobs in the country. At that time, physician assistants working in Maryland earned an average annual salary of $84,550 and an average hourly wage of $40.65. As the state’s demand for physician assistant continues to rise, accessibility to high-paying jobs is also increasing.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the number of physician assistant jobs in Maryland is expected to climb from 3,120 in 2012 to 3,320 by 2022. This 6% employment growth trend is expected to produce nearly 80 annual job openings for physician assistants throughout this ten-year projection period.
Local Employment and Salary Information for Physician Assistants
Not surprisingly, the Baltimore-Towson region was among the top ten metropolitan areas in the nation with the highest number of physician assistants. At that time, physician assistants working here earned an average annual salary of $ 82,040 and an average hourly wage of $39.44.
Moreover, the city of Salisbury was among the top ten metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of physician assistant jobs in the country. In that year, physician assistants received an average annual salary of $77,120 and an average hourly wage of $37.08.
The following healthcare providers advertised online job postings for physician assistants across Maryland in September 2015:
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
- Access Now Urgent Care
- Family HealthCare
- Carroll Hospital center
- Johns Hopkins Health System
- National Spine and Pain Centers
- Maryland Children Health Center
- Elite MultiSpecialty Clinic, LLC
- Waldorf Women’s Care
Employers Pay More for Experienced Physician Assistants in MD
Physician assistants fresh out of college are unlikely to achieve the kind of robust salary offers that field veterans typically earn. This occupational pay disparity occurs because entry-level physician assistants lack the kind of evidentiary work experience that would make them invaluable to the medical community at large.
In 2014, the United States Department of Labor found entry-level physician assistants in Maryland earned an average annual salary of $35,400 and an average hourly wage of $17.04. Mid-level physician assistants were compensated with a higher annual salary of $88,800 and an average hourly wage of $42.69, while the most experienced physician assistants netted an even greater average annual salary of $121,800 and an average hourly wage of $58.55.
Physician Assistant Salaries in Metro and Nonmetro Areas of Maryland
Salary figures released by the United States Department of Labor in 2014 show that physician assistant salaries differed across major areas of the state: