Physician Assistants vs. Registered Nurses: Pay, Job Outlook and Training Compared (2025 BLS Data)
- Physician Assistants had the higher median annual wage in May 2025: $135,880, versus $97,550 for registered nurses.
- There are more registered nurses: about 3,379,720 U.S. jobs, versus 162,150 for physician assistants.
- BLS projects employment of physician assistants to change by 21.1% and employment of registered nurses by 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
Choosing between physician assistants and registered nurses, or thinking about switching? This side-by-side uses the federal government’s BLS OEWS national data, May 2025 for pay and job counts and BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 for growth, openings and typical entry requirements. BLS occupation titles: “Physician Assistants” (SOC 29-1071) and “Registered Nurses” (SOC 29-1141). More detail: Physician Assistants (BLS) and Registered Nurses (BLS).
Pay side by side
| May 2025 | Physician Assistants | Registered Nurses |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. jobs | 162,150 | 3,379,720 |
| 10th percentile (annual) | $99,380 | $68,940 |
| 25th percentile | $120,670 | $80,330 |
| Median (annual) | $135,880 | $97,550 |
| Median (hourly) | $65.33 | $46.90 |
| 75th percentile | $163,980 | $112,350 |
| 90th percentile | $190,280 | $137,470 |
| Mean (average) | $141,280 | $101,420 |
Percentile wages: for example, 10% of workers earn less than the 10th-percentile figure. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Outlook and how you get in
| BLS Employment Projections | Physician Assistants | Registered Nurses |
|---|---|---|
| Projected job growth, 2025–35 | 21.1% | 5.6% |
| Openings per year (avg.) | 11.5 thousand | 180.8 thousand |
| Typical entry education | Master's degree | Bachelor's degree |
| Work experience in a related job | none | none |
| Typical on-the-job training | none | none |
Openings include jobs that open up when workers retire or change occupations, not just new positions, which is why a field with slow growth can still hire a lot of people every year.
Where each job pays best
The three states with the highest median wage for each occupation (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| Rank | Physician Assistants | Registered Nurses |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey – $165,690 | California – $140,270 |
| 2 | California – $165,650 | Hawaii – $136,320 |
| 3 | Washington – $164,360 | Oregon – $129,010 |
By industry, physician assistants earned the highest median in Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services ($158,550) and registered nurses in Government (federal, state and local; excludes public schools, public hospitals and the Postal Service) ($110,780), counting sectors with at least 1,000 jobs in the occupation (BLS OEWS industry data).
Which should you pick?
- Look past the median. Compare the 25th and 75th percentiles too: they show what a typical early-career and an experienced worker earn in each field.
- Count the cost of entry. The education and training rows above tell you how long it takes to start earning. A longer path can still pay off if the pay gap is large.
- Check your area. State pay differs a lot from the national figure; use the state table and your local job ads before deciding.
- Already in one of these jobs? If your pay is below the 25th percentile for your field, that is a concrete number to bring to a raise conversation.
Published November 9, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point, from metro-level data: among metro areas with at least 300 jobs in the occupation, the highest median for physician assistants was in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($223,640, 1,030 jobs), and for registered nurses it was in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($216,740, 22,930 jobs). Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan-area data, May 2025.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk