In its latest ranking of best health care jobs, U.S. News and World Report ranked physician assistant the #1 health care job and the best jobs overall in America.
PAs are undoubtedly in high demand. As of the most recent estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are ~129,400 PAs working in the country. They are paid well, with a median salary of $113,00 and the number of employed PAs is expected to soar 37% by the year 2026.
So, what are the best cities for physician assistants to live in 2022?
SpareFoot teamed up with Indeed, one of my top 10 best websites for PA job search, to find the ten metro areas with the most job listings for physician assistants. Indeed and salary.com provided the average salary data for PAs in these markets.
These cities were ranked by the following factors:
- Job availability
- Average annual PA salary
- Median home price
- Median annual rent
Finally, they combined the rankings (giving double weight to job availability) to determine an overall ranking.
Median home prices and annual rent were sourced from Zillow.
10. New York, NY
This urban mecca has no shortage of physician assistant jobs, but at an impressive annual salary of $127,049, the Big Apple is still the least affordable place to live on the list.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 10.3% (Ranked 3rd)
- Average annual salary: $127,049 (Rank 1st)
- Median home price: $736,240
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 17% (Rank 10th)
- Median annual rent: $39,000
- Rent as a percentage of income: 38% (Rank 10th)
9. Orlando, FL
While “The City Beautiful” comes in ninth for average annual PA salary, its solid percentage of job openings for physician assistants gives Orlando a boost when compared to the rest of the country.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 8.7% (Rank 5th – tie)
- Average annual salary: $105,903 (Rank 10th)
- Median home price: $325,415
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 31% (Rank 5th)
- Median annual rent: $20,796
- Rent as a percentage of income: 20% (Rank 7th)
8. Baltimore, MD
Another city with above-average physician assistant job openings compared to the rest of the country, Baltimore continues to be a hot city for PAs.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 9.5% (Rank 4th)
- Average annual salary: $114,442 (Rank 5th)
- Median home price: $190,890
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 60% (Rank 1st)
- Median annual rent: $17,796
- Rent as a percentage of income: 15.5% (Rank 6th)
7. Riverside, CA
Riverside is a prime spot for physician assistants, where the average salary of $119,095 is higher than the $115,000 median salary reported by the BLS.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 6.3% (Rank 7th)
- Average annual salary: $119,095 (Rank 4th)
- Median home price: $580,853
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 21% (Rank 8th)
- Median annual rent: $23,856
- Rent as a percentage of income: 20% (Rank 5th)
5. Philadelphia, PA (tie)
Philadelphia tied for the smallest share of jobs among the top ten with 5.9 percent. The average annual salary of $119,251 isn't the highest on the list. But Philadelphia is relatively affordable to live in for a big city, coming in third place on the affordability of homes.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 5.9% (Rank 8th – tie)
- Average annual salary: $119,251 (Rank 3rd)
- Median home price: $228,079
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 52.3% (Rank 3rd)
- Median annual rent: $17,160
- Rent as a percentage of income: 14.39% (Rank 9th)
5. Charlotte, NC (tie)
With an above average salary for physician assistants compared to the rest of the country, Charlotte is the largest of the three North Carolinian cities to make our list.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 5.9% (Rank 8th – tie)
- Average annual salary: $109,051 (Rank 7th)
- Median home price: $343,760
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 32% (Rank 6th)
- Median annual rent: $16,464
- Rent as a percentage of income: 15% (Rank 8th)
4. Raleigh, NC
Is this another Raleigh vs. Durham flame war? Both cities rank exceptionally well for average annual salary and rent affordability, but Durham slightly edges Raleigh this time.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 8.7% (Rank 5th – tie)
- Average annual salary: $107,729 (Rank 8th)
- Median home price: $396,232
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 27% (Rank 7th)
- Median annual rent: $14,520
- Rent as a percentage of income: 13.5% (Rank 4th)
3. Pittsburgh, PA
The Pittsburgh metro area might not have the highest-paying salary on the list ($109,655), but the cost of housing is very affordable, coming in third place for both apartments and homes.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 5.9% (Rank 8th – tie)
- Average annual salary: $109,655 (Rank 3rd)
- Median home price: $222,884
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 49% (Rank 3rd)
- Median annual rent: $14,700
- Rent as a percentage of income: 13.4% (Rank 1st)
2. Durham, NC
Is there any doubt that North Carolina is the best state for PAs? Durham earns the number two spot by the sheer number of job openings for physician assistants, making up 22.5 percent of openings within the top ten.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 22.5% (Rank 1st)
- Average annual salary: $107,292 (Rank 9th)
- Median home price: $355,000
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 30.7% (Rank 9th)
- Median annual rent: $14,700
- Rent as a percentage of income: 11.7% (Rank 3rd)
1. Hartford – West Hartford – East Hartford, CT
Greater Hartford is an all-around strong choice for physician assistants, performing especially well on job availability and housing affordability. That $119,859 average annual salary will truly go a long way here.
- Percent share of job listings (rounded): 16.2% (Rank 2nd)
- Average annual salary: $119,859 (Rank 2nd)
- Median home price: $143,623
- Salary as a percentage of home price: 41.9% (Rank 3rd)
- Median annual rent: $12,000
- Rent as a percentage of income: 11.5% (Rank 2nd)
There you have it. If you are looking for a combination of a high salary, lots of PA jobs in balance with a good cost of living, any of these cities are a great option!
Thank you to Roger Telosa and the team at SquareFoot.com for compiling this list and allowing me to share it with you, my readers.
View all posts in this series
- Use this Interview Hack to Get The Physician Assistant Job of Your Dreams!
- The Physician Assistant Job or PA School Interview – Email Etiquette
- The Physician Assistant Interview: Thank You and Follow-up (With Sample)
- Your Main Goal on Your Path to PA Shouldn’t be Immediate Success or Money, But to Learn as Much as Possible
- Use VisualCV to Create a Stunning Physician Assistant Resume
- The 10 Best Websites for Physician Assistant Job Search in 2022
- The 10 Best Cities for PAs to Move to in 2022
- 10 Reasons Why Physician Assistant is the #2 Healthcare Job in 2023
- How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant Cover Letter
- The 4 Most Common Reasons PAs Quit Their Jobs
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