AAPA

Overview:

Results of the 2002 AAPA Physician Assistant Census Survey indicate the mean total income for clinically practicing PAs who work full-time (32 or more hours per week) for their primary employer and who graduated in 2001 is $63,168 (standard deviation of $15,345); the median is $61,363. A summary of the personal and practice characteristics of the new graduate respondents and a set of tables showing summary measures of their incomes in total and by region of the country, and general specialty practiced are presented below.

Personal Characteristics:

• Sex: Sixty-seven percent of these new graduate respondents were female.Ethnicity: Eighty-five percent of these new graduate respondents were white.
• Age: The mean age of these respondents was 32 years; the median was 30.

Practice Characteristics:

• Employer Type: A single or multi-specialty physician group practice employed forty-five percent of these respondents. Twenty percent of the respondents were employed by hospitals, and 17 percent were employed by a solo physician practice.
• Work Setting: The predominant work setting for the respondents was a solo or group practice office (45%). More than one-third of the respondents (37.9%) worked in a hospital, and about another 9 percent of the respondents worked in some type of Federally Qualified Health Center or community health facility.
• Hours Worked: The mean hours worked per week by these respondents was 45.9; the median was 45.
• Call: Twenty-seven percent of these respondents reported taking some call. The mean hours on call per month was 99; the median was 75.

Table 1. Summary Measures of Total Annual Income from Primary Employer for Respondents Who Graduated in 2001 and Work at Least 32 Hours per Week at Primary Clinical Job*

	Total
Count	1757
Mean	$63,168
Std Dev	$15,345
10th p-tile	$50,169
25th p-tile	$55,087
Median	$61,363
75th p-tile	$68,082
90th p-tile	$76,626

*Excludes self-employed PAs.

Table 2. Summary Measures of Total Annual Income from Primary Employer at Primary Clinical Job for Respondents Who Graduated in 2001, by Region *

	Northeast	Southeast	North Central	South Central	West	Total
Count	207	216	219	132	120	1757
Mean	$60,842	$63,724	$63,066	$64,603	$65,542	$63,168
Std Dev	$13,322	$18,690	$14,200	$15,261	$11,305	$15,345
10th p-tile	$49,288	$50,349	$51,141	$51,716	$53,000	$50,169
25th p-tile	$53,445	$54,960	$55,517	$56,577	$57,050	$55,087
Median	$59,230	$60,672	$61,232	$62,686	$64,726	$61,363
75th p-tile	$65,479	$66,484	$67,024	$68,937	$73,585	$68,082
90th p-tile	$72,314	$74,028	$73,809	$78,822	$81,445	$76,626

*Excludes self-employed PAs and part-time PAs.

Table 3. Summary Measures of Total Annual Income from Primary Employer at Primary Clinical Job for Respondents Who Graduated in 2001, by General Specialty Practiced*

	Count	Mean	Std Dev	10th p-tile	25th p-tile	Median	75th p-tile	90th p-tile
Family/general medicine	439	$59,611	$13,022	$45,842	$52,281	$59,054	$65,249	$73,621
General internal medicine	144	$60,456	$11,951	$48,944	$53,280	$59,657	$65,793	$70,729
Emergency medicine	143	$68,835	$17,059	$53,390	$60,708	$65,934	$73,422	$83,720
General pediatrics	43	$58,787	$17,541	$46,165	$50,324	$57,948	$64,321	$69,615
General surgery	78	$62,040	$10,628	$51,120	$56,504	$60,717	$68,307	$75,851
Internal medicine subspecialties	223	$61,110	$10,391	$51,559	$56,056	$60,312	$65,329	$70,820
Pediatric subspecialties	26	$60,446	$6,492	$51,974	$58,658	$60,455	$64,795	$67,710
Surgical subspecialties	397	$67,742	$17,319	$53,836	$58,239	$64,814	$73,178	$82,036
Obstetrics and gynecology	45	$61,600	$22,871	$44,304	$50,746	$55,824	$65,722	$76,786
Industrial/occupational medicine	19	$63,496	$7,412	$51,231	$58,330	$63,201	$69,277	$74,864
Other	179	$64,705	$18,767	$49,176	$54,413	$61,591	$69,506	$79,292

*Excludes self-employed PAs and part-time PAs.