How Much Do Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

According to data from 2023, there were about 287,330 positions for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants was reported to be $126,256. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 236,344 job postings related to positions for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants.

How Much Money Do Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants.

Annual Salary for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants and related professions earned about $94,536 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $168,043 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants in the United States in 2023 was $126,256.

Hourly Salary for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

The BLS also breaks down compensation for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants in 2023 was $61. Lowest hourly earners took home $45 while the highest reported hourly salaries for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants was $81.

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Degree Options for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

Advertised Compensation for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

During a review of 195,979 job postings related to primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants, advertised salary was included in 68,483 of them, which was 35%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants was $136,064 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants. Based on 29% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants in the United States is about $65.

Salary Trend for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants have increased 13%.

What's the Job Growth for Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 287,902 jobs for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 126,048 jobs will be added. That's a 43.8% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants.

What do primary care nurse practitioners/physician assistants do?
Primary Care Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants: How do you become one?

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