Physician assistant salary in Texas
Texas physician assistants earn a median of $134,550 a year ($64.69 an hour), according to BLS data for May 2025. That is about the same as the national median of $135,880, and ranks 27th of 51 states.
Median, Texas
$134,550
Mean $135,850
Middle half earns
$122,720 to $156,000
US: $120,670 to $163,980
Employed in Texas
10,110
0.69x the national concentration
Where Texas sits in the range
Texas
Statewide
United States
National
Dallas
Metro area
Houston
Metro area
Austin
Metro area
San Antonio
Metro area
Physician assistant pay by percentile
Ten percent of Texas physician assistants earned less than $102,650 and ten percent earned more than $169,000, a spread of $66,350. Where you land depends mostly on specialty, setting, experience and how the productivity pay is built, which is why two offers in the same city can be far apart.
| Percentile | Texas | United States | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $102,650 | $99,380 | +3.3% |
| 25th | $122,720 | $120,670 | +1.7% |
| Median | $134,550 | $135,880 | -1.0% |
| 75th | $156,000 | $163,980 | -4.9% |
| 90th | $169,000 | $190,280 | -11.2% |
Physician assistant pay by metro area
BLS published PA pay for 21 metro areas that include part of Texas. Midland, TX has the highest median at $158,200. Metro estimates rest on smaller samples than the statewide figure, so treat a low-precision row as a direction, not a number.
| Metro area | Employed | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,230 | $134,900 | $128,190 to $156,000 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 2,390 | $137,240 | $109,990 to $160,390 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TXmoderate precision | 680 | $134,550 | $130,130 to $157,840 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXmoderate precision | 650 | $140,160 | $128,070 to $154,110 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TXmoderate precision | 400 | $131,870 | $126,980 to $136,130 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 350 | $140,200 | $137,300 to $165,120 |
| Amarillo, TXmoderate precision | 240 | $132,990 | $127,480 to $140,620 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TXmoderate precision | 200 | $127,370 | $104,390 to $147,770 |
| El Paso, TXlow precision | 170 | $107,220 | $104,770 to $132,740 |
| Corpus Christi, TXmoderate precision | 150 | $134,360 | $123,760 to $158,600 |
| Tyler, TXmoderate precision | 130 | $133,460 | $121,720 to $145,570 |
| Lubbock, TX | 120 | $137,510 | $108,220 to $140,320 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TXmoderate precision | 90 | $132,920 | $124,070 to $158,540 |
| Waco, TXmoderate precision | 90 | $131,000 | $119,300 to $139,270 |
| Laredo, TXlow precision | 80 | $124,120 | $100,120 to $135,630 |
| Longview, TXmoderate precision | 70 | $128,180 | $113,840 to $144,850 |
| Abilene, TXmoderate precision | 60 | $127,550 | $121,370 to $147,310 |
| Midland, TXmoderate precision | 60 | $158,200 | $120,830 to $170,590 |
| Wichita Falls, TXmoderate precision | 50 | $128,780 | $115,680 to $150,080 |
| Texarkana, TX-ARmoderate precision | 40 | $124,870 | $103,590 to $140,920 |
| Odessa, TXmoderate precision | 40 | $129,380 | $78,580 to $151,180 |
How PA pay compares with other clinicians in Texas
| Occupation | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Physician assistant | $134,550 | $135,880 |
| Nurse practitioner | $131,670 | $132,300 |
| Nurse anesthetist (CRNA) | $244,990 | $236,590 |
| Registered nurse | $95,970 | $97,550 |
The Texas PA workforce
BLS counts 10,110 physician assistants on Texas payrolls, or 0.72 for every 1,000 jobs in the state, less concentrated than in the country as a whole. The federal NPI registry, which also counts self-employed and part-time clinicians, lists 13,809 physician assistants with a Texas practice address, and 478 new PA NPIs there in the past twelve months.
Using these numbers when you negotiate
A state median is a reference point, not a target. If an offer comes in under $122,720, it sits in the bottom quarter of what Texas physician assistants earn, and you should know why before you sign: a new-grad rate, a light schedule, or a base kept low because a productivity bonus is supposed to make up the difference. If it is above $156,000, ask what is expected in return, such as call, volume targets or a longer non-compete.
Compare the whole package, not the base: how the bonus is calculated, call pay, CME, PTO and who pays malpractice tail coverage. The negotiation guide and the contract checklist walk through each term.
Questions about PA pay in Texas
How much does a PA make in Texas?
The median annual wage for physician assistants in Texas was $134,550 in May 2025, and the mean was $135,850, per the BLS. The middle half earned between $122,720 and $156,000.
What is the hourly rate for physician assistants in Texas?
The median hourly wage was $64.69 and the mean was $65.31. BLS computes hourly figures from annual pay assuming a full-time year, so per-shift or per-diem rates can differ.
Where do PAs earn the most in Texas?
Among Texas metro areas with published data, Midland, TX had the highest median at $158,200, and El Paso, TX the lowest at $107,220.
How does Texas rank for PA pay?
Texas ranks 27th of 51 states (including DC) by median PA pay, about the same as the national median of $135,880. Pay is only half the picture: compare it with what housing and taxes cost where you would live.
How many physician assistants work in Texas?
BLS estimated 10,110 physician assistants employed in Texas in May 2025. The federal NPI registry lists 13,809 with a Texas practice address.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (bls.gov/oes), SOC 29-1071, all industries and ownerships. NPI counts: NPPES monthly file, August 2026 (CMS, public domain). BLS wages are straight-time pay: they include production bonuses but leave out overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits, and they exclude the self-employed.
Have an offer on the table?
Book a free intro call with Max. Tell him what you are weighing, and he will tell you whether coaching would help, or whether you just need a few answers.