Occupational Medicine PA Salary Guide

The average annual PA salary is $126,010 per year in the U.S., according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, PAs make a total of $134,000 per year, according to Medscape’s 2023 physician assistant compensation report.  

This data represents PAs as a whole and can provide an estimate of the annual compensation for occupational medicine PAs. 

Locum tenens occupational medicine PAs can make upwards of $77 per hour on average, however, there are many factors that impact rates including location, years of experience, and the level of demand.

If you were to extrapolate that rate over a year (at 40 hours per week), the average locum salary comes out to around $160,160

That means locum tenens occupational medicine PAs can make up to 27% more than the average provider. However, making direct salary comparisons can be complicated. While perm occupational medicine PAs are more likely to be salaried, locum tenens occupational medicine PAs are independent contractors earning an hourly rate, which can vary based on which assignments they take in a year. 

Furthermore, because locum tenens occupational medicine PAs are paid by the hour, the hours they work are directly reflected in their pay, while a salaried occupational medicine PAs additional hours may not be reflected in their salary.

Finally, paid time off and insurance may be reflected in the perm occupational medicine PAs salary structure, but locum tenens providers do have options when it comes to health insurance. 

The most recent state breakdown of PA salaries comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, though the BLS was not able to collect enough data for all 50 states. While the BLS did not report on occupational medicine PAs specifically,  the top 5 highest paying states for PAs salary are:

• Alaska (PA Salary of $131,340- $145,390) 
• California (PA Salary of $131,340- $145,390) 
• Connecticut (PA Salary of $131,340- $145,390) 
• Nevada (PA Salary of $131,340- $145,390) 
• Washington (PA Salary of $131,340- $145,390) 

This data can provide insight on the possible highest paying states for occupational medicine PAs.

The American Associates of Physician Associates ranked occupational medicine PAs within the top 5 of the highest paying specialties in their PA salary report. The top five highest earning specialties (cardiovascular/cardiothoracic surgery, dermatology, emergency medicine, occupational, medicine, and critical care) earned up to $152,000 in annual compensation.

The average PA salary increased by 4% from 2022 to 2023. Based on this information, family practice PAs can expect to make $139,360 in annual compensation in 2024. Also, Medscape reports that 59% of PAs had an increase in their annual salaries from the previous year, indicating occupational medicine PA salaries will continue to rise in the future.