Physician vs. nurse practitioner vs. physician assistant pay: A cross-occupation comparison

Here are 19 numbers to know illustrating the income differences between physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Physicians:

  • Primary care physicians earned an average of $242,000 in 2021, according to Physicians Thrive's 2022 "Physician Compensation Report." This was a decrease from 2020's average of $243,000.
  • Specialists earned an average of $344,000 in 2021, down from $346,000 in 2020.

Nurse practitioners:

Physician assistant:

Here is the average salary of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in various earning percentiles, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ZipRecruiter

Occupation

 10th percentile 

 25th percentile 

 Median 

 75th percentile 

 90th percentile 

Physician 

 $62,620 

 $132,060 

 $215,912* 

 $250,000* 

 $316,000* 

Nurse practitioner

$79,470

$99,540

$120,680

$129,680

$163,350

Physician assistant

$77,940

$99,880

$121,530

$131,740

$164,620

Editor's note: * = Salary data gathered from ZipRecruiter.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Articles We Think You'll Like

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars