SOC 29-1071 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · May 2025
How much do Physician Assistants make in Asheville, NC?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Physician Assistants in Asheville, NC is $131,260. The 10th percentile is $102,420 and the 90th percentile is $174,370. Employment is 460.
Median annual wage
$131,260
- 10th percentile
- $102,420
- 25th percentile
- $121,590
- Median
- $131,260
- 75th percentile
- $140,110
- 90th percentile
- $174,370
- Mean
- $133,670
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Physician Assistants, the published 10th percentile is $102,420 and the 90th percentile is $174,370. The difference is $71,950, which is 54.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $121,590 to the 75th at $140,110, covers $18,520.
The mean annual wage is $133,670, which sits above the median of $131,260. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Asheville, NC median is 3.4% lower than the national median of $135,880 for Physician Assistants. In 2024 national prices the local median is $136,012, which is 0.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 1.5% higher than the North Carolina median of $129,360.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Asheville, NC is 96.506, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $131,260 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Physician Assistants at $136,012 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
26 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Physician Assistants. Asheville, NC ranks 6th of 27 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Johnson City, TN is 47 miles away, with a median of $100,060 and employment of 130. That median is 23.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $113,798, against $136,012 here.
- Morristown, TN is 57 miles away, with a median of $103,350 and employment of 30. That median is 21.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $119,668, against $136,012 here.
- Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC is 64 miles away, with a median of $127,210 and employment of 190. That median is 3.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $143,763, against $136,012 here.
Employment share
Physician Assistants accounts for 0.25% of wage-and-salary employment in Asheville, NC (460 of 180,620). Nationally the occupation is 0.10% of employment (162,150 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.44 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Asheville, NC · Physician Assistants by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Physician Assistants make in Asheville, NC?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Physician Assistants in Asheville, NC is $131,260. The 10th percentile is $102,420 and the 90th percentile is $174,370. Employment is 460.
How does that compare with the national median for Physician Assistants?
The local median is 3.4% lower than the national median of $135,880.
What is Physician Assistants pay in Asheville, NC after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Asheville, NC is 96.506, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $131,260 is $136,012. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Asheville, NC compare with nearby metros for Physician Assistants?
Johnson City, TN is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 47 miles away, at $100,060. Asheville, NC ranks 6th of 27 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.