Physician Assistant

What the Numbers Say About Physician Assistant

Federal agencies employ 3,956 people in the Physician Assistant occupation (OPM code 603), accounting for 0.2% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -0.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Physician Assistant is $160,193 per year, placing it 45.8% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 19.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 9 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Physician Assistant sits inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 6), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Physician Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Physician Assistant ranks #16 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.1% of the family's combined 356,984 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (87th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.