Physician Assistants salary in Asheville, NC
Median pay for physician assistants in Asheville, NC: $124,750/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $86,110 – $155,150 · about 510 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($125,700) by −$950 (-1%).
What it's really worth in Asheville
With Asheville's cost of living at 97 (US=100), that $124,750 has the buying power of about $128,091 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $64,538 · median home $428,742 · median rent $1,708/mo.
How Asheville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Asheville, NC is 96th of the 180 metros we hold physician assistants wages for. Once Asheville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 95th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Asheville sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Asheville
A median home in Asheville, NC costs $428,742 — about 3.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,708/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where physician assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Asheville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Asheville | Rent vs Asheville |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $208,000 | +67% | 2.1× |
| Vallejo, CA | $174,670 | +40% | 1.4× |
| Modesto, CA | $171,600 | +38% | 1.2× |
| San Francisco, CA | $171,470 | +37% | 1.9× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Asheville | Rent vs Asheville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winston-Salem, NC | $134,010 | +7% | 0.9× |
| Charlotte, NC | $130,010 | +4% | 1× |
| Greensboro, NC | $127,510 | +2% | 0.8× |
| Fayetteville, NC | $125,980 | +1% | 0.9× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires physician assistants around Asheville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Mission Health Hospital · Healthcare
- Buncombe County Schools · Education
Other jobs in Asheville
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 180 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.