Physician Assistants salary in Houston, TX
Median pay for physician assistants in Houston, TX: $130,830/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $109,290 – $173,790 · about 1,920 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($125,700) by +$5,130 (+4%).
What it's really worth in Houston
With Houston's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $130,830 has the buying power of about $131,179 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,061 · median home $308,306 · median rent $1,639/mo.
How Houston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Houston, TX is 44th of the 180 metros we hold physician assistants wages for. Once Houston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 85th.
The headline number flatters Houston. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, physician assistants here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Houston
A median home in Houston, TX costs $308,306 — about 2.4× 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 $1,639/mo works out at 15% 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 Houston.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Houston | Rent vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $208,000 | +59% | 2.2× |
| Vallejo, CA | $174,670 | +34% | 1.5× |
| Modesto, CA | $171,600 | +31% | 1.3× |
| San Francisco, CA | $171,470 | +31% | 2× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Houston | Rent vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville, TX | $150,600 | +15% | 0.9× |
| Tyler, TX | $138,340 | +6% | 0.8× |
| Beaumont, TX | $131,770 | +1% | 0.8× |
| Dallas, TX | $131,140 | +0% | 1× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires physician assistants around Houston
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Houston Methodist · Healthcare
- MD Anderson Cancer Center · Healthcare
Other jobs in Houston
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.