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Physician Assistants salary in Tucson, AZ

Median pay for physician assistants in Tucson, AZ: $130,700/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $101,710 – $164,770 · about 310 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($125,700) by +$5,000 (+4%).

What it's really worth in Tucson

With Tucson's cost of living at 95 (US=100), that $130,700 has the buying power of about $137,677 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $64,323 · median home $343,580 · median rent $1,473/mo.

Full Tucson cost of living & taxes →

How Tucson ranks for this job

On raw pay, Tucson, AZ is 47th of the 180 metros we hold physician assistants wages for. Once Tucson's cost of living is applied, it ranks 39th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Tucson sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Tucson

A median home in Tucson, AZ costs $343,580 — about 2.6× 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 $1,473/mo works out at 14% 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 Tucson.

MetroMedian payvs TucsonRent vs Tucson
San Jose, CA $208,000 +59% 2.5×
Vallejo, CA $174,670 +34% 1.6×
Modesto, CA $171,600 +31% 1.4×
San Francisco, CA $171,470 +31% 2.2×

Same job elsewhere in AZ

MetroMedian payvs TucsonRent vs Tucson
Phoenix, AZ $128,620 −2% 1.2×

Staying in AZ keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Who hires physician assistants around Tucson

Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.

Other jobs in Tucson

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.