Physician assistants in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery reported the highest mean income of any specialty in 2025 at $162,045, compared with $134,010 across all PAs, according to the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants’ 2025 Statistical Profile of Board Certified PAs by Specialty.
The report, released Aug. 12, reflects responses from PAs board certified as of Dec. 31, 2025, who updated their professional profile between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2025. Of 201,038 board certified PAs, 168,768 responded to at least part of the profile, an 83.9% response rate. PAs were asked to estimate total income from all PA positions combined for the previous calendar year.
Mean income rose in every specialty measured between 2021 and 2025, with the largest proportional gains in oncology, up 17.6%, and geriatrics, up 16.9%.
Here are the mean PA incomes by specialty in 2025:
Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery — $162,045
Dermatology — $154,694
Critical care medicine — $150,420
Neurosurgery — $146,398
Emergency medicine — $141,873
Orthopaedic surgery — $139,968
General surgery — $139,899
Plastic surgery — $138,518
Hospital medicine — $135,652
Psychiatry — $133,720
Oncology — $133,378
Cardiology — $132,083
Geriatrics — $132,073
Pain medicine — $131,361
Occupational medicine — $130,761
Urology — $130,504
Internal medicine, general practice — $128,381
Otolaryngology — $127,319
Neurology — $125,409
Physical medicine and rehabilitation — $125,278
Family medicine and general practice — $124,931
Primary care — $124,468
Gastroenterology — $124,102
Obstetrics and gynecology — $121,727
Pediatrics, general — $111,626
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