Message from the President and CEO

In its fourth year, the 2017 Statistical Profile of Certified Physician Assistants by State, reaffirms what we’ve long known – the PA profession is thriving. In 2017, the number of Certified PAs in the United States and the District of Columbia increased by 7,542 (6.5%) including a 7.3% increase in women and 5.0% in men. When looking at the data at the state level, we see some interesting findings:

• Mississippi has seen the greatest growth in the number of Certified PAs residing in the state, with a 59.3% increase between 2014 and 2017, followed by Arkansas at 44.9%.
• Certified PAs have experienced a 12.5% salary increase in the last five years, with the highest average salaries being reported in Nevada ($120,395).

PAs continue to work in diverse health care settings and disciplines, but with all its advancements, the PA profession still has much work to do in areas of racial/ethnic diversity. The 2017 findings indicate that the racial mix of PAs has remained largely unchanged and have slightly regressed among some racial groups. California leads the states in racial diversity with 33.3% of the state’s Certified PA residents being persons of color, and California also has the highest percent of PAs who communicate with patients in languages other than English (52.6%). While this report sheds light on some of the interesting facts about Certified PAs at the state level, we encourage a review of the full report, particularly for those who endeavor to craft health care policy and engage in workforce planning. This report delivers useful state level information about the number of Certified PAs, their specialty, clinical setting, gender, race, salary, educational debt and more. As of 2016, this quarterly report now also includes the number of Certified PAs in each state who earned a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ). The number of CAQ recipients increased by 15.2% in 2017, with the most considerable growth in Pediatrics (+17.8%) and Emergency Medicine (+16.5%).

We are grateful to the over 91% of Certified PAs who updated and maintained their profiles, contributing to what remains the most comprehensive and accurate source of PA data nationwide. Your contributions, like the care you provide to the nation’s patients, are invaluable. Thank you for all that you do!

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About the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only certifying organization for the over 168,000 PAs in the United States. The PA-C credential is awarded by NCCPA to PAs who fulfill certification, certification maintenance and recertification requirements. NCCPA also administers the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) program for experienced, Board Certified PAs practicing in ten (11 in 2025) specialties. For more information, visit https://www.nccpa.net.