Message from the President and CEO

We are pleased to provide the 2020 Statistical Profile of Certified PAs by State. Now in its seventh year of publication, the report has been updated with a new format and additional information on the PA profession, and we hope these changes enhance the quality of the report for our audiences. This is the third year that our report also includes data on the number of PA licenses by state, and we would like to acknowledge and express our appreciation to the Federation of State Medical Boards for providing this data. Recognizing that an individual PA may hold licenses in multiple states, the FSMB data enriches the utility of this report by showing the number of PAs available in the healthcare workforce by state. Each of our reports highlights the ways PAs are impacting health care throughout the U.S., and this report sheds light at the local level contributions. In the five-year period from 2016-2020, the number of Certified PAs residing in Rhode Island and Mississippi have grown over 50%. During that same five year period, the number of Certified PAs with an Iowa address increased by 23.6%; however, in just one year, from 2019-2020, the number of PA licenses in Iowa increased by 46%. Although the overall percent of PAs working in primary care has decreased slightly, in some of the more rural states, such as Alaska, North Dakota, and Wyoming, over 40% of the PAs are working in primary care. While PAs in every state reported some level of participation in telemedicine, these states were also among the highest participation levels ranging from 29.4% to 39.2%. Overall, the PA profession is young, which means they will be impacting healthcare for years to come, with only 5.8% planning to retire within the next five years. Job satisfaction remains high for the PA profession, with 72.9% being satisfied for the U.S., and every state had at least a 50% satisfaction rating. Throughout the U.S., in every state, at least 40% of the PAs are under the age of 40, and in Arkansas, that increases to 74%. The percent of PAs across the country who are experiencing at least one symptom of burnout in 2020 was 26.6%, ranging from 17% in Arkansas to 34% in Maine and New Hampshire. It will be important to continue monitoring burnout trends, especially considering the unprecedented challenges PAs faced due to the pandemic. With every report, it is imperative that we acknowledge the dedicated Certified PAs who take the time from their busy schedules to contribute data that makes these reports and research into the PA workforce possible. We want to thank all of the Certified PAs, not only for their contributions to this effort, but also for the tremendous difference they make in caring for patients every day. We trust that the information provided in this report can be used to help inform others on the valuable contributions of PAs as healthcare providers throughout the U.S.

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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.