Physician Assistant.
Raleigh.
$137,000
median salary, 3% above the national average
$117,000 to $165,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Raleigh is 1% cheaper than the national average. For Physician Assistants, that shakes out to a median of $137,000, with the full range spanning $117,000 to $165,000. Surgical subspecialties and emergency medicine pay the highest PA salaries, often 20 to 30% above primary care. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Physician Assistant in Raleigh, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $124,300 for Physician Assistants (SOC 29-1071) in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metropolitan area, based on 1,220 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$105,730
25th percentile
$114,100
Median
$124,300
75th percentile
$138,120
90th percentile
$156,000
Workers surveyed
1,220
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Physician Assistants (SOC 29-1071) rather than Physician Assistant specifically. The Raleigh range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1071Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $123,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$89,000
to $110,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$116,000
to $144,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$151,000
to $178,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$171,000
to $212,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $37,000 to the total package.
Base
$137,000
Equity
$21,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $174,000
How Raleigh compares.
Raleigh, NC
$137,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$133,000
Raleigh is $4,000 above
Physician Assistant salary by city.
Salary by role in Raleigh.
What you should know.
Here is what the Physician Assistant market actually looks like in Raleigh. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. Cisco, Red Hat, Epic Games, and numerous biotech firms drive strong demand for engineering, research, and product roles. The combination of top tier universities and moderate living costs creates an exceptionally favorable salary to expense ratio. Surgical subspecialties and emergency medicine pay the highest PA salaries, often 20 to 30% above primary care. Geographic location matters significantly, with rural and underserved areas offering premium pay to attract talent. Experience in procedural skills and first-assist certification further boost compensation.
Entry-level PAs earn $95,000 to $105,000 in their first role. Mid-career PAs with specialty experience reach $120,000 to $135,000. Senior PAs in surgical specialties or leadership positions can command $145,000 to $165,000 with additional administrative responsibilities. In Raleigh, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. PAs commonly receive productivity bonuses, CME allowances of $2,000 to $5,000 annually, malpractice insurance, and relocation assistance. Hospital systems often add shift differentials for nights, weekends, and call coverage. And on the tax side: north Carolina's flat 4.5% income tax keeps the burden low. Raleigh has no city income tax, and the Triangle's affordable housing amplifies your take home purchasing power. When someone quotes you $137,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates. The range for Physician Assistants in Raleigh runs from $117,000 to $165,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Data Engineer in Raleigh earns $136,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Raleigh is CTO at $291,000
Common questions.
Physician Assistant salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Raleigh.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Physician Assistant Salary in Raleigh, NC." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/physician-assistant/raleigh
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