How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make in Arkansas in 2026?

A typical Physician Assistant in Arkansas earns about $56.94 per hour ($118,430 per year), per the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $9,869 a month, or about $2,278 a week, based on the annual figure. These figures cover Physician Assistants working across hospitals, clinics, and private practices statewide.

Nationally, Physician Assistants earn a typical $135,880 a year, which puts Arkansas about 13% below the national figure. That gap places Arkansas 47th out of 51 states and the District of Columbia for this occupation. Around 850 Physician Assistants work across the state, a workforce that gives scale to these pay figures.

Entry-level positions in Arkansas typically offer around $42.39 an hour, or about $88,160 a year, according to the same wage data. Physician Assistants early in their careers can expect pay to rise toward the state typical figure of $56.94 an hour within the first several years on the job. Experience, added certifications, and choice of setting all influence how quickly that happens.

Experienced Physician Assistants in Arkansas often earn upwards of $64.07 an hour, or about $133,270 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $76.48 an hour, or $159,080 a year, leaving a spread of $70,920 between entry-level and top pay. That gap typically comes down to years of experience, the type of practice, and which city a PA works in.

Arkansas Physician Assistant pay has risen steadily over the past decade, climbing from $74,080 in 2015 to $118,430 in 2025. That is a gain of $44,350, or 60%, over ten years. The rise has not been perfectly smooth, with a dip in the early 2020s before pay recovered and moved higher.

Nationally, Physician Assistant pay rose 38% over the same ten years. Arkansas's climb has outpaced the national rise in percentage terms, even though the state figure remains lower in dollar terms. For someone starting out now, that decade of data shows pay has moved up over time, though it makes no promises about future years.

Physician Assistant pay runs highest in the Fayetteville metro area, where the typical wage is $130,810 a year, about 10 percent above the state figure. These figures reflect each metro area as a whole, not just city limits. Springdale and Rogers, both part of the same northwest Arkansas metro area, post identical pay, and Fort Smith and Hot Springs also pay above the Little Rock area.

Pay runs lowest around Conway, where the typical wage is $109,110 a year, matching Little Rock and North Little Rock. That leaves a spread of $21,700 between the highest- and lowest-paying areas in the state. Little Rock holds the largest Physician Assistant workforce in Arkansas, with 340 workers, even though its pay sits at the lower end. Higher pay in northwest Arkansas generally tracks a higher cost of living there.

Arkansas pays less than most of its neighbors. Oklahoma offers the highest typical pay nearby at $136,550 a year (15% more), followed by Missouri at $135,130 (14% more), Texas at $134,550 (14% more), and Louisiana at $128,870 (9% more). Tennessee is about even at $118,240, while Mississippi pays 11% less at $105,920 a year. A PA license from Arkansas can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring state, easing a move across the border.

Physician Assistants in Arkansas typically earn $118,430 a year, a figure that has climbed 60% since 2015. Pay remains below the national figure, tracking the state's lower cost of living, though it has grown faster than the national rate over the past decade. Readers weighing a move or a new license should check the Arkansas State Medical Board's PA registry for current requirements, and review city-level pages for local pay figures before deciding where to work.