How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make in San Luis Obispo, CA in 2026?
Typical pay for Physician Assistants in San Luis Obispo, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across California.
BLS OES May 2025 · San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles metro area
A typical Physician Assistant in San Luis Obispo, California earns $78.27 per hour, or $162,790 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $13,566 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $126,750, and the top 10% of earners make over $192,770.
That pay is 2% below the California figure of $165,650 and 20% above the national figure of $135,880. San Luis Obispo ranks 15th of 25 metro areas in California for Physician Assistant pay. About 100 Physician Assistants work in the San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles area. San Luis Obispo is part of the San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Paso Robles share these figures.
Physician Assistant pay in San Luis Obispo at a glance
- Typical pay is $78.27 an hour, or $162,790 a year.
- That is 2% below the California figure, ranking 15th of 25 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $126,750; the top 10% make over $192,770.
- Typical pay rose +67% from 2015 to 2025, against +51% for California as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Physician Assistant make in San Luis Obispo?
Pay in San Luis Obispo runs from entry-level positions at around $60.94 an hour to more than $92.68 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the California and national figures.
Physician Assistant pay by career stage in San Luis Obispo
| Career stage | San Luis Obispo | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $126,750$60.94 an hour | $99,380$47.78 an hour | $99,380$47.78 an hour |
| First years | $135,430$65.11 an hour | $136,730$65.73 an hour | $120,670$58.02 an hour |
| Typical Physician Assistant | $162,790$78.27 an hour | $165,650$79.64 an hour | $135,880$65.33 an hour |
| Experienced | $188,030$90.40 an hour | $206,990$99.52 an hour | $163,980$78.84 an hour |
| Top 10% | $192,770$92.68 an hour | $225,190$108.27 an hour | $190,280$91.48 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles area as BLS defines it
Physician Assistant pay growth in San Luis Obispo
Typical (median) annual wage for Physician Assistants in the San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Physician Assistant pay in San Luis Obispo was $97,260 a year. By 2025 it had reached $162,790, a change of +67%, compared with +51% for California over the same years.
How San Luis Obispo compares with other California cities
Sunnyvale pays Physician Assistants the most in California at $223,640 a year, $60,850 more than San Luis Obispo. The lowest-paying area in the state is Redding at $150,010.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs San Luis Obispo | Physician Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunnyvale metro incl. Santa Clara · San Jose | $223,640 | $107.52 | +37% | 1,030 |
| 2 | Bakersfield metro incl. Delano | $198,070 | $95.23 | +22% | 350 |
| 3 | Oakland metro incl. San Francisco · Fremont | $184,380 | $88.65 | +13% | 1,830 |
| 4 | Yuba City | $183,460 | $88.20 | +13% | 40 |
| 5 | Vallejo | $179,520 | $86.31 | +10% | 150 |
| 6 | Santa Rosa metro incl. Petaluma | $172,750 | $83.05 | +6% | 140 |
| 7 | Napa | $172,170 | $82.78 | +6% | 50 |
| 8 | Salinas | $170,180 | $81.82 | +5% | 130 |
| 9 | Visalia | $166,510 | $80.05 | +2% | 100 |
| 10 | Modesto | $165,730 | $79.68 | +2% | 210 |
| 11 | Ontario metro incl. Riverside · San Bernardino | $165,490 | $79.56 | +2% | 1,020 |
| 12 | Chula Vista | $165,160 | $79.41 | +1% | 1,370 |
| 13 | Chico | $164,780 | $79.22 | +1% | 130 |
| 14 | Merced | $164,080 | $78.88 | +1% | 50 |
| 15 | San Luis Obispo metro incl. Paso Robles | $162,790 | $78.27 | this city | 100 |
| 16 | Stockton metro incl. Lodi | $162,110 | $77.94 | 0% | 150 |
| 17 | Long Beach metro incl. Anaheim · Los Angeles | $161,890 | $77.83 | -1% | 3,890 |
| 18 | Sacramento | $161,470 | $77.63 | -1% | 1,070 |
| 19 | Corcoran metro incl. Hanford | $161,470 | $77.63 | -1% | 40 |
| 20 | Watsonville metro incl. Santa Cruz | $159,030 | $76.46 | -2% | 120 |
| 21 | Santa Maria metro incl. Santa Barbara | $158,360 | $76.14 | -3% | 210 |
| 22 | El Centro | $156,730 | $75.35 | -4% | 40 |
| 23 | Fresno | $155,440 | $74.73 | -5% | 360 |
| 24 | Thousand Oaks | $154,760 | $74.41 | -5% | 210 |
| 25 | Redding | $150,010 | $72.12 | -8% | 70 |
Every metro area in California with Physician Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · California typical pay $165,650
Is San Luis Obispo a good place to work as a Physician Assistant?
Physician Assistants in San Luis Obispo earn a strong wage by national standards: typical pay is $162,790 a year, 20% above the national figure. For every 1,000 jobs in the San Luis Obispo · Paso Robles area, about 0.8 are Physician Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.1. That makes Physician Assistants a smaller part of the local job market than usual, so employers draw from a smaller pool of qualified candidates.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Physician Assistant make in San Luis Obispo, CA?
- A typical Physician Assistant in San Luis Obispo earns $162,790 a year, or $78.27 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $126,750 and the top 10% earn over $192,770.
- How much does a Physician Assistant make an hour in San Luis Obispo?
- Typical hourly pay for Physician Assistants in San Luis Obispo is $78.27. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $60.94, and the top 10% earn over $92.68 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Physician Assistant in San Luis Obispo?
- Entry-level Physician Assistant positions in San Luis Obispo typically offer around $60.94 an hour, or $126,750 a year.
- Is Physician Assistant pay in San Luis Obispo higher than in the rest of California?
- San Luis Obispo pay is 2% below the California figure of $165,650 a year, ranking 15th of 25 metro areas in the state. Sunnyvale pays the most in California at $223,640.