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

A typical Physician Assistant in Colorado earns about $64.68 per hour, or $134,540 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). Broken down further, that pay works out to roughly $11,212 a month or $2,587 a week. These figures represent typical pay across the state's Physician Assistant workforce. Monthly and weekly figures are calculated directly from the annual figure.

Colorado's typical pay is close to the national figures for this profession, according to the same May 2025 data. Hourly pay of $64.68 sits just under the national hourly figure of $65.33, and annual pay of $134,540 runs about 1% below the national figure of $135,880. That places Colorado 28th out of 51 states and the District of Columbia. Colorado employs about 3,270 Physician Assistants, compared with 162,150 nationally, giving a sense of scale for the profession in the state.

Entry-level positions in Colorado typically offer around $50.28 an hour, or about $104,590 a year, according to May 2025 wage data. This level of pay generally applies to Physician Assistants who are new to practice or just finishing training. Pay tends to rise toward the typical figure of $134,540 within the first few years on the job. Setting and specialty both play a role in how quickly that increase happens.

Experienced Physician Assistants in Colorado often earn upwards of $156,400 a year. The top 10% of earners make over $174,090 a year. The gap between entry-level and top pay in Colorado runs about $69,500. That spread usually reflects differences in practice setting, years of experience, and the city where a Physician Assistant works.

Colorado Physician Assistant pay has risen steadily over the past decade. Typical pay grew from $96,630 in 2015 to $134,540 in 2025, a gain of $37,910. That amounts to a 39% increase over ten years. The rise has been fairly steady, with only one small dip in 2018.

Nationally, Physician Assistant pay rose 38% over the same decade, just short of Colorado's 39% gain. The two states track closely, showing pay growth has been broadly similar across the country. For someone starting a Physician Assistant career in Colorado now, pay has moved up steadily in recent years. Past growth doesn't guarantee future increases, but the decade-long trend has been consistently upward.

Pay runs highest in Boulder, where Physician Assistants typically earn $136,540 a year, or $65.64 an hour, about 1% above the statewide figure. Pueblo follows closely at $135,640, and Colorado Springs comes in at $135,200. These are metro-area figures, covering the broader area around each city rather than the city limits alone. Pay across Colorado's largest metro areas stays within a narrow band of each other.

Grand Junction pays the least among Colorado's metro areas, with typical pay of $129,930 a year, or $62.46 an hour. That puts the spread between the highest- and lowest-paying metro areas at $6,610. The Denver metro area, which includes Centennial, Denver, and Aurora, holds the largest Physician Assistant workforce in the state at 1,650 workers. Pay differences across Colorado's cities are modest compared with the cost-of-living differences between them.

Among Colorado's neighbors, New Mexico pays the most, with typical pay of $139,920 a year, about 4% above Colorado's figure. Oklahoma and Wyoming both run slightly higher too, near $136,550 and $136,080. Kansas pays notably less, at $125,640, about 7% below Colorado. Utah and Arizona pay almost identical amounts to Colorado. Physician Assistant licensure earned in one state can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring state, easing a move across the region.

Physician Assistants in Colorado typically earn $134,540 a year, or $64.68 an hour, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That figure has climbed 39% over the past decade, up from $96,630 in 2015. Readers considering this path in Colorado should check the state's licensing or registry page for current requirements, and review city-level pages for local pay figures before deciding where to practice.