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

A typical Physician Assistant in Michigan earns about $63.23 per hour ($131,510 per year), per the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $10,959 a month and $2,529 a week, figures calculated from the annual median. Pay varies by city, employer, and experience, but this figure represents the middle of the range across the state's 6,310 Physician Assistants.

Michigan's typical pay sits 3% below the national figure of $135,880 a year, placing the state 37th out of 51 states and territories tracked in the latest data. The gap is modest, and Michigan's 6,310 Physician Assistants make up a sizable share of the profession compared with the national workforce of 162,150. Lower pay in Michigan tends to track lower living costs relative to higher-cost states.

Entry-level positions in Michigan typically offer around $50.00 an hour, or about $104,000 a year, for Physician Assistants just starting out. Pay tends to climb as clinicians gain experience and build a track record, moving toward the state's typical figure of $131,510 within a few years. New graduates in high-demand specialties or busy hospital systems may see faster increases than those in smaller practices.

Experienced Physician Assistants in Michigan often earn upwards of $68.77 an hour, or about $143,030 a year, and the top 10% of earners make over $162,570 a year. That leaves a spread of $58,570 between entry-level and top-tier pay. Setting, years of experience, and city all factor into where a given Physician Assistant lands within that range, with specialty practices and larger metro areas typically paying more than smaller communities.

Michigan's typical pay for Physician Assistants rose from $95,300 in 2015 to $131,510 in 2025, a gain of $36,210. That amounts to a 38% increase over the decade. Most of the rise landed between 2022 and 2024, as pay climbed from $115,520 to $131,980 before easing slightly in 2025.

The national decade rise for Physician Assistants also came to 38%. Michigan's pay growth has tracked closely with the rest of the country rather than lagging behind. For someone starting a career now, that history shows steady upward movement in pay over the past ten years, though past growth is no guarantee of future increases.

Pay runs highest in Ann Arbor, where Physician Assistants typically earn $135,310 a year, about 3% above the statewide figure. Traverse City follows closely at $134,180, and several Grand Rapids-area communities, including Wyoming and Kentwood, sit near $131,930. These figures reflect the full metro area around each city, not just the city center.

At the other end, Flint typically pays $125,190 a year, putting the spread between the highest- and lowest-paying cities at $10,120. Warren has the largest Physician Assistant workforce in the state, with 2,400 employed at a typical $131,830 a year. Cities with higher pay generally carry higher living costs, so the gap in take-home value is often smaller than the raw numbers suggest.

Michigan's typical pay compares closely with its neighbors. Wisconsin pays somewhat more, with a typical figure of $133,950, about 2% above Michigan's. Ohio and Indiana sit almost even with Michigan, at $132,090 and $132,050 respectively. Physician Assistants considering a move across state lines should note that licensure in one state can often be transferred or endorsed into a neighboring one, easing a relocation.

Physician Assistants in Michigan typically earn $131,510 a year, a figure that has climbed 38% over the past decade. Pay varies by city and experience level, but the overall trend has been steady growth. Readers weighing a move to Michigan or a career switch should check the state licensing board's requirements and review city-specific pages for local pay figures before making a decision.