How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make in Buffalo, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Physician Assistants in Buffalo, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area
A typical Physician Assistant in Buffalo, New York earns $60.75 per hour, or $126,360 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $10,530 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $98,820, and the top 10% of earners make over $160,880.
That pay is 21% below the New York figure of $160,880 and 7% below the national figure of $135,880. Buffalo ranks 13th of 13 metro areas in New York for Physician Assistant pay. About 1,040 Physician Assistants work in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area. Buffalo is part of the Buffalo · Cheektowaga metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Cheektowaga share these figures.
Physician Assistant pay in Buffalo at a glance
- Typical pay is $60.75 an hour, or $126,360 a year.
- That is 21% below the New York figure, ranking 13th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $98,820; the top 10% make over $160,880.
- Typical pay rose +35% from 2015 to 2025, against +59% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Physician Assistant make in Buffalo?
Pay in Buffalo runs from entry-level positions at around $47.51 an hour to more than $77.35 for the top 10% of earners. The table sets each career stage against the New York and national figures.
Physician Assistant pay by career stage in Buffalo
| Career stage | Buffalo | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $98,820$47.51 an hour | $106,440$51.18 an hour | $99,380$47.78 an hour |
| First years | $105,240$50.59 an hour | $134,480$64.65 an hour | $120,670$58.02 an hour |
| Typical Physician Assistant | $126,360$60.75 an hour | $160,880$77.35 an hour | $135,880$65.33 an hour |
| Experienced | $144,810$69.62 an hour | $174,710$84.00 an hour | $163,980$78.84 an hour |
| Top 10% | $160,880$77.35 an hour | $201,410$96.83 an hour | $190,280$91.48 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area as BLS defines it
Physician Assistant pay growth in Buffalo
Typical (median) annual wage for Physician Assistants in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Physician Assistant pay in Buffalo was $93,300 a year. By 2025 it had reached $126,360, a change of +35%, compared with +59% for New York over the same years.
How Buffalo compares with other New York cities
New York pays Physician Assistants the most in New York at $167,650 a year, $41,290 more than Buffalo. The lowest-paying area in the state is Buffalo at $126,360.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Buffalo | Physician Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $167,650 | $80.60 | +33% | 16,800 |
| 2 | Newburgh metro incl. Poughkeepsie · Kiryas Joel | $154,610 | $74.33 | +22% | 510 |
| 3 | Kingston | $150,470 | $72.34 | +19% | 40 |
| 4 | Binghamton | $146,120 | $70.25 | +16% | 200 |
| 5 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $140,300 | $67.45 | +11% | 120 |
| 6 | Ithaca | $138,920 | $66.79 | +10% | 230 |
| 7 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $137,850 | $66.28 | +9% | 770 |
| 8 | Elmira | $137,550 | $66.13 | +9% | 60 |
| 9 | Syracuse | $133,000 | $63.94 | +5% | 590 |
| 10 | Glens Falls | $132,700 | $63.80 | +5% | 100 |
| 11 | Rochester | $130,430 | $62.71 | +3% | 1,230 |
| 12 | Fort Drum metro incl. Watertown | $128,870 | $61.96 | +2% | 60 |
| 13 | Buffalo metro incl. Cheektowaga | $126,360 | $60.75 | this city | 1,040 |
Every metro area in New York with Physician Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $160,880
Is Buffalo a good place to work as a Physician Assistant?
Physician Assistants in Buffalo earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $126,360 a year, 7% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Buffalo · Cheektowaga area, about 1.9 are Physician Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.0. That makes the local economy more reliant on Physician Assistants than most places, and turnover keeps positions opening through the year.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Physician Assistant make in Buffalo, NY?
- A typical Physician Assistant in Buffalo earns $126,360 a year, or $60.75 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $98,820 and the top 10% earn over $160,880.
- How much does a Physician Assistant make an hour in Buffalo?
- Typical hourly pay for Physician Assistants in Buffalo is $60.75. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $47.51, and the top 10% earn over $77.35 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Physician Assistant in Buffalo?
- Entry-level Physician Assistant positions in Buffalo typically offer around $47.51 an hour, or $98,820 a year.
- Is Physician Assistant pay in Buffalo higher than in the rest of New York?
- Buffalo pay is 21% below the New York figure of $160,880 a year, ranking 13th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $167,650.