How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make in Rochester, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Physician Assistants in Rochester, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Rochester metro area
A typical Physician Assistant in Rochester, New York earns $62.71 per hour, or $130,430 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $10,869 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $109,130, and the top 10% of earners make over $155,390.
That pay is 19% below the New York figure of $160,880 and 4% below the national figure of $135,880. Rochester ranks 11th of 13 metro areas in New York for Physician Assistant pay. About 1,230 Physician Assistants work in the Rochester area.
Physician Assistant pay in Rochester at a glance
- Typical pay is $62.71 an hour, or $130,430 a year.
- That is 19% below the New York figure, ranking 11th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $109,130; the top 10% make over $155,390.
- Typical pay rose +39% from 2015 to 2025, against +59% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Physician Assistant make in Rochester?
Pay in Rochester runs from entry-level positions at around $52.47 an hour to more than $74.71 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 Rochester
| Career stage | Rochester | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $109,130$52.47 an hour | $106,440$51.18 an hour | $99,380$47.78 an hour |
| First years | $129,490$62.25 an hour | $134,480$64.65 an hour | $120,670$58.02 an hour |
| Typical Physician Assistant | $130,430$62.71 an hour | $160,880$77.35 an hour | $135,880$65.33 an hour |
| Experienced | $133,350$64.11 an hour | $174,710$84.00 an hour | $163,980$78.84 an hour |
| Top 10% | $155,390$74.71 an hour | $201,410$96.83 an hour | $190,280$91.48 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Rochester area as BLS defines it
Physician Assistant pay growth in Rochester
Typical (median) annual wage for Physician Assistants in the Rochester area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Physician Assistant pay in Rochester was $93,630 a year. By 2025 it had reached $130,430, a change of +39%, compared with +59% for New York over the same years.
How Rochester compares with other New York cities
New York pays Physician Assistants the most in New York at $167,650 a year, $37,220 more than Rochester. The lowest-paying area in the state is Buffalo at $126,360.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Rochester | Physician Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $167,650 | $80.60 | +29% | 16,800 |
| 2 | Newburgh metro incl. Poughkeepsie · Kiryas Joel | $154,610 | $74.33 | +19% | 510 |
| 3 | Kingston | $150,470 | $72.34 | +15% | 40 |
| 4 | Binghamton | $146,120 | $70.25 | +12% | 200 |
| 5 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $140,300 | $67.45 | +8% | 120 |
| 6 | Ithaca | $138,920 | $66.79 | +7% | 230 |
| 7 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $137,850 | $66.28 | +6% | 770 |
| 8 | Elmira | $137,550 | $66.13 | +5% | 60 |
| 9 | Syracuse | $133,000 | $63.94 | +2% | 590 |
| 10 | Glens Falls | $132,700 | $63.80 | +2% | 100 |
| 11 | Rochester | $130,430 | $62.71 | this city | 1,230 |
| 12 | Fort Drum metro incl. Watertown | $128,870 | $61.96 | -1% | 60 |
| 13 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $126,360 | $60.75 | -3% | 1,040 |
Every metro area in New York with Physician Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $160,880
Is Rochester a good place to work as a Physician Assistant?
Physician Assistant pay in Rochester sits close to the national figure: $130,430 a year, 4% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Rochester area, about 2.5 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 Rochester, NY?
- A typical Physician Assistant in Rochester earns $130,430 a year, or $62.71 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $109,130 and the top 10% earn over $155,390.
- How much does a Physician Assistant make an hour in Rochester?
- Typical hourly pay for Physician Assistants in Rochester is $62.71. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $52.47, and the top 10% earn over $74.71 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Physician Assistant in Rochester?
- Entry-level Physician Assistant positions in Rochester typically offer around $52.47 an hour, or $109,130 a year.
- Is Physician Assistant pay in Rochester higher than in the rest of New York?
- Rochester pay is 19% below the New York figure of $160,880 a year, ranking 11th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $167,650.