How Much Does a Physician Assistant Make in Watertown, NY in 2026?
Typical pay for Physician Assistants in Watertown, from federal wage data (May 2025), with the ten-year trend and how the city compares across New York.
BLS OES May 2025 · Watertown · Fort Drum metro area
A typical Physician Assistant in Watertown, New York earns $61.96 per hour, or $128,870 per year, according to the latest government wage data for the area (May 2025). Calculated from the annual figure, that is roughly $10,739 a month. Entry-level positions typically offer around $102,500, and the top 10% of earners make over $160,290.
That pay is 20% below the New York figure of $160,880 and 5% below the national figure of $135,880. Watertown ranks 12th of 13 metro areas in New York for Physician Assistant pay. About 60 Physician Assistants work in the Watertown · Fort Drum area. Watertown is part of the Watertown · Fort Drum metro area, and BLS reports pay for the metro as a whole, so Fort Drum share these figures.
Physician Assistant pay in Watertown at a glance
- Typical pay is $61.96 an hour, or $128,870 a year.
- That is 20% below the New York figure, ranking 12th of 13 metro areas in the state.
- Entry-level positions typically offer around $102,500; the top 10% make over $160,290.
- Typical pay rose +10% from 2015 to 2025, against +59% for New York as a whole.
BLS OES May 2025
How much does a Physician Assistant make in Watertown?
Pay in Watertown runs from entry-level positions at around $49.28 an hour to more than $77.06 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 Watertown
| Career stage | Watertown | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting out | $102,500$49.28 an hour | $106,440$51.18 an hour | $99,380$47.78 an hour |
| First years | $119,720$57.56 an hour | $134,480$64.65 an hour | $120,670$58.02 an hour |
| Typical Physician Assistant | $128,870$61.96 an hour | $160,880$77.35 an hour | $135,880$65.33 an hour |
| Experienced | $150,410$72.31 an hour | $174,710$84.00 an hour | $163,980$78.84 an hour |
| Top 10% | $160,290$77.06 an hour | $201,410$96.83 an hour | $190,280$91.48 an hour |
BLS OES May 2025 · city figures cover the Watertown · Fort Drum area as BLS defines it
Physician Assistant pay growth in Watertown
Typical (median) annual wage for Physician Assistants in the Watertown · Fort Drum area · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
In 2015, typical Physician Assistant pay in Watertown was $117,600 a year. By 2025 it had reached $128,870, a change of +10%, compared with +59% for New York over the same years.
How Watertown compares with other New York cities
New York pays Physician Assistants the most in New York at $167,650 a year, $38,780 more than Watertown. The lowest-paying area in the state is Buffalo at $126,360.
| # | City | Typical pay | Hourly | Vs Watertown | Physician Assistants employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $167,650 | $80.60 | +30% | 16,800 |
| 2 | Newburgh metro incl. Poughkeepsie · Kiryas Joel | $154,610 | $74.33 | +20% | 510 |
| 3 | Kingston | $150,470 | $72.34 | +17% | 40 |
| 4 | Binghamton | $146,120 | $70.25 | +13% | 200 |
| 5 | Rome metro incl. Utica | $140,300 | $67.45 | +9% | 120 |
| 6 | Ithaca | $138,920 | $66.79 | +8% | 230 |
| 7 | Albany metro incl. Schenectady · Troy | $137,850 | $66.28 | +7% | 770 |
| 8 | Elmira | $137,550 | $66.13 | +7% | 60 |
| 9 | Syracuse | $133,000 | $63.94 | +3% | 590 |
| 10 | Glens Falls | $132,700 | $63.80 | +3% | 100 |
| 11 | Rochester | $130,430 | $62.71 | +1% | 1,230 |
| 12 | Watertown metro incl. Fort Drum | $128,870 | $61.96 | this city | 60 |
| 13 | Cheektowaga metro incl. Buffalo | $126,360 | $60.75 | -2% | 1,040 |
Every metro area in New York with Physician Assistant wage data · BLS OES May 2025 · New York typical pay $160,880
Is Watertown a good place to work as a Physician Assistant?
Physician Assistants in Watertown earn less than the national figure: typical pay is $128,870 a year, 5% below the national rate. For every 1,000 jobs in the Watertown · Fort Drum area, about 1.5 are Physician Assistant positions; nationally, the figure is closer to 1.1. 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 Watertown, NY?
- A typical Physician Assistant in Watertown earns $128,870 a year, or $61.96 an hour, according to BLS wage data for May 2025. Entry-level pay runs about $102,500 and the top 10% earn over $160,290.
- How much does a Physician Assistant make an hour in Watertown?
- Typical hourly pay for Physician Assistants in Watertown is $61.96. Entry-level hourly pay runs about $49.28, and the top 10% earn over $77.06 an hour.
- What is the starting pay for a Physician Assistant in Watertown?
- Entry-level Physician Assistant positions in Watertown typically offer around $49.28 an hour, or $102,500 a year.
- Is Physician Assistant pay in Watertown higher than in the rest of New York?
- Watertown pay is 20% below the New York figure of $160,880 a year, ranking 12th of 13 metro areas in the state. New York pays the most in New York at $167,650.