Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salary in the United States

How much does a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma in the United States is $147,580 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $71.

However, a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $166,092
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $136,530 to $157,270
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $126,470

Key Factors That Influence Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salaries

A Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $143,952
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $144,776
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $145,931
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $147,869
  • Expert (over 8 years): $150,762
Levels Salary
Entry Level Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma$143,952
Intermediate Level Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma$144,776
Senior Level Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma$145,931
Specialist Level Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma$147,869
Expert Level Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma$150,762

Top Paying Cities for Physician Associate - Emergency & Traumas

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $186,140
  • San Francisco: $184,100
  • Oakland: $180,220

What Skills Can Increase a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Collaboration (Mentioned in 4.32% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 3.6% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
  • CPR (Mentioned in 2.64% Job Postings): Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) combines rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) and chest compressions to temporarily pump enough blood to the brain until specialized treatment is available.
Skills Demand Percentage
Collaboration 4.32%
Acute Care 3.6%
CPR 2.64%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's salary.

  • CVS: Can increase your salary by up to 19%.
  • Accountability: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
CVS $175,620
19%
Accountability $162,338
10%
Innovation $162,338
10%

Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $156,485. While startup companies pay approximate $133,369.

Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $133,369
Growth Stage 51~500 $140,797
Established 501~5000 $151,327
Enterprise 5000+ $156,485

Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma positions in Edu., Government & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$177,096$85.020%

Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$136,530
Average $147,580/year
$157,270
$11,378
Average $12,298/month
$13,106
$2,626
Average $2,838/week
$3,024
$66
Average $71/hour
$76
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $157,270 $13,106 $3,024 $76
Average $147,580 $12,298 $2,838 $71
25th Percentile $136,530 $11,378 $2,626 $66

Most common benefits for Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma

Here are companies hiring for Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Physician Associate - Emergency & Trauma roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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