Geneva
ManilaWhy Physician Assistant pay in Chicago sits 13% below the United States average
Chicago, IL posts a physician assistant median of $128,000, which is 13% under the United States average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $1,650/month close that gap in real life.
Physician assistants examine, diagnose, and treat patients under a physician's supervision. Healthcare pay in Chicago, IL is sensitive to setting, shifts, and public vs private employers. The $128,000 median is a useful average, not what a night-shift specialist or a clinic role will actually land. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +27% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Chicago, IL hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Physician Assistant in Chicago, IL, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, Chicago ranks 9 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $211,000 (+65% vs Chicago), while San Antonio sits at $130,000. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
Chicago’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($128,000 vs $128,000). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 18% of take-home, with leftover near $5,540.
If you are comparing a Chicago office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $147,000. Local pay is 13% lower — a $19,000 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Chicago are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 24% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 1.4× United States GDP per capita, this median is around a typical national living standard. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a physician assistant offer in Chicago
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $128,000, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $128,000 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 15%, leaving $108,546 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because this distribution is relatively compact (1.6× from 10th to 90th), a “market” offer in Chicago will often cluster near $128,000. Negotiation still matters, but the bigger lever may be seniority rules, a different setting, or a different occupation rather than a 3% cash bump.
Demand and the physician assistant pipeline
Occupation-level employment for physician assistants is projected at about +27% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Chicago will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Chicago’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
Indonesia
Vietnam
Argentina
India
Norway
South Africa
Colombia
Thailand