Physician Assistants salary in Olympia, WA
Median pay for physician assistants in Olympia, WA: $132,780/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $94,240 – $176,520 · about 70 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($125,700) by +$7,080 (+6%).
What it's really worth in Olympia
With Olympia's cost of living at 106 (US=100), that $132,780 has the buying power of about $124,840 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $88,895 · median home $533,918 · median rent $2,041/mo.
How Olympia ranks for this job
On raw pay, Olympia, WA is 39th of the 180 metros we hold physician assistants wages for. Once Olympia's cost of living is applied, it ranks 127th.
The headline number flatters Olympia. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, physician assistants here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Olympia
A median home in Olympia, WA costs $533,918 — about 4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,041/mo works out at 18% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where physician assistants earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Olympia.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Olympia | Rent vs Olympia |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $208,000 | +57% | 1.8× |
| Vallejo, CA | $174,670 | +32% | 1.2× |
| Modesto, CA | $171,600 | +29% | 1× |
| San Francisco, CA | $171,470 | +29% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in WA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Olympia | Rent vs Olympia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | $159,080 | +20% | 1.1× |
| Bremerton, WA | $137,590 | +4% | 1× |
| Kennewick, WA | $134,800 | +2% | 0.8× |
| Yakima, WA | $130,120 | −2% | 0.7× |
Staying in WA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Olympia
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 180 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.