Physician Assistants salary in Trenton, NJ
Median pay for physician assistants in Trenton, NJ: $129,010/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $44,200 – $160,390 · about 120 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($125,700) by +$3,310 (+3%).
What it's really worth in Trenton
With Trenton's cost of living at 102 (US=100), that $129,010 has the buying power of about $125,964 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $92,697 · median home $446,377 · median rent $2,623/mo.
How Trenton ranks for this job
On raw pay, Trenton, NJ is 62nd of the 180 metros we hold physician assistants wages for. Once Trenton's cost of living is applied, it ranks 115th.
The headline number flatters Trenton. 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 Trenton
A median home in Trenton, NJ costs $446,377 — about 3.5× 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 $2,623/mo works out at 24% 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 Trenton.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Trenton | Rent vs Trenton |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $208,000 | +61% | 1.4× |
| Vallejo, CA | $174,670 | +35% | 0.9× |
| Modesto, CA | $171,600 | +33% | 0.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $171,470 | +33% | 1.2× |
Same job elsewhere in NJ
| Metro | Median pay | vs Trenton | Rent vs Trenton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City, NJ | $126,520 | −2% | 0.8× |
Staying in NJ keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Trenton
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.