Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant: Similar Pay, 41% vs 21.1% Growth

Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant: what changes?

Consider Nurse Practitioner if you want to diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. Consider Physician Assistant if you would rather provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Both list master's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Nurse Practitioner

National median pay (2025): $132,300
Route into the job: Registered-nurse licensure, at least a master's degree in the specialty role, national certification, and state APRN licensure are required. Check each program's prerequisites and clinical placements.
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Physical work: Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.
Schedule and hours: Office roles often follow business hours; hospital roles may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call work.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 29,400

Know before you choose

Graduate nursing programs differ in prerequisites and clinical placement arrangements. Verify both before estimating cost and time to practice.

BLS: entry routes, workplace, and schedules · Reviewed September 16, 2026. BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections.

See the full Nurse Practitioner brief

Physician Assistant

National median pay (2025): $135,880
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,500

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Physician Assistant brief

How the national numbers differ

Nurse Practitioner has the edge on annual openings

Nurse Practitioner is at 29,400 annual openings, compared with 11,500 annual openings for Physician Assistant.

Nurse Practitioner has the edge on projected growth

Nurse Practitioner is at 41% projected growth, compared with 21.1% projected growth for Physician Assistant.

Physician Assistant has the edge on median pay

Physician Assistant is at $135,880, compared with $132,300 for Nurse Practitioner.

79/ 100

Nurse Practitioner

74.2/ 100

Physician Assistant

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant

Dimension	Nurse Practitioner	Physician Assistant
Median pay (2025)	$132,300	$135,880
Pay percentile	92.4 percentile	93.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	41%	21.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	29,400	11,500
2025 employment	336,300	168,900
How you qualify	Registered-nurse licensure, at least a master's degree in the specialty role, national certification, and state APRN licensure are required. Check each program's prerequisites and clinical placements.	Master's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Schedules	Office roles often follow business hours; hospital roles may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call work.	Varies by employer and setting; ask about shifts, overtime, on-call work, and predictable hours.
Physical work	Patient care can involve standing, walking, and moving patients. Physical demands vary across specialties and settings.	Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Nurse Practitioner brief Read Physician Assistant brief

Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Nurse Practitioner

Physician Assistant

How the national numbers differ

Nurse Practitioner has the edge on annual openings

Nurse Practitioner has the edge on projected growth

Physician Assistant has the edge on median pay

Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant

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