At a glance
The nominal median for Physician Assistants is $134,660 in Las Vegas versus $134,650 in Phoenix, a gap of $10 a year.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment Las Vegas still leads: $134,371 versus $130,328, a gap of $4,043.
Published medians for the occupation, not an offer, take-home pay or a relocation recommendation.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Las Vegas vs. Phoenix: key measures
For the BLS Physician Assistants classification, this comparison holds the occupation code constant between Las Vegas and Phoenix. It pairs reported wage percentiles with regional prices, metro rents and commuting context. The metrics are not job offers, apartment quotes or a complete household budget. The figures describe metropolitan statistical areas, not city limits.
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| Measure | Las Vegas | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $65,060 | $106,860 |
| 25th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $127,360 | $124,120 |
| Annual occupational median (BLS) | $134,660 | $134,650 |
| 75th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $162,920 | $153,600 |
| 90th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $179,070 | $173,920 |
| Price-adjusted median (site calculation) | $134,371 | $130,328 |
| All-items RPP (BEA) | 100.215 | 103.316 |
| Median gross rent / month (ACS) | $1,626 | $1,702 |
| 45+ minute commute share (ACS) | 9.8% | 15.5% |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes when location is considered?
Las Vegas leads on published nominal annual median pay by $10. Las Vegas leads on the national-price-equivalent median by $4,043. Both measures point to the same higher-paying metro, but the advantage changes in size after adjustment.
These are different lenses: the nominal figures come from BLS, while the adjusted metric uses the 2024 BEA all-items regional price parity (100.2 for Las Vegas versus 103.3 for Phoenix). Neither is a prediction of an actual offer.
Phoenix has a higher metro-wide ACS monthly median gross rent by $76. The share of workers with one-way trips of at least 45 minutes is 5.7 percentage points higher in Phoenix.
How Las Vegas and Phoenix rank for this occupation
Out of the 75 curated metros with a reported physician assistants median, Las Vegas ranks 34th on nominal median pay and 45th on price-adjusted pay. Phoenix ranks 35th nominal and 58th adjusted. The middle adjusted median across all 75 metros is $136,108: Las Vegas’s ($134,371) is 1.3% below that middle value and Phoenix’s ($130,328) is 4.2% below it.
Ranks compare published medians for this one occupation. See all 75 metros for physician assistants for the full list.
Pay at each percentile and how common the job is
After the BEA price adjustment, Las Vegas is higher at 4 of the 5 published percentile levels and Phoenix at 1. The 90th percentile is 2.8× the 10th in Las Vegas and 1.6× in Phoenix; the middle half of wages spans 26% of the median in Las Vegas and 22% in Phoenix.
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| Percentile | Las Vegas adjusted | Phoenix adjusted | Higher after adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $64,920 | $103,430 | Phoenix |
| 25th | $127,087 | $120,136 | Las Vegas |
| 50th (median) | $134,371 | $130,328 | Las Vegas |
| 75th | $162,570 | $148,670 | Las Vegas |
| 90th | $178,686 | $168,338 | Las Vegas |
Twelve months of median gross rent equals 14% of the physician assistants median wage in Las Vegas and 15% in Phoenix (a lens, not a budget). BLS estimates 650 such workers in Las Vegas and 3,050 in Phoenix. Per 10,000 commuting workers that is 6.9 versus 15.8, ranking 68th and 20th of 75 metros (middle value 12.0). These are employment estimates, not open vacancies.
A role-specific offer checklist for this comparison
Match the actual work: Physician assistant pay can differ by specialty and care system. Metro medians do not represent individual contracts or specialty-specific compensation. Before treating the median difference as a personal salary difference, confirm that both positions share responsibilities, experience requirements and hours, and compare written offers with local rent quotes. The full checklist has the steps.
How reliable are the surrounding housing estimates?
These ACS medians are 2020–2024 five-year metro estimates with published margins of error. Household income covers households, not workers in this occupation.
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| ACS metro context | Las Vegas | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent (± MOE) | $1,626 ± $11 | $1,702 ± $8 |
| Median household income (± MOE) | $76,472 ± $643 | $88,301 ± $521 |
Neither displayed rent nor income estimate crosses the site’s 30% relative-MOE caution threshold. Sampling uncertainty still applies. The 30% flag is our editorial rule, not a Census certification. See the methodology.
How should I use these figures for a relocation decision?
Start with written offers and real housing quotes, then enter them in the browser-only worksheet. Rent is already part of the price parity, so do not subtract it again from a price-adjusted salary. These comparisons are not placement, tax or financial advice.