Quick answer: Physician Assistants in the Lakeland area earn a median $121,540 per year, below the national median of $135,880, and the metro employs about 240 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Lakeland metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $121,540 | $129,620 | $135,880 |
| 10th percentile | $38,800 | $98,530 | $99,380 |
| 25th percentile | $104,200 | $111,360 | $120,670 |
| 75th percentile | $131,080 | $156,920 | $163,980 |
| 90th percentile | $178,300 | $181,610 | $190,280 |
| Employment | 240 | 9,310 | 162,150 |
| Location quotient | 0.87 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Lakeland median of $121,540 is below the national median of $135,880, and below the Florida statewide median of $129,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.87 means physician assistants are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
PAs are hired by hospital systems, physician groups and urgent care networks, so the local mix of those employers is what determines how many positions are open in a given market.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $132,360 | 2,190 |
| Tampa | $127,820 | 1,420 |
| Orlando | $127,200 | 1,200 |
| Jacksonville | $132,350 | 1,100 |
| North Port | $142,510 | 520 |
| Cape Coral | $131,700 | 380 |
| Deltona | $126,900 | 280 |
| Gainesville | $129,150 | 240 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Physician assistants are licensed state by state. The national framework is graduation from an ARC-PA-accredited master’s program and a passing score on the PANCE, the national certifying examination administered by the NCCPA. Supervision or collaboration requirements, prescriptive authority and the practice agreements a PA must hold with a physician are set by each state medical or PA board and differ meaningfully between them.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state medical or physician assistant board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 10 schools within 186 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for physician assistants in the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area is $121,540, below the national median of $135,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area employs about 240 physician assistants (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Physician assistants are licensed state by state. The national framework is graduation from an ARC-PA-accredited master's program and a passing score on the PANCE, the national certifying examination administered by the NCCPA. Supervision or collaboration requirements, prescriptive authority and the practice agreements a PA must hold with a physician are set by each state medical or PA board and differ meaningfully between them. Confirm current requirements with your state medical or physician assistant board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state medical or physician assistant board.
The Lakeland metro median is $121,540 against a statewide median of $129,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
