Quick answer:Physician Assistants in the Charleston area earn a median $128,920 per year, below the national median of $135,880, and the metro employs about 620 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Physician Assistant Pay in Charleston, SC
Metric
Charleston metro
South Carolina
National
Median annual wage
$128,920
$122,490
$135,880
10th percentile
$77,790
$77,620
$99,380
25th percentile
$109,960
$105,560
$120,670
75th percentile
$134,400
$134,100
$163,980
90th percentile
$158,260
$158,860
$190,280
Employment
620
2,250
162,150
Location quotient
1.5
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Charleston median of $128,920 is below the national median of $135,880, and above the South Carolina statewide median of $122,490 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.5 means physician assistants are more 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.
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.
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.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 5 schools
within 208 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
5 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
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.
How much do physician assistants make in Charleston?
The median annual wage for physician assistants in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area is $128,920, below the national median of $135,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many physician assistants work in the Charleston area?
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area employs about 620 physician assistants (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do physician assistants in Charleston need a license?
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.
Can I study physician assistant online from Charleston?
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.
Is Charleston a better market than the rest of South Carolina?
The Charleston metro median is $128,920 against a statewide median of $122,490 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Physician Assistants (SOC 29-1071), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
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/.
