Federal Physician Assistant — GS-0603. The verified average salary for GS-0603 Physician Assistants is $169,039/year (OPM FedScope, 2026). Data from 3,376 non-redacted OPM records (April 2026).
The GS-0603 Physician Assistant series showed 3,376 non-redacted federal employees in the April 2026 OPM snapshot. The verified average salary is $169,039/year (OPM FedScope, 2026). Use our GS Pay Calculator for your exact salary by grade, step, and location.
Salary = base pay + locality pay; excludes benefits. REDACTED records (OPM data release policy) are excluded from averages. Pay plan: General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA). View occupation salary detail on OPM FedScope →
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| Metric | Value | Source & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Series Salary | $169,039 | OPM EHRI Snapshot (April 2026). 3,376 non-redacted records. Base + locality pay; excludes benefits. |
| Non-redacted records (sample size) | 3,376 | OPM EHRI Employment Snapshot, April 2026. REDACTED records excluded per OPM data release policy. |
| Redaction rate | 12.7% | OPM redacts salary records for privacy-sensitive positions (DoD, law enforcement, intelligence). FedTools suppresses series averages when redaction exceeds 20%. |
| Pay plan(s) | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Primary pay plan(s) used for this occupational series in the federal government. |
| Typical grades | GS-12 to GS-14 (GS scale); VP-II to VP-III (VA Title 38) | Most common grade range for this series. Actual assignment depends on the position description and agency. |
| Locality pay | 17.06% – 44.15% | Varies by duty station across 58 OPM pay areas. Rate × base pay = locality supplement. Included in the average salary above. |
| Pay cap (2026) | $197,200 | Executive Schedule Level IV. Applies to GS employees whose locality-adjusted salary would exceed this amount. Title 38 and special pay plans may exceed this cap. |
Based on OPM EHRI Employment Snapshot (April 2026). Actual grade, step, and locality assignment varies by position and location.
Representative duties for the 0603 occupational series based on OPM classification standards. Specific responsibilities vary by position and agency.
Federal physician assistants (PAs) are licensed mid-level practitioners authorized to diagnose, treat, and prescribe under physician supervision. VA is the largest federal employer of PAs, deploying them across primary care, mental health, and specialty clinics to extend physician capacity. DoD employs PAs at military treatment facilities worldwide. All federal PAs must hold national certification (PA-C from NCCPA) and state licensure. The $169,039 average — the highest non-physician clinical series — reflects the advanced practice scope and Title 38 pay plan used by VA, which allows above-GS-cap compensation to recruit and retain mid-level practitioners. The 12.7% redaction is primarily DoD positions.
Your actual pay depends on your GS grade, step, and duty station locality. Use our free calculator for an instant, accurate result.
annualized_adjusted_basic_pay field captures base pay + locality pay under all pay plans (GS, Title 38, special rates). REDACTED records are excluded per OPM data release policy. FedTools publishes series-specific averages only when the non-redacted sample is representative (redaction ≤ 20%, n ≥ 50). This page does not constitute financial or career advice. Always verify current pay rates with your agency HR office and OPM.gov.