Physical Therapist Aides Salary: $34,520 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 44,010 physical therapist aides work nationally, and $34,520 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 1.9% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Physical Therapist Aides: what the data shows
Common questions about physical therapist aides careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a physical therapist aides?
Physical Therapist Aides is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-2022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 44,010 workers.
What does a physical therapist aides do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Working with Computers, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a physical therapist aides make?
BLS national median annual wage: $34,520 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $40,345 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,617 |
| 25th percentile | $35,625 |
| Median (50th) | $37,322 |
| 75th percentile | $41,795 |
| 90th percentile | $47,308 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Therapy and Counseling. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is physical therapist aides in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 20.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 44,010.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do physical therapist aidess work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 44,010 | 16.6% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 42,910 | 16.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 42,110 | 15.9% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 34,240 | 12.9% |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 29,560 | 11.2% |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | 29,210 | 11.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Physical Therapist Aides in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | 108,010 | $65,510 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Music Directors and Composers | 12,330 | $63,670 |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Physical Therapist Aides workforce.
Employment Over Time
44,010 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Physical Therapist Aides grew from 20,100 in 2009 to 26,980 in 2025 (34.2%).
Historical employment for Physical Therapist Aides from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$34,520 Median pay (BLS national)
Physical Therapist Aides earn $34,520 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Physical Therapist Aides.
Salary distribution for Physical Therapist Aides.
Employment Growth Projections
1.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
29,579 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.6%
32,429 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 20.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Physical Therapist Aides.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Physical Therapist Aides and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Physical Therapist Aides employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Physical Therapist Aides.
Wage Trends by Industry
2.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Physical Therapist Aides.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Physical Therapist Aides.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 6,800 employees, $39,230 avg wage
- TX: 4,170 employees, $34,520 avg wage
- NY: 4,080 employees, $39,530 avg wage
- NJ: 2,140 employees, $42,380 avg wage
- AZ: 1,840 employees, $35,830 avg wage
- MI: 1,560 employees, $31,410 avg wage
- LA: 1,510 employees, $23,520 avg wage
- FL: 1,260 employees, $34,950 avg wage
- GA: 1,160 employees, $30,910 avg wage
- VA: 1,050 employees, $30,750 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Physical Therapist Aides.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,150 employees, $41,100 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,200 employees, $37,650 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 1,510 employees, $35,650 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 830 employees, $33,910 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 820 employees, $36,580 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 790 employees, $45,400 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 710 employees, $35,340 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 710 employees, $37,460 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 660 employees, $36,460 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 640 employees, $36,820 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Physical Therapist Aides.
Diversity
Demographic information on Physical Therapist Aides in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Physical Therapist Aides is about 44,010 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Physical Therapist Aides.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Physical Therapist Aides.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Physical Therapist Aides.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Physical Therapist Aides in 2023 were Business Administration, Physical Therapy, Kinesiology.
Common majors for Physical Therapist Aides.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Physical Therapist Aides workers.
Education level distribution for Physical Therapist Aides.
Skills
Physical Therapist Aides need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness.
Required skills for Physical Therapist Aides.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Physical Therapist Aides.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Physical Therapist Aides include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Physical Therapist Aides.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Physical Therapist Aides include Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Physical Therapist Aides.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Physical Therapist Aides.
Daily Activities
Physical Therapist Aides spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Physical Therapist Aides.
About
Physical Therapist Aides
Physical Therapist Aides earn $34,520 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
31-2022 - Physical Therapist Aides
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Physical Therapist Aides reports an average salary of $40,345.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 44,010 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.