Physical Therapist Assistants Salary: $65,510 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 108,010 physical therapist assistants work nationally, and $65,510 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 5.1% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Physical Therapist Assistants: what the data shows
Common questions about physical therapist assistants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a physical therapist assistants?
Physical Therapist Assistants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 31-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 108,010 workers.
What does a physical therapist assistants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a physical therapist assistants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $65,510 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $85,555 — 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 | $56,954 |
| 25th percentile | $77,904 |
| Median (50th) | $81,668 |
| 75th percentile | $98,863 |
| 90th percentile | $108,201 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning, Service Orientation, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is physical therapist assistants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.1% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 28.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 64.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 108,010.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do physical therapist assistantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 108,010 | 16.9% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 105,060 | 16.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 103,360 | 16.1% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 70,220 | 10.9% |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 50,420 | 7.9% |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | 49,030 | 7.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Physical Therapist Assistants 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 Aides | 44,010 | $34,520 |
| 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 Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
108,010 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Physical Therapist Assistants grew from 15,100 in 2009 to 33,420 in 2025 (121.3%).
Historical employment for Physical Therapist Assistants 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
$65,510 Median pay (BLS national)
Physical Therapist Assistants earn $65,510 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 Assistants.
Salary distribution for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
5.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
42,837 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 28.2%
54,909 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 64.3%
This occupation is projected to grow at 5.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Physical Therapist Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Physical Therapist Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Physical Therapist Assistants.
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:
- TX: 11,230 employees, $71,460 avg wage
- FL: 9,410 employees, $68,460 avg wage
- CA: 8,430 employees, $83,190 avg wage
- OH: 6,530 employees, $64,590 avg wage
- PA: 4,410 employees, $61,880 avg wage
- IL: 4,320 employees, $68,300 avg wage
- MI: 4,060 employees, $58,320 avg wage
- NY: 3,850 employees, $64,220 avg wage
- VA: 3,340 employees, $72,570 avg wage
- TN: 3,140 employees, $63,180 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,780 employees, $77,460 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 3,220 employees, $68,500 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,960 employees, $71,430 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,700 employees, $67,520 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,440 employees, $70,070 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,970 employees, $72,640 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 1,680 employees, $56,780 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,670 employees, $66,620 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 1,620 employees, $68,890 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 1,610 employees, $77,510 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Physical Therapist Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Physical Therapist Assistants is about 108,010 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Physical Therapist Assistants.
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 Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Physical Therapist Assistants in 2023 were Physical Therapy, Kinesiology, Health Sciences.
Common majors for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Physical Therapist Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Skills
Physical Therapist Assistants need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Learning.
Required skills for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Physical Therapist Assistants include Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Education and Training, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Physical Therapist Assistants include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Physical Therapist Assistants.
Daily Activities
Physical Therapist Assistants spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Physical Therapist Assistants.
About
Physical Therapist Assistants
Physical Therapist Assistants earn $65,510 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
31-2021 - Physical Therapist Assistants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Physical Therapist Assistants reports an average salary of $85,555.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 108,010 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 5.1%, 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.