Physical Therapist Assistants
Physical Therapist Assistants earn an average annual salary of $85,555, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Health Care and Social Assistance. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Physical Therapist Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,430 Workforce in 2023
The Physical Therapist Assistants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$85,555 Average Wage
In 2023, Physical Therapist Assistants earned an average of $85,555.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 7,980 employees, $85,741 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Physical Therapist Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,740 employees, $80,293 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,040 employees, $77,992 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 730 employees, $85,864 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 700 employees, $87,242 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 530 employees, $101,450 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 440 employees, $90,522 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 330 employees, $103,440 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 280 employees, $100,222 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 220 employees, $78,366 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 150 employees, $86,645 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 workforce of Physical Therapist Assistants in 2023 was 8,430 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Physical Therapist Assistants was $85,555 in 2023.
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 8,430 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.