Physical Therapist Assistants Salary: $85,555 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 108,010 physical therapist assistants nationally earn a mean of $85,555. Projections imply about 5.1% annual growth; CA accounts for about 7,980 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $56,954 |
| 25th percentile | $77,904 |
| Median (50th) | $81,668 |
| 75th percentile | $98,863 |
| 90th percentile | $108,201 |
What education do you need?
For Physical Therapist Assistants, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 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 108,010 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 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.