• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

31-2021 Physical Therapist Assistants

Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in the development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, document the progress of treatment, and modify specific treatments in accordance with patient status and within the scope of treatment plans established by a physical therapist. Generally requires formal training.

---

National estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants
Industry profile for Physical Therapist Assistants
Geographic profile for Physical Therapist Assistants

National estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
104,000	1.7 %	$ 31.66	$ 65,860	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 20.24	$ 27.16	$ 30.81	$ 36.83	$ 42.71
Annual Wage (2)	$ 42,110	$ 56,490	$ 64,080	$ 76,610	$ 88,830

---

Industry profile for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Physical Therapist Assistants are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Physical Therapist Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	49,070	4.30	$ 29.01	$ 60,340
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,510	0.32	$ 32.08	$ 66,730
Home Health Care Services	11,900	0.74	$ 37.98	$ 79,000
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.67	$ 36.59	$ 76,110
Offices of Physicians	5,770	0.20	$ 29.52	$ 61,400

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	49,070	4.30	$ 29.01	$ 60,340
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	3,460	1.21	$ 34.19	$ 71,120
Home Health Care Services	11,900	0.74	$ 37.98	$ 79,000
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.67	$ 36.59	$ 76,110
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,510	0.32	$ 32.08	$ 66,730

Top paying industries for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises	350	0.01	$ 40.89	$ 85,060
Home Health Care Services	11,900	0.74	$ 37.98	$ 79,000
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.67	$ 36.59	$ 76,110
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	970	0.11	$ 36.49	$ 75,910
Individual and Family Services	300	0.01	$ 34.30	$ 71,340

---

Geographic profile for Physical Therapist Assistants:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Physical Therapist Assistants are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Physical Therapist Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in Physical Therapist Assistants:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Texas	10,110	0.75	1.09	$ 34.64	$ 72,060
Florida	9,130	0.95	1.39	$ 32.45	$ 67,500
California	8,230	0.46	0.67	$ 37.36	$ 77,700
Ohio	6,540	1.20	1.75	$ 30.90	$ 64,280
Pennsylvania	4,700	0.79	1.15	$ 28.67	$ 59,640

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physical Therapist Assistants:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas	1,590	1.25	1.83	$ 30.11	$ 62,620
Ohio	6,540	1.20	1.75	$ 30.90	$ 64,280
West Virginia	820	1.19	1.74	$ 29.68	$ 61,740
Rhode Island	500	1.03	1.51	$ 31.27	$ 65,050
Kentucky	2,000	1.02	1.49	$ 28.36	$ 58,990

Top paying states for Physical Therapist Assistants:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada	670	0.45	0.66	$ 38.64	$ 80,360
California	8,230	0.46	0.67	$ 37.36	$ 77,700
Texas	10,110	0.75	1.09	$ 34.64	$ 72,060
Georgia	2,370	0.50	0.73	$ 34.53	$ 71,830
Massachusetts	2,340	0.64	0.94	$ 34.29	$ 71,320

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Physical Therapist Assistants:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	4,210	0.44	0.65	$ 30.32	$ 63,060
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	3,410	0.76	1.10	$ 33.57	$ 69,820
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	3,290	0.53	0.78	$ 33.66	$ 70,010
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,660	0.98	1.43	$ 32.35	$ 67,290
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	2,350	0.59	0.87	$ 33.21	$ 69,090
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,920	0.68	0.99	$ 31.67	$ 65,870
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,860	0.58	0.85	$ 36.79	$ 76,510
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	1,590	0.58	0.84	$ 35.23	$ 73,270
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	1,480	1.05	1.53	$ 33.25	$ 69,150
Austin-Round Rock, TX	1,410	1.14	1.66	$ 37.39	$ 77,780

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Physical Therapist Assistants:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Gadsden, AL	130	4.13	6.04	$ 29.27	$ 60,890
Homosassa Springs, FL	140	4.07	5.94	$ 30.71	$ 63,880
Victoria, TX	130	3.42	5.00	$ 33.45	$ 69,580
Jonesboro, AR	180	3.06	4.47	$ 30.63	$ 63,720
Lima, OH	130	2.57	3.76	$ 29.22	$ 60,780
Cumberland, MD-WV	80	2.13	3.11	$ 30.11	$ 62,620
Port St. Lucie, FL	340	2.07	3.03	$ 30.26	$ 62,950
Hot Springs, AR	80	2.02	2.95	$ 27.59	$ 57,390
Sebring, FL	60	1.99	2.90	$ 27.57	$ 57,350
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA	380	1.90	2.78	$ 27.84	$ 57,900