Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
96,840	1.5 %	$28.14	$58,520	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$16.08	$22.93	$28.26	$33.60	$38.87
Annual Wage (2)	$33,450	$47,690	$58,790	$69,880	$80,840

Industry profile for this occupation:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	45,400	4.75	$27.28	$56,740
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,810	0.34	$27.02	$56,210
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,420	0.59	$31.79	$66,120
Home Health Care Services	8,820	0.59	$31.46	$65,430
Offices of Physicians	5,030	0.19	$26.58	$55,300

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	45,400	4.75	$27.28	$56,740
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	2,820	1.06	$28.63	$59,550
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,420	0.59	$31.79	$66,120
Home Health Care Services	8,820	0.59	$31.46	$65,430
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,810	0.34	$27.02	$56,210

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,420	0.59	$31.79	$66,120
Child Day Care Services	50	0.01	$31.75	$66,040
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	1,060	0.11	$31.63	$65,800
Home Health Care Services	8,820	0.59	$31.46	$65,430
Employment Services	1,150	0.03	$30.99	$64,460

Geographic profile for this occupation:

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

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Texas	7,550	0.61	0.92	$33.02	$68,680
Florida	6,780	0.77	1.17	$30.48	$63,410
Ohio	6,040	1.11	1.68	$28.57	$59,410
California	5,750	0.33	0.50	$31.81	$66,150
New York	5,410	0.57	0.86	$26.43	$54,970

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas	1,370	1.13	1.71	$28.45	$59,180
Ohio	6,040	1.11	1.68	$28.57	$59,410
Tennessee	3,290	1.09	1.66	$27.15	$56,470
West Virginia	760	1.08	1.64	$25.68	$53,410
Arizona	2,900	1.01	1.54	$20.91	$43,500

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey	1,420	0.35	0.53	$33.40	$69,480
Texas	7,550	0.61	0.92	$33.02	$68,680
California	5,750	0.33	0.50	$31.81	$66,150
Connecticut	630	0.38	0.57	$31.50	$65,510
Rhode Island	390	0.80	1.21	$31.48	$65,480

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

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	4,610	0.48	0.72	$28.93	$60,160
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,670	0.57	0.87	$29.21	$60,760
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	2,130	1.01	1.53	$20.84	$43,350
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,790	0.68	1.03	$29.80	$61,980
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,770	0.28	0.43	$32.44	$67,480
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,760	0.61	0.93	$27.59	$57,390
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	1,600	0.57	0.87	$31.49	$65,500
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,520	0.48	0.73	$25.72	$53,490
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,470	0.74	1.13	$26.23	$54,560
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,470	0.48	0.73	$37.75	$78,530