• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
93,660	1.7 %	$ 29.20	$ 60,740	0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 17.92	$ 23.40	$ 29.42	$ 36.48	$ 38.54
Annual Wage (2)	$ 37,280	$ 48,670	$ 61,180	$ 75,870	$ 80,170

---

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	41,730	4.29	$ 27.06	$ 56,290
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,710	0.33	$ 28.71	$ 59,710
Home Health Care Services	10,190	0.67	$ 36.12	$ 75,130
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	8,350	0.59	$ 33.60	$ 69,890
Offices of Physicians	4,650	0.17	$ 26.51	$ 55,150

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	41,730	4.29	$ 27.06	$ 56,290
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	3,830	1.42	$ 31.57	$ 65,660
Home Health Care Services	10,190	0.67	$ 36.12	$ 75,130
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	8,350	0.59	$ 33.60	$ 69,890
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	18,710	0.33	$ 28.71	$ 59,710

Top paying industries for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services	10,190	0.67	$ 36.12	$ 75,130
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	8,350	0.59	$ 33.60	$ 69,890
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	770	0.09	$ 33.43	$ 69,530
Management of Companies and Enterprises	400	0.02	$ 31.99	$ 66,540
Outpatient Care Centers	920	0.09	$ 31.63	$ 65,790

---

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	7,690	0.63	0.95	$ 33.40	$ 69,470
Florida	6,910	0.80	1.21	$ 31.22	$ 64,940
California	6,780	0.41	0.62	$ 35.17	$ 73,150
Ohio	6,150	1.18	1.78	$ 29.54	$ 61,450
Pennsylvania	5,540	0.99	1.49	$ 26.64	$ 55,410

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	1,550	1.30	1.95	$ 27.89	$ 58,020
Kentucky	2,220	1.21	1.82	$ 25.55	$ 53,150
Ohio	6,150	1.18	1.78	$ 29.54	$ 61,450
West Virginia	750	1.14	1.72	$ 26.52	$ 55,160
Pennsylvania	5,540	0.99	1.49	$ 26.64	$ 55,410

Top paying states for Physical Therapist Assistants:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	6,780	0.41	0.62	$ 35.17	$ 73,150
Rhode Island	270	0.60	0.90	$ 33.98	$ 70,690
New Jersey	1,530	0.40	0.60	$ 33.87	$ 70,450
Texas	7,690	0.63	0.95	$ 33.40	$ 69,470
Connecticut	730	0.46	0.70	$ 32.88	$ 68,390

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	3,260	0.38	0.56	$ 32.88	$ 68,380
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	3,220	0.76	1.14	$ 29.55	$ 61,470
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,190	0.38	0.58	$ 36.12	$ 75,120
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,940	0.73	1.10	$ 29.42	$ 61,180
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,840	0.51	0.77	$ 35.16	$ 73,130
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	1,730	0.82	1.23	$ 24.73	$ 51,430
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,690	0.69	1.04	$ 32.32	$ 67,220
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,580	0.55	0.82	$ 33.80	$ 70,310
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	1,460	0.81	1.22	$ 24.11	$ 50,150
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	1,390	0.54	0.81	$ 33.01	$ 68,660

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	90	2.79	4.19	$ 27.86	$ 57,950
Victoria, TX	80	2.23	3.35	$ 30.96	$ 64,390
Lima, OH	100	2.11	3.18	$ 29.66	$ 61,690
Bowling Green, KY	150	2.10	3.16	$ 23.83	$ 49,570
Jonesboro, AR	120	2.04	3.07	$ 25.66	$ 53,380
Cumberland, MD-WV	70	2.04	3.06	$ 25.58	$ 53,210
Pocatello, ID	70	2.03	3.06	$ 19.08	$ 39,690
Hot Springs, AR	70	2.03	3.05	$ 26.38	$ 54,880
Bay City, MI	60	1.76	2.64	$ 25.12	$ 52,240
Springfield, OH	80	1.73	2.60	$ 28.39	$ 59,060