Physical Therapist Aides
Median $35,240
Occupation · SOC 31-2021
Physical Therapist Assistants: pay and where the jobs are
What physical therapist assistants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$68,380 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $68,730
- Median hourly wage
- $32.88
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.04
- Employment
- 112,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-2021.
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See where your pay falls among physical therapist assistants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do physical therapist assistants make?
The median annual wage for physical therapist assistants was $68,380 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $47,750 and the highest-paid 10% more than $89,510. As an hourly rate, the median is $32.88. About 112,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($83,110), Massachusetts ($79,460) and New Jersey ($78,440). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Texas.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for physical therapist assistants looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,750 | $22.96 | $3,979 | $3,379 |
| 25th percentile | $59,820 | $28.76 | $4,985 | $4,187 |
| Median | $68,380 | $32.88 | $5,698 | $4,745 |
| 75th percentile | $78,680 | $37.83 | $6,557 | $5,348 |
| 90th percentile | $89,510 | $43.04 | $7,459 | $5,983 |
Physical Therapist Assistants: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$65,635 take-home in national prices
2
$61,971 take-home in national prices
3
$61,723 take-home in national prices
Where a median physical therapist assistant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9,400 | $83,110 | $59,500 | $102,800 | $62,733 | $56,659 |
| Massachusetts | 2,640 | $79,460 | $62,030 | $88,280 | $60,612 | $57,312 |
| New Jersey | 1,810 | $78,440 | $62,620 | $90,090 | $60,686 | $55,775 |
| Texas | 10,510 | $78,000 | $43,900 | $99,640 | $63,703 | $65,635 |
| Maryland | 1,430 | $77,670 | $39,260 | $91,570 | $60,148 | $57,306 |
| Alaska | 110 | $77,640 | $65,640 | $87,850 | $63,179 | $61,723 |
| Connecticut | 980 | $75,880 | $62,070 | $82,870 | $58,409 | $56,374 |
| Nevada | 560 | $75,520 | $49,140 | $87,930 | $61,958 | $61,971 |
| Delaware | 340 | $74,610 | $51,750 | $83,510 | $57,436 | $57,547 |
| Virginia | 3,370 | $73,760 | $54,170 | $93,600 | $57,293 | $56,667 |
| Oregon | 890 | $73,180 | $56,620 | $89,480 | $54,943 | $53,156 |
| Georgia | 2,620 | $72,800 | $43,400 | $89,600 | $57,161 | $59,361 |
| Florida | 9,870 | $72,530 | $58,650 | $81,080 | $59,855 | $57,879 |
| Vermont | 100 | $71,600 | $60,580 | $83,250 | $56,979 | $58,167 |
| New Hampshire | 500 | $71,440 | $59,540 | $80,940 | $59,088 | $56,725 |
| South Carolina | 1,870 | $70,500 | $47,510 | $88,070 | $56,068 | $59,806 |
| Rhode Island | 420 | $68,640 | $58,380 | $76,990 | $54,406 | $53,193 |
| North Carolina | 3,280 | $67,540 | $56,100 | $80,850 | $54,158 | $57,416 |
| Hawaii | 250 | $67,510 | $49,920 | $74,770 | $52,659 | $47,893 |
| Minnesota | 1,230 | $66,770 | $58,010 | $77,420 | $52,492 | $53,226 |
| Washington | 2,150 | $66,450 | $36,610 | $93,140 | $54,651 | $51,069 |
| Maine | 410 | $66,250 | $53,440 | $80,530 | $52,287 | $53,876 |
| Louisiana | 1,670 | $65,370 | $24,360 | $81,520 | $53,130 | $60,233 |
| Indiana | 2,830 | $65,280 | $46,410 | $80,060 | $52,736 | $56,506 |
| Illinois | 4,890 | $65,240 | $41,600 | $81,890 | $51,516 | $51,537 |
| Colorado | 1,350 | $64,810 | $48,580 | $89,550 | $51,826 | $50,292 |
| Arizona | 2,010 | $64,650 | $36,160 | $79,570 | $52,904 | $52,548 |
| Arkansas | 1,620 | $64,520 | $31,540 | $85,280 | $52,122 | $59,954 |
| Kansas | 1,300 | $64,500 | $52,520 | $79,550 | $51,206 | $56,853 |
| New York | 3,620 | $64,100 | $46,350 | $81,000 | $50,512 | $46,804 |
| Wisconsin | 1,650 | $64,080 | $51,960 | $77,440 | $51,373 | $54,597 |
| Ohio | 7,040 | $63,820 | $51,280 | $84,130 | $52,148 | $56,210 |
| Missouri | 2,490 | $63,770 | $50,460 | $79,000 | $51,359 | $56,553 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $63,550 | $48,180 | $79,320 | $53,242 | $57,441 |
| North Dakota | 120 | $63,520 | $30,480 | $77,600 | $53,218 | $59,823 |
| District of Columbia | 40 | $63,400 | $45,750 | $82,250 | $50,447 | $45,903 |
| Montana | 250 | $62,650 | $52,310 | $77,990 | $50,331 | $53,179 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,270 | $62,580 | $49,610 | $78,010 | $50,498 | $51,755 |
| Tennessee | 3,390 | $62,500 | $48,010 | $80,800 | $52,399 | $57,036 |
| New Mexico | 700 | $62,280 | $30,470 | $85,040 | $50,461 | $54,722 |
| Utah | 970 | $61,980 | $34,190 | $84,000 | $49,620 | $50,190 |
| Mississippi | 1,150 | $61,770 | $51,720 | $78,830 | $50,073 | $57,587 |
| Michigan | 4,520 | $61,670 | $35,700 | $78,600 | $49,362 | $51,302 |
| Kentucky | 2,580 | $61,480 | $27,870 | $79,500 | $49,545 | $54,953 |
| Alabama | 2,700 | $61,430 | $49,340 | $79,060 | $48,967 | $55,129 |
| Nebraska | 980 | $61,370 | $48,100 | $77,690 | $49,578 | $55,024 |
| Iowa | 1,060 | $61,030 | $45,760 | $74,950 | $49,550 | $56,460 |
| Idaho | 560 | $61,020 | $37,780 | $75,050 | $49,084 | $51,400 |
| West Virginia | 980 | $60,430 | $45,510 | $79,160 | $48,851 | $54,584 |
| Oklahoma | 2,380 | $59,480 | $24,960 | $79,860 | $47,841 | $54,462 |
| South Dakota | 300 | $49,310 | $40,120 | $63,930 | $41,801 | $47,186 |
| Puerto Rico | 830 | $29,710 | $22,460 | $67,100 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-2021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.