Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

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)
92,740	1.6 %	$ 28.58	$ 59,440	0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 16.27	$ 23.20	$ 28.74	$ 34.04	$ 39.65
Annual Wage (2)	$ 33,840	$ 48,260	$ 59,770	$ 70,800	$ 82,470

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	41,370	4.58	$ 27.55	$ 57,300
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	19,330	0.35	$ 27.59	$ 57,380
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.60	$ 32.03	$ 66,620
Home Health Care Services	8,770	0.59	$ 32.15	$ 66,860
Offices of Physicians	5,050	0.19	$ 27.50	$ 57,200

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	41,370	4.58	$ 27.55	$ 57,300
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	2,880	1.08	$ 29.25	$ 60,830
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.60	$ 32.03	$ 66,620
Home Health Care Services	8,770	0.59	$ 32.15	$ 66,860
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	19,330	0.35	$ 27.59	$ 57,380

Top paying industries for Physical Therapist Assistants:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Child Day Care Services	50	0.01	$ 32.81	$ 68,230
Other Residential Care Facilities	(8)	(8)	$ 32.41	$ 67,420
Home Health Care Services	8,770	0.59	$ 32.15	$ 66,860
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	9,190	0.60	$ 32.03	$ 66,620
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	1,000	0.11	$ 31.73	$ 66,000

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)
Florida	7,100	0.84	1.26	$ 30.27	$ 62,960
Texas	6,500	0.54	0.81	$ 33.61	$ 69,900
Ohio	6,400	1.25	1.87	$ 29.54	$ 61,440
California	5,860	0.36	0.54	$ 33.93	$ 70,570
New York	5,200	0.60	0.90	$ 26.55	$ 55,220

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)
West Virginia	840	1.29	1.94	$ 26.41	$ 54,930
Ohio	6,400	1.25	1.87	$ 29.54	$ 61,440
Arkansas	1,420	1.20	1.81	$ 28.89	$ 60,080
Arizona	3,140	1.11	1.66	$ 21.91	$ 45,580
Tennessee	3,060	1.05	1.58	$ 27.79	$ 57,790

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	5,860	0.36	0.54	$ 33.93	$ 70,570
Connecticut	590	0.38	0.57	$ 33.62	$ 69,940
Texas	6,500	0.54	0.81	$ 33.61	$ 69,900
New Jersey	1,290	0.34	0.51	$ 33.32	$ 69,310
Rhode Island	330	0.74	1.10	$ 32.36	$ 67,300

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	4,220	0.48	0.72	$ 28.44	$ 59,140
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	2,700	0.62	0.93	$ 30.22	$ 62,870
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	2,280	1.08	1.62	$ 21.47	$ 44,660
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,900	0.76	1.14	$ 28.34	$ 58,940
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,870	0.32	0.48	$ 36.54	$ 76,010
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,530	0.58	0.87	$ 26.17	$ 54,420
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	1,430	0.55	0.82	$ 30.43	$ 63,290
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,410	0.52	0.78	$ 28.82	$ 59,940
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	1,380	0.46	0.70	$ 39.19	$ 81,510
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,300	0.43	0.65	$ 25.44	$ 52,910

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)
Pocatello, ID	130	3.86	5.79	$ 28.20	$ 58,650
Punta Gorda, FL	130	2.81	4.21	$ 33.98	$ 70,670
Bay City, MI	70	2.34	3.51	$ 24.73	$ 51,430
Homosassa Springs, FL	70	2.18	3.27	$ 32.38	$ 67,350
Johnson City, TN	160	2.14	3.21	$ 23.72	$ 49,340
Dalton, GA	120	1.99	2.99	$ 33.69	$ 70,070
Springfield, OH	90	1.97	2.96	$ 28.31	$ 58,880
New Bedford, MA	110	1.92	2.88	$ 30.84	$ 64,140
Wheeling, WV-OH	110	1.90	2.85	$ 27.98	$ 58,200
The Villages, FL	60	1.86	2.78	$ 34.63	$ 72,040