Physical Therapist Assistants pay in the U.S.
$68,730avg. a year
$33.04 an hour · 112,430 employed
Physical Therapist Assistants in the U.S. earn an average of $68,730 a year and a median of $68,380. Pay is highest in California ($83,080) and lowest in South Dakota ($52,170).
$68,380Median pay
$33.04Average hourly
+16%Avg. pay since 2020
112,430Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for physical therapist assistants
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
19,400 jobs
California
$83,080
$39.94 an hour
2110 jobs
Alaska
$77,670
$37.34 an hour
31,810 jobs
New Jersey
$77,020
$37.03 an hour
42,640 jobs
Massachusetts
$76,350
$36.71 an hour
510,510 jobs
Texas
$75,060
$36.09 an hour
6980 jobs
Connecticut
$73,730
$35.45 an hour
71,430 jobs
Maryland
$73,000
$35.09 an hour
8560 jobs
Nevada
$72,960
$35.08 an hour
93,370 jobs
Virginia
$72,710
$34.96 an hour
10500 jobs
New Hampshire
$72,140
$34.68 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Physical Therapist Assistants pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $63k$63k–$66k$66k–$71k$71k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $94,690 | $45.53 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $93,600 | $45.00 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $87,150 | $41.90 |
| Modesto, CA | $85,950 | $41.32 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $85,440 | $41.08 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $84,710 | $40.73 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $82,060 | $39.45 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $81,680 | $39.27 |
Related jobs
- Occupational Therapy Assistants$70,710
- Physical Therapist Aides$36,430
- Occupational Therapy Aides$44,110
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides$36,120
- Nursing Assistants$42,700
- Medical Assistants$46,120
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Physical Therapist Assistants pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,130 | $61,430 | 2,700 |
| Alaska | $77,670 | $77,640 | 110 |
| Arizona | $64,970 | $64,650 | 2,010 |
| Arkansas | $64,500 | $64,520 | 1,620 |
| California | $83,080 | $83,110 | 9,400 |
| Colorado | $67,520 | $64,810 | 1,350 |
| Connecticut | $73,730 | $75,880 | 980 |
| Delaware | $71,070 | $74,610 | 340 |
| District of Columbia | $67,130 | $63,400 | 40 |
| Florida | $71,110 | $72,530 | 9,870 |
| Georgia | $68,580 | $72,800 | 2,620 |
| Hawaii | $66,160 | $67,510 | 250 |
| Idaho | $60,200 | $61,020 | 560 |
| Illinois | $65,810 | $65,240 | 4,890 |
| Indiana | $65,470 | $65,280 | 2,830 |
| Iowa | $60,220 | $61,030 | 1,060 |
| Kansas | $66,320 | $64,500 | 1,300 |
| Kentucky | $60,490 | $61,480 | 2,580 |
| Louisiana | $61,250 | $65,370 | 1,670 |
| Maine | $67,300 | $66,250 | 410 |
| Maryland | $73,000 | $77,670 | 1,430 |
| Massachusetts | $76,350 | $79,460 | 2,640 |
| Michigan | $60,260 | $61,670 | 4,520 |
| Minnesota | $67,730 | $66,770 | 1,230 |
| Mississippi | $62,850 | $61,770 | 1,150 |
| Missouri | $65,190 | $63,770 | 2,490 |
| Montana | $65,320 | $62,650 | 250 |
| Nebraska | $61,890 | $61,370 | 980 |
| Nevada | $72,960 | $75,520 | 560 |
| New Hampshire | $72,140 | $71,440 | 500 |
| New Jersey | $77,020 | $78,440 | 1,810 |
| New Mexico | $62,000 | $62,280 | 700 |
| New York | $65,660 | $64,100 | 3,620 |
| North Carolina | $68,790 | $67,540 | 3,280 |
| North Dakota | $60,490 | $63,520 | 120 |
| Ohio | $67,260 | $63,820 | 7,040 |
| Oklahoma | $57,990 | $59,480 | 2,380 |
| Oregon | $70,490 | $73,180 | 890 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,820 | $62,580 | 4,270 |
| Rhode Island | $67,980 | $68,640 | 420 |
| South Carolina | $68,260 | $70,500 | 1,870 |
| South Dakota | $52,170 | $49,310 | 300 |
| Tennessee | $64,060 | $62,500 | 3,390 |
| Texas | $75,060 | $78,000 | 10,510 |
| Utah | $62,470 | $61,980 | 970 |
| Vermont | $71,320 | $71,600 | 100 |
| Virginia | $72,710 | $73,760 | 3,370 |
| Washington | $65,090 | $66,450 | 2,150 |
| West Virginia | $61,560 | $60,430 | 980 |
| Wisconsin | $65,480 | $64,080 | 1,650 |
| Wyoming | $65,820 | $63,550 | 240 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$81,680
3,730 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$67,180
3,520 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$73,810
3,420 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$73,320
3,220 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$73,870
2,210 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$77,120
2,110 jobsDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
$57,210
1,880 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$77,660
1,860 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do physical therapist assistants make?
The average is $68,730 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $68,380 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $33.04, and the median is $32.88 an hour.
Which state pays physical therapist assistants the most?
California, with an average of $83,080 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $94,690.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $47,750 a year, and the top 10% earn over $89,510.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 31-2021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.