How much do physical therapist assistants make in 2026?
Physical therapist assistants earn a national median of $68,380 a year ($32.88 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 31-2021). The bottom 10% earn about $47,750 and the top 10% reach $89,510. The role requires an accredited two-year associate degree, the national PTA examination and a state licence, and it works under a physical therapist's plan of care — which is why the pay band sits roughly two-thirds of the way to a licensed therapist's. Setting drives the spread: skilled nursing facilities and home health pay above outpatient orthopaedic clinics because of productivity expectations and travel, and rehabilitation technicians who progress into senior or float roles sit near the $78,680 P75. Employment is projected to grow 22% through 2034 with roughly 19,800 openings a year. → Full physical therapist assistant career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $68,380 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Physical Therapist Assistants earn a national median $68,380/yr ($32.88/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-2021); the P10 to P90 range is $47,750 to $89,510.
- PTA pay sits at roughly two-thirds of the licensed physical therapist median, for a two-year accredited degree rather than a clinical doctorate.
- Skilled nursing and home health pay above outpatient clinics, and that is where assistants cross from the $68,380 median toward the $78,680 P75.
- BLS projects 22% growth through 2034 with roughly 19,800 openings a year, among the fastest growth rates of any healthcare occupation at this entry level.
US Physical Therapist Assistant Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do physical therapist assistants earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 31-2021; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-2021, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a physical therapist assistant earn at each career stage?
PTAs hold a single licence, so the stages below follow setting, specialty competency and seniority within a rehabilitation team. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 31-2021.
By State
Which states pay physical therapist assistants the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. PTAs are licensed in every state and participate in the physical therapy licensure compact where the state has joined it, which makes travel and multi-state work more practical than in most assistant-level roles.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($78,640), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay physical therapist assistants the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a physical therapist assistant’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does physical therapist assistant pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Physical Therapist Assistants sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify physical therapist assistant wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a physical therapist assistant actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Physical Therapist Assistant Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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