How Much Do Physical Therapy Assistants Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary physical therapy assistants make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for physical therapy assistants and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of physical therapy assistants are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much physical therapy assistants can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Physical Therapy Assistants
According to data from 2023, there were about 106,943 positions for physical therapy assistants in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for physical therapy assistants was reported to be $64,085. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 260,178 job postings related to positions for physical therapy assistants.
How Much Money Do Physical Therapy Assistants Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money physical therapy assistants and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for physical therapy assistants.
Annual Salary for Physical Therapy Assistants
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for physical therapy assistants and related professions earned about $42,099 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $88,837 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for physical therapy assistants in the United States in 2023 was $64,085.
Annual Salary Range For Physical Therapy Assistants In 2023
Hourly Salary for Physical Therapy Assistants
The BLS also breaks down compensation for physical therapy assistants by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for physical therapy assistants in 2023 was $31. Lowest hourly earners took home $20 while the highest reported hourly salaries for physical therapy assistants was $43.
Hourly Salary Range For Physical Therapy Assistants In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Physical Therapy Assistants
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for physical therapy assistants, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for physical therapy assistants.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Physical Therapy Assistants
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 74,256 job postings related to physical therapy assistants, advertised salary was included in 27,276 of them, which was 37%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for physical therapy assistants was $62,592 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Physical Therapy Assistants
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for physical therapy assistants. Based on 10% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for physical therapy assistants in the United States is about $30.
Salary Trend for Physical Therapy Assistants
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for physical therapy assistants. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for physical therapy assistants dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for physical therapy assistants have increased 87%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Physical Therapy Assistants
What's the Job Growth for Physical Therapy Assistants?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for physical therapy assistants over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 106,940 jobs for physical therapy assistants in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 30,220 jobs will be added. That's a 28.3% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Physical Therapy Assistants
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about physical therapy assistants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for physical therapy assistants.
What do physical therapy assistants do?
Physical Therapy Assistants: How do you become one?
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