Physical Therapist Assistant Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Approximately 60,000 physical therapist assistants can be found working in the US. Recent data shows that compared to other careers this occupation has a very low level of unemployment. Employees without jobs represent 2% of the total.

Area Job Conditions

The most jobs per capita are found in Gadsden (Alabama), Bay City (Michigan), and Canton (Ohio), and the least jobs per capita are found in San Jose (California), San Francisco (California), and Stockton (California).

The salary for this career is highest in Oxnard (California), San Francisco (California), and Virginia Beach (Virginia) and lowest in Bethesda (Maryland), Lafayette (Louisiana), and Lake Charles (Louisiana).

Training and Education

Most people pursuing this career path get an associate degree. Among employees, 23% have a four year degree. Some 65% of physical therapist assistants started college but did not get a four year degree. A high school diploma was enough for 12% of workers. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Physical therapist assistants in part-time roles are about 27% of the total.

Physical Therapist Assistants: An Introductory Video

Physical Therapist Assistants Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of physical therapist assistants compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for physical therapist assistants.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$48,000	350
Montgomery	$45,000	110
Mobile	$42,000	90
Tuscaloosa	$39,000	90
Huntsville	$34,000	80
Gadsden	$53,000	80
Decatur	$42,000	50
Dothan	$48,000	50
Anniston	$37,000	30

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$39,000	600
Tucson	$40,000	160

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$43,000	140
Fort Smith	$50,000	100
Fayetteville	$41,000	50

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Santa Ana	$55,000	420
Riverside	$56,000	420
San Diego	$58,000	390
Sacramento	$57,000	280
Oakland	$55,000	250
San Jose	$51,000	170
San Francisco	$61,000	160
Oxnard	$68,000	140
Fresno	$52,000	80
Modesto	$53,000	60
Bakersfield	$53,000	60
Visalia	$39,000	40
Chico		40
Santa Rosa	$48,000	40
Stockton	$50,000	30

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$39,000	270
Colorado Springs	$40,000	60
Pueblo	$38,000	60
Boulder	$39,000	40
Fort Collins	$36,000	40

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford		150
Bridgeport	$48,000	100
New Haven	$46,000	90
Waterbury	$45,000	80

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$47,000	160

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$45,000	450

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Tampa	$56,000	670
Miami	$46,000	530
Fort Lauderdale	$53,000	450
West Palm Beach	$46,000	240
Orlando	$52,000	230
Jacksonville	$51,000	220
Ocala	$45,000	110
Cape Coral	$49,000	90
Palm Bay	$47,000	90
Sarasota	$50,000	80
Deltona	$48,000	70
Port St Lucie	$57,000	60
Panama City	$44,000	60
Pensacola	$39,000	60
Gainesville	$44,000	60
Naples	$56,000	50
Sebastian	$51,000	50
Lakeland	$48,000	40
Punta Gorda	$42,000	30
Tallahassee	$57,000	30

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$48,000	440
Brunswick	$55,000	80
Augusta	$50,000	80
Athens	$29,000	50
Macon	$50,000	40
Albany	$46,000	40
Gainesville	$43,000	30
Columbus	$43,000	30

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$36,000	220

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$52,000	1,470
Rockford	$45,000	130
Bloomington	$44,000	80
Champaign	$57,000	60
Peoria	$47,000	50

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$53,000	350
Gary	$47,000	180
Evansville	$44,000	160
Fort Wayne	$46,000	150
South Bend	$40,000	60
Terre Haute	$52,000	40
Anderson	$56,000	30

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$44,000	100
Waterloo	$34,000	60
Iowa City	$45,000	50
Davenport	$44,000	50
Sioux City	$36,000	30

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Topeka	$42,000	130
Wichita	$43,000	110

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$50,000	280
Lexington	$36,000	240
Owensboro	$44,000	50

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$47,000	260
Baton Rouge	$42,000	100
Shreveport	$46,000	90
Lafayette	$31,000	60
Lake Charles	$33,000	40

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$44,000	40

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$46,000	680
Bethesda	$36,000	360
Salisbury	$37,000	40
Hagerstown	$44,000	40
Cumberland	$39,000	30

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$46,000	1,160
Springfield	$47,000	220
Worcester	$50,000	110
Brockton	$50,000	90
New Bedford	$50,000	90
Haverhill	$46,000	90
Barnstable Town	$53,000	80
Leominster	$46,000	60
Framingham	$52,000	50
Lowell	$44,000	40

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$39,000	980
Detroit	$47,000	260
Grand Rapids	$43,000	210
Flint	$42,000	150
Bay City	$44,000	70
Saginaw	$40,000	70
Battle Creek	$50,000	60
Ann Arbor	$33,000	60
Lansing	$42,000	60
Kalamazoo	$46,000	50
Muskegon	$40,000	40
Niles	$43,000	40
Holland	$36,000	40

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$44,000	470
Duluth	$42,000	90
Rochester	$43,000	50
St Cloud	$42,000	50

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$39,000	150
Gulfport	$32,000	60
Pascagoula	$49,000	40
Hattiesburg	$39,000	40

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$43,000	860
Kansas City	$46,000	460
Springfield	$38,000	120
Joplin	$34,000	40

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$40,000	150
Lincoln	$44,000	30

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$56,000	330
Reno	$48,000	40

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Rochester	$44,000	50
Manchester	$45,000	50

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Edison	$51,000	330
Newark	$38,000	310
Camden	$50,000	160
Atlantic City	$48,000	50
Trenton	$49,000	40

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$48,000	120
Farmington	$45,000	40
Las Cruces	$41,000	30

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$46,000	1,560
Nassau	$48,000	810
Buffalo	$38,000	250
Rochester	$34,000	210
Albany	$38,000	170
Poughkeepsie	$47,000	160
Syracuse	$38,000	160
Utica	$36,000	70
Binghamton	$37,000	70
Glens Falls	$36,000	40
Kingston	$46,000	40

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$51,000	330
Raleigh	$45,000	230
Greensboro	$50,000	200
Fayetteville	$50,000	160
Asheville	$45,000	120
Rocky Mount	$51,000	110
Wilmington	$52,000	100
Durham	$54,000	100
Winston Salem	$52,000	70
Hickory	$47,000	70
Greenville	$49,000	60

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$51,000	880
Cincinnati	$53,000	770
Youngstown	$48,000	470
Columbus	$48,000	450
Canton	$48,000	380
Toledo	$52,000	370
Dayton	$49,000	230
Akron	$52,000	220
Mansfield	$41,000	50
Springfield	$46,000	40
Lima	$46,000	40

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$42,000	420
Tulsa	$33,000	420
Lawton	$46,000	40

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$48,000	360
Salem	$44,000	40
Bend	$47,000	40

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$45,000	1,120
Pittsburgh	$39,000	800
Reading	$46,000	210
Erie	$31,000	160
York	$39,000	150
Harrisburg	$40,000	140
Scranton	$38,000	130
Lancaster	$41,000	90
Altoona	$41,000	40

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$49,000	450

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Columbia	$51,000	150
Charleston	$47,000	90
Florence	$56,000	90
Greenville	$47,000	70
Anderson	$47,000	50
Spartanburg	$48,000	40
Myrtle Beach	$47,000	30

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$30,000	110

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$57,000	320
Knoxville	$45,000	240
Memphis	$45,000	210
Chattanooga	$46,000	190
Kingsport	$47,000	130

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$51,000	790
Dallas	$52,000	560
San Antonio	$60,000	350
Fort Worth	$51,000	320
Mcallen	$65,000	190
El Paso	$47,000	170
Austin	$42,000	160
Laredo	$59,000	120
Tyler	$56,000	110
Corpus Christi	$64,000	100
Amarillo	$45,000	70
Lubbock	$45,000	60
Victoria	$57,000	60
Waco	$49,000	40
Texarkana	$64,000	40
Longview	$49,000	30
Sherman	$62,000	30

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$35,000	210
Provo	$34,000	50

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Richmond	$40,000	310
Virginia Beach	$57,000	310
Lynchburg	$60,000	140
Roanoke	$48,000	140
Danville	$55,000	60
Winchester	$49,000	40
Blacksburg	$39,000	40
Charlottesville	$41,000	40

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$49,000	390
Tacoma	$45,000	150
Spokane	$44,000	100
Bremerton	$48,000	50
Mount Vernon	$44,000	40
Yakima	$42,000	40
Bellingham	$41,000	40

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$33,000	110
Huntington	$44,000	110
Morgantown	$38,000	50
Weirton	$44,000	40
Parkersburg	$38,000	40
Wheeling	$43,000	30

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$42,000	430
Madison	$43,000	110
Green Bay	$45,000	90
Racine	$41,000	60
Oshkosh	$45,000	50
La Crosse	$42,000	40
Appleton	$45,000	40
Janesville	$45,000	30

Our physical therapist assistant career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.