BLS PTA pay in every state and at every level, home health vs clinic pay, part-time hours and take-home after 2026 tax
Physical therapist assistants earned a median of $68,380 a year in May 2025, $32.88 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 112,430 PTAs. The middle half earned between $28.76 and $37.83 an hour and the top tenth over $43.04. Weekend and evening shifts at extended-hours clinics don't change these straight-time figures.
This is the BLS line for physical therapist assistants (SOC 31-2021) on employers' payrolls. Physical therapist aides, who don't treat patients and earn far less, are a separate line, as are the physical therapists PTAs work under. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.96 | $47,750 | $3,979 | $40,547 |
| 25th percentile | $28.76 | $59,820 | $4,985 | $50,245 |
| Median | $32.88 | $68,380 | $5,698 | $56,935 |
| 75th percentile | $37.83 | $78,680 | $6,557 | $64,181 |
| 90th percentile | $43.04 | $89,510 | $7,459 | $71,800 |
California pays PTAs the most, $39.96 an hour, then Massachusetts ($38.20) and New Jersey ($37.71). Texas, which employs the most PTAs (10,510), pays $37.50, well above the national median, while South Dakota ($23.71) is lowest. Florida, with 9,870, pays $34.87.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $39.96 | $83,110 | 9,400 |
| Massachusetts | $38.20 | $79,460 | 2,640 |
| New Jersey | $37.71 | $78,440 | 1,810 |
| Texas | $37.50 | $78,000 | 10,510 |
| Maryland | $37.34 | $77,670 | 1,430 |
| Alaska | $37.33 | $77,640 | 110 |
| Connecticut | $36.48 | $75,880 | 980 |
| Nevada | $36.31 | $75,520 | 560 |
| Delaware | $35.87 | $74,610 | 340 |
| Virginia | $35.46 | $73,760 | 3,370 |
| Oregon | $35.19 | $73,180 | 890 |
| Georgia | $35.00 | $72,800 | 2,620 |
| Florida | $34.87 | $72,530 | 9,870 |
| Vermont | $34.42 | $71,600 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $34.35 | $71,440 | 500 |
| South Carolina | $33.90 | $70,500 | 1,870 |
| Rhode Island | $33.00 | $68,640 | 420 |
| North Carolina | $32.47 | $67,540 | 3,280 |
| Hawaii | $32.46 | $67,510 | 250 |
| Minnesota | $32.10 | $66,770 | 1,230 |
| Washington | $31.95 | $66,450 | 2,150 |
| Maine | $31.85 | $66,250 | 410 |
| Louisiana | $31.43 | $65,370 | 1,670 |
| Indiana | $31.39 | $65,280 | 2,830 |
| Illinois | $31.37 | $65,240 | 4,890 |
| Colorado | $31.16 | $64,810 | 1,350 |
| Arizona | $31.08 | $64,650 | 2,010 |
| Arkansas | $31.02 | $64,520 | 1,620 |
| Kansas | $31.01 | $64,500 | 1,300 |
| New York | $30.82 | $64,100 | 3,620 |
| Wisconsin | $30.81 | $64,080 | 1,650 |
| Ohio | $30.68 | $63,820 | 7,040 |
| Missouri | $30.66 | $63,770 | 2,490 |
| Wyoming | $30.56 | $63,550 | 240 |
| North Dakota | $30.54 | $63,520 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $30.48 | $63,400 | 40 |
| Montana | $30.12 | $62,650 | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $30.09 | $62,580 | 4,270 |
| Tennessee | $30.05 | $62,500 | 3,390 |
| New Mexico | $29.94 | $62,280 | 700 |
| Utah | $29.80 | $61,980 | 970 |
| Mississippi | $29.70 | $61,770 | 1,150 |
| Michigan | $29.65 | $61,670 | 4,520 |
| Kentucky | $29.56 | $61,480 | 2,580 |
| Alabama | $29.53 | $61,430 | 2,700 |
| Nebraska | $29.50 | $61,370 | 980 |
| Idaho | $29.34 | $61,020 | 560 |
| Iowa | $29.34 | $61,030 | 1,060 |
| West Virginia | $29.05 | $60,430 | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $28.60 | $59,480 | 2,380 |
| South Dakota | $23.71 | $49,310 | 300 |
Home health care pays PTAs the most, $80,050, then skilled nursing facilities ($77,440). Hospitals pay $67,620, therapy offices — 44% of PTA jobs — $63,080, and physicians' offices $62,970 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Home healthcare services | $80,050 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | $77,440 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $67,620 |
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | $63,080 |
| Offices of physicians | $62,970 |
Most physical therapist assistants work full time, although part-time work is common, and some work nights and weekends because many clinics keep extended hours. Therapy offices employ 44% of PTAs, hospitals 20%, home health 12%, skilled nursing facilities 10% and physicians' offices 6%. Lifting and moving patients makes back injuries a risk (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
PTAs generally aren't exempt learned professionals: the exemption looks for knowledge customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction (DOL Fact Sheet #17D), and PTAs enter with an associate's degree, so they're owed time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. Hospitals and nursing facilities can instead use the 8-and-80 system by prior agreement: overtime after 8 hours in a day and 80 in a 14-day period (DOL Fact Sheet #54).
Many PTAs work part time or take extra weekend hours at a second clinic. The table converts the BLS median and 75th percentile PTA hourly wages into a year's pay at 20 to 40 hours a week over 52 weeks, before any overtime or 8-and-80 premium.
| Hours a week | At the median | At the 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | $34,195 | $39,343 |
| 24 | $41,034 | $47,212 |
| 30 | $51,293 | $59,015 |
| 32 | $54,712 | $62,949 |
| 36 | $61,551 | $70,818 |
| 40 | $68,390 | $78,686 |
All states require PTAs to have an associate's degree from an accredited program, typically about 2 years of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology plus supervised clinical work, and to be licensed or certified, which usually means passing a qualifying exam; some states add a law exam, a background check or a minimum age of 18, and continuing education. Physical therapist aides, by contrast, need only a high school diploma and on-the-job training (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your physical therapist assistant pay:
$68,380 a year ($32.88 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $59,820 to $78,680.
California ($39.96 an hour, $83,110 a year), then Massachusetts and New Jersey; South Dakota pays least among the 51 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
Yes, on the Occupational Outlook Handbook's industry table: home health care has the highest PTA median and skilled nursing facilities the next, while therapy offices, which employ the most PTAs, and physicians' offices are lowest.
A lot. BLS reports a May 2025 median of $35,240 for physical therapist aides, who need only on-the-job training, against the PTA median on this page; PTAs need an associate's degree and a license (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.