Physical Therapist Assistant Salary (2026): PTA Pay Guide for All 50 States

Licensed physical therapist assistants in the United States earn a national median of $70,247 per year — roughly $33.77/hour. PTA pay sits well above the U.S. allied-health median for associate-degree roles and continues to rise faster than inflation, driven by chronic rehabilitation staffing shortages, the steady expansion of outpatient orthopedic and sports-medicine clinic chains, growing home-health volume under Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare Part A, and ongoing demand at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and acute rehab hospitals.

The national median is only the middle of the distribution. Three numbers describe the real range of physical therapist assistant compensation:

• Entry-level PTAs (10th percentile): $49,054/year — typically newly licensed PTAs in their first 1–2 years, often in SNFs, assisted living, or outpatient ortho clinics in lower-cost metros.
• Median PTA (50th percentile): $70,247/year — the working PTA with 3–8 years of clinical experience, frequently in outpatient ortho, home health, or acute rehab.
• Top-earning PTAs (90th percentile): $91,954/year — senior PTAs in high-cost metros, home-health PTAs on high-volume per-visit pay structures, traveling PTAs filling SNF and outpatient coverage gaps, lead PTAs at large rehab agencies and hospital systems, and PTAs cross-trained in vestibular rehabilitation, wound care, lymphedema, or sports-medicine support.

Geographic location explains the largest share of the gap. PTAs in Sunnyvale, CA earn a median of $102,188, while colleagues in Ponce, PR earn around $29,124. State scope-of-practice rules for PTA supervision, the local mix of outpatient ortho chain versus independent clinic versus hospital employer, the strength of demand from home-health agencies and SNFs, and state Medicaid HCBS funding levels all push pay in measurable ways beyond cost of living.

Physical Therapist Assistant Salary vs PTA Salary — Are They the Same?

Yes. Physical Therapist Assistant is the occupational title; PTA is both the role abbreviation and the credential — most states issue a PTA license after a candidate completes an associate-degree program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) and passes the National Physical Therapy Examination for Physical Therapist Assistants (NPTE-PTA) administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is the profession's national society and represents both PTs and PTAs. The APTA also offers a recognized Advanced Proficiency Pathways (APP) credential for senior PTAs in areas like cardiovascular, geriatric, musculoskeletal, neurologic, oncology, pediatric, and wound management. The same job goes by several names in salary surveys and job ads:

• Physical therapist assistant salary / PTA salary / PTA pay
• Physical therapy assistant salary / PT assistant pay
• Licensed PTA salary / LPTA salary (where the state title uses Licensed)
• Outpatient PTA salary / SNF PTA pay / home health PTA salary
• Travel PTA pay / PRN PTA salary

All of these reference SOC code 31-2021 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey — the data source used throughout this site. Note that physical therapists (PTs / DPTs, SOC 29-1123) are tracked under a separate, higher-paid SOC code that requires a doctorate; this site reports PTA pay only. Physical therapist aides (SOC 31-2022) are tracked under a third, lower-paid SOC code.

Hourly and Per-Visit Pay for PTAs

Outpatient ortho clinics, hospital PT departments, and SNFs typically pay an annual salary or hourly rate with productivity bonuses; home-health agencies more often pay per-visit. The national median equivalent of $33.77/hour reflects a full-time 40-hour week, but the structure of pay varies sharply by setting:

• West Coast and Northeast metros: commonly $32–48+/hour for experienced PTAs at outpatient ortho clinics, acute-rehab hospitals, and home-health agencies; California, Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Nevada lead the PTA pay scale.
• Midwest and South: $22–32/hour median range, with metro hospitals and large rehab agencies at the upper end of that band.
• Outpatient ortho clinics (private and chain — Athletico, ATI, Select, FYZICAL): often base salary of $55,000–$75,000 plus per-visit bonuses; busy clinics in California, Texas, and Florida regularly support $75,000+ total compensation.
• Home health PTAs: per-visit pay structure ($45–80 per evaluation, $30–55 per follow-up plus mileage); experienced home-health PTAs in busy metros routinely reach $80,000–$100,000+.
• Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and acute rehab hospitals: the largest single employer category. Productivity-driven, with 85–95% billable expectations; major SNF rehab providers include Aegis Therapies, Genesis Rehab, Encompass Health, Powerback Rehab.
• Travel PTAs: 13-week contracts at all-in weekly rates that frequently exceed staff annual equivalents by 20–35%; SNF and home-health travel placements common.
• PRN and per-diem PTAs: 20–35% above staff hourly rates, with no benefits and no guaranteed hours.

Many employers also offer student-loan repayment assistance — meaningful for new PTAs carrying associate-program education debt — plus CEU stipends and APTA membership reimbursement.

2026 Physical Therapist Assistant Salary Projection

Physical therapist assistant pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 2.73% over the past five years, driven by sustained outpatient demand, expansion of home-health and SNF rehab volume, growing ortho-affiliated outpatient chain expansion, and the structural growth of the rehabilitation workforce supporting an aging U.S. population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for Physical Therapist Assistants to grow 19% through 2033 — much faster than average — keeping strong upward pressure on wages.

A senior home-health PTA in San Francisco on per-visit pay can earn nearly double what a new-graduate PTA at a rural Mississippi SNF takes home. Four factors explain almost all of that gap: location and state scope, practice setting, experience and APTA Advanced Proficiency credentials, and employment model.

1. Location and State Scope: The Single Largest Pay Driver

Metropolitan areas with high costs of living offer the highest nominal PTA salaries. After adjusting for local cost of living using BEA Regional Price Parities, the real-dollar gap narrows — but doesn't close. California, Texas, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, and Washington lead even on a purchasing-power basis. The drivers include high state minimum-wage floors, strong outpatient ortho clinic density, and state-specific PTA scope-of-practice rules.

State scope-of-practice rules also matter substantially. Each state defines what a PTA can do under PT supervision:

• General vs direct supervision rules — most states allow PTAs to treat under general supervision (PT does not need to be on-site), expanding the settings PTAs can independently cover; a few states require direct on-site supervision in specific settings.
• PTA Compact — the PT Compact (which includes PTAs) is enacted in 30+ states, allowing PTAs to practice across member-state lines with a compact privilege. Widens supply pools for low-cost states and supports travel-PTA contracts at top markets.
• Health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) — rural and underserved markets frequently offer $5,000–$15,000 sign-on bonuses, paid relocation, and federal student-loan repayment through the NHSC for PTAs anchoring critical-access rehab coverage.
• Outpatient ortho chain expansion — Athletico, ATI Physical Therapy, Select Medical, FYZICAL, and Drayer all compete aggressively for PTA talent in metros where they operate, supporting pay levels above community SNF rates.

2. Practice Setting: Outpatient vs SNF vs Home Health vs Acute

Where you treat matters as much as how long you've treated:

• Outpatient orthopedic clinics (chain and private): the largest single PTA employer. Busy sports-medicine and ortho-affiliated clinics in affluent suburbs pay the top of the outpatient PTA scale plus productivity bonuses.
• Home health: per-visit pay structure rewards efficient clinicians; experienced home-health PTAs in busy metros regularly exceed outpatient peers by 10–20%.
• Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and acute rehab hospitals: productivity-driven roles with high billable-time expectations. Pay varies by employer (large SNF chains versus independent facilities).
• Acute care hospitals and rehab hospitals: moderate base pay with stronger benefits, predictable schedules, and structured career ladders into lead/senior PTA roles.
• Schools, pediatric specialty clinics, and outpatient peds: stable pay with school-year scheduling at district roles; PSLF eligibility common.
• VA, military, and federal health facilities: stable pay with strong pension eligibility.

3. Experience and APTA Advanced Proficiency Credentials

Entry-level PTAs fresh out of a CAPTE-accredited associate-degree program start at the 10th percentile — around $49,054 — and typically see step-raises within the first 3–5 years as they build caseload speed and add specialty training. Senior PTAs with 10+ years of experience who hold an APTA Advanced Proficiency Pathways (APP) credential frequently reach the 90th percentile at $91,954:

• APTA APP — Musculoskeletal — the most common APP for ortho-focused PTAs.
• APTA APP — Geriatric — supports senior SNF and home-health roles.
• APTA APP — Neurologic — stroke/brain-injury rehab specialty.
• APTA APP — Cardiovascular and Pulmonary — cardiac and pulmonary rehab specialty.
• APTA APP — Pediatric, Oncology, Wound Management, Acute Care — niche specialty pathways.
• Specialty external credentials — wound care (CWS, WCC), vestibular rehab, lymphedema (CLT), aquatic therapy — each commands above-base pay for PTAs in supporting roles.

4. Employment Model: Staff vs Travel vs PRN vs Bridge-to-DPT

Staff PTAs receive benefits, retirement contributions, FSBPT/APTA recertification reimbursement, and tuition support for DPT bridge programs on top of base pay — some employers fund part of a PTA-to-DPT bridge in exchange for a service commitment, though full bridge programs remain limited. Travel PTAs sign 13-week contracts through agencies (Aureus, Cross Country, MedTravelers, TherapyTravelers) at all-in weekly rates that frequently exceed staff annual equivalents by 20–35%; SNF and outpatient travel placements are the largest segments. PRN PTAs work shifts on demand at 20–35% above the staff hourly rate. Many experienced PTAs pursue DPT bridge pathways to transition into the higher-paid PT SOC code.

For a complete city-by-city breakdown of physical therapist assistant salaries — including BLS percentile data (10th, 25th, 50th/median, 75th, 90th), local cost-of-living adjustments, and 2026 salary projections — browse the 1,684+ metro areas tracked in our dataset below.