Physical therapist assistants & aides

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

106k

Average Age

37.8

Average Salary

$39,248

Average Male Salary

$43,735

Average Female Salary

$37,305

About

Physical therapist assistants & aides are most often employed by the Outpatient care centers industry. The average yearly wage for Physical therapist assistants & aides was $39,248 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Physical therapist assistants & aides by wage are Other information and records clerks, Automotive glass installers & repairers, and Miscellaneous production workers, including semiconductor processors.

Physical therapist assistants & aides are part of the Healthcare Support Occupations, along with Home health aides, Personal care aides, Nursing assistants, Orderlies and psychiatric aides, Occupational therapy assistants & aides, and 9 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Physical therapist assistants & aides are Jackson City PUMA, TN, Jackson, Hocking, Pike & Vinton Counties PUMA, OH, and Carbon & Lehigh (North) Counties PUMA, PA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Physical therapist assistants & aides are Jackson City PUMA, TN, Jackson, Hocking, Pike & Vinton Counties PUMA, OH, and Carbon & Lehigh (North) Counties PUMA, PA.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physical therapist assistants & aides and on wages and locations for those in the field. Outpatient care centers is the industry that employs the most Physical therapist assistants & aides, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Physical therapist assistants & aides, by average wage, is Other health care services. Physical therapist assistants & aides are paid most in Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd & Wadena Counties PUMA, MN but are relatively concentrated in Jackson City PUMA, TN.

Yearly Wage

$39,248

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,141

In 2020, Physical therapist assistants & aides earned an average of $39,248, $16,706 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Other information and records clerks make somewhat more than Physical therapist assistants & aides while Miscellaneous production workers, including semiconductor processors make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Physical therapist assistants & aides as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.327

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Physical therapist assistants & aides had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.327, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Physical therapist assistants & aides (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Physical therapist assistants & aides.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Physical therapist assistants & aides

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Physical therapist assistants & aides.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Physical therapist assistants & aides, by number of employees, are Outpatient care centers, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Nursing Care Facilities, Home health care services, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Offices of physicians, Offices of other health practitioners, Other health care services, Elementary & secondary schools, Individual & family services, and Offices of chiropractors.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Physical therapist assistants & aides, by average wage, are Other health care services, Home health care services, and Executive offices & legislative bodies.

Industries by Share

106k

2020 Workforce

± 7,973

5.9%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.2%

The number of people employed as Physical therapist assistants & aides has been growing at a rate of 5.9%, from 99,650 people in 2019 to 105,533 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Physical therapist assistants & aides employed by various industries. Outpatient care centers employs the largest share of Physical therapist assistants & aides at 47.6%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 19% and Nursing Care Facilities with 12.2%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Physical therapist assistants & aides in the US. The average age of male Physical therapist assistants & aides in the workforce is 36.5 and of female Physical therapist assistants & aides is 38.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Physical therapist assistants & aides is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

31.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,383

73.6k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 6,661

69.8% of Physical therapist assistants & aides are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Physical therapist assistants & aides.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Physical therapist assistants & aides

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)

74% of Physical therapist assistants & aides are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 7.07% of Physical therapist assistants & aides, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Physical therapist assistants & aides.

Age by Sex

36.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.7

38.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.18

The median age of Physical therapist assistants & aides is 37.8, and Male employees are generally 1.78 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Physical therapist assistants & aides from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Physical therapist assistants & aides is Parks, Recreation, & Leisure but a relatively high number of Physical therapist assistants & aides hold a major in Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Physical therapist assistants & aides from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physical therapist assistants & aides need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, and Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Physical therapist assistants & aides need more than the average amount of Equipment Selection, Troubleshooting, and Science.