Physical Therapy Aide Salary


The salary for a physical therapy aide depends on a variety of factors, mainly experience, geographical location, and employer’s preference. Physical therapy aides who have experience can be a little more than those starting out and some employer can decide that a physical therapy aide can perform more duties and get paid more for that effort. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics report for May 2009 shows the average annual salary for physical therapy aides was $24,990 or $12.01 per hour and the median annual salary was $23,890. The middle 50 percent earned between $20,090 and $28,880 while the highest 10 percent earned over $34,100.

Industry wise, the majority of physical therapy aides worked in health offices of health practitioners and medical and surgical hospitals. The average salary for workers in those two areas was right around the national average. Although total employment in home health care services was low, it offered the highest average salary at over $30,000.

By geographical location, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Hawaii all had average salaries over $28,000. For states having at least 500 employed physical therapy aides, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maryland all had average salaries over $25,000. The lowest paying states were Arkansas and Utah, both under $21,000.

Physical Therapy Aide Salary by State

Occupation: Physical Therapist Aides (SOC code 312022)

Period: May 2009

State Employment(1) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage(2)

Alabama

730 $10.75 $22,360

Arizona

910 $12.00 $24,950

Arkansas

480 $9.73 $20,240

California

5890 $13.19 $27,430

Colorado

450 $13.49 $28,070

Connecticut

530 $13.34 $27,750

Delaware

200 $12.34 $25,660

D.C.

80 $13.33 $27,720

Florida

2380 $11.34 $23,580

Georgia

870 $11.24 $23,370

Hawaii

100 $15.05 $31,310

Idaho

410 $11.01 $22,900

Illinois

2290 $12.16 $25,280

Indiana

670 $12.06 $25,080

Iowa

560 $12.33 $25,660

Kansas

450 $11.29 $23,490

Kentucky

580 $11.02 $22,920

Louisiana

970 $10.71 $22,270

Maine

220 $12.06 $25,080

Maryland

1010 $12.40 $25,790

Massachusetts

750 $14.29 $29,730

Michigan

930 $12.74 $26,500

Minnesota

470 $12.47 $25,940

Mississippi

350 $10.18 $21,180

Missouri

640 $11.31 $23,520

Montana

190 $11.58 $24,090

Nebraska

500 $10.58 $22,020

Nevada

380 $11.81 $24,550

New Hampshire

120 $14.19 $29,520

New Jersey

2430 $12.39 $25,770

New Mexico

270 $12.63 $26,260

New York

2540 $13.11 $27,270

North Carolina

730 $11.68 $24,300

North Dakota

150 $11.86 $24,670

Ohio

1220 $11.69 $24,320

Oklahoma

680 $10.47 $21,790

Oregon

630 $12.06 $25,090

Pennsylvania

1930 $12.71 $26,430

Puerto Rico

60 $9.72 $20,210

Rhode Island

80 $12.83 $26,700

South Carolina

880 $10.79 $22,450

South Dakota

130 $11.33 $23,560

Tennessee

1000 $10.89 $22,660

Texas

3220 $10.66 $22,180

Utah

810 $10.01 $20,810

Vermont

80 $15.49 $32,220

Virginia

810 $12.51 $26,020

Washington

1050 $12.52 $26,030

West Virginia

200 $11.17 $23,240

Wisconsin

1060 $11.92 $24,790

Wyoming

110 $11.85 $24,650

Footnotes:
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by 2,080 hours; where an hourly mean wage is not published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.