Pay by state · 52 states
Physical Therapist Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Physical Therapist Assistants earn the most in California at $83,110 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $29,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $68,380. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $83,110California
- National median
- $68,380BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $29,710Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Physical Therapist Assistant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of physical therapist assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $83,110 | $75,900 | $94,940 | 9,400 | $75,063 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $79,460 | $67,060 | $81,640 | 2,640 | $75,135 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $78,440 | $72,900 | $83,200 | 1,810 | $72,092 |
| 4 | TXTexas | $78,000 | $62,870 | $87,330 | 10,510 | $80,365 |
| 5 | MDMaryland | $77,670 | $61,120 | $84,080 | 1,430 | $74,000 |
| 6 | AKAlaska | $77,640 | $74,410 | $80,770 | 110 | $75,851 |
| 7 | CTConnecticut | $75,880 | $69,440 | $79,530 | 980 | $73,236 |
| 8 | NVNevada | $75,520 | $63,340 | $80,290 | 560 | $75,536 |
| 9 | DEDelaware | $74,610 | $63,570 | $80,370 | 340 | $74,754 |
| 10 | VAVirginia | $73,760 | $60,810 | $80,400 | 3,370 | $72,955 |
| 11 | OROregon | $73,180 | $61,430 | $81,290 | 890 | $70,800 |
| 12 | GAGeorgia | $72,800 | $59,120 | $80,150 | 2,620 | $75,603 |
| 13 | FLFlorida | $72,530 | $63,120 | $75,420 | 9,870 | $70,136 |
| 14 | VTVermont | $71,600 | $61,430 | $77,120 | 100 | $73,093 |
| 15 | NHNew Hampshire | $71,440 | $62,730 | $74,960 | 500 | $68,583 |
| 16 | SCSouth Carolina | $70,500 | $59,750 | $78,890 | 1,870 | $75,201 |
| 17 | RIRhode Island | $68,640 | $61,090 | $73,970 | 420 | $67,110 |
| 18 | NCNorth Carolina | $67,540 | $62,310 | $76,520 | 3,280 | $71,603 |
| 19 | HIHawaii | $67,510 | $59,750 | $72,440 | 250 | $61,400 |
| 20 | MNMinnesota | $66,770 | $61,720 | $73,690 | 1,230 | $67,704 |
| 21 | WAWashington | $66,450 | $43,890 | $80,730 | 2,150 | $62,095 |
| 22 | MEMaine | $66,250 | $61,000 | $73,700 | 410 | $68,264 |
| 23 | LALouisiana | $65,370 | $47,030 | $76,800 | 1,670 | $74,110 |
| 24 | INIndiana | $65,280 | $57,320 | $76,280 | 2,830 | $69,946 |
| 25 | ILIllinois | $65,240 | $59,410 | $74,280 | 4,890 | $65,267 |
| 26 | COColorado | $64,810 | $57,740 | $77,280 | 1,350 | $62,891 |
| 27 | AZArizona | $64,650 | $60,440 | $76,620 | 2,010 | $64,215 |
| 28 | ARArkansas | $64,520 | $49,140 | $78,680 | 1,620 | $74,215 |
| 29 | KSKansas | $64,500 | $59,930 | $74,900 | 1,300 | $71,613 |
| 30 | NYNew York | $64,100 | $57,430 | $75,500 | 3,620 | $59,395 |
| 31 | WIWisconsin | $64,080 | $59,790 | $73,210 | 1,650 | $68,101 |
| 32 | OHOhio | $63,820 | $59,550 | $75,600 | 7,040 | $68,791 |
| 33 | MOMissouri | $63,770 | $58,540 | $73,940 | 2,490 | $70,218 |
| 34 | WYWyoming | $63,550 | $60,490 | $74,260 | 240 | $68,561 |
| 35 | NDNorth Dakota | $63,520 | $51,030 | $73,050 | 120 | $71,404 |
| 36 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $63,400 | $45,970 | $80,950 | 40 | $57,688 |
| 37 | MTMontana | $62,650 | $60,420 | $69,020 | 250 | $66,195 |
| 38 | PAPennsylvania | $62,580 | $57,770 | $73,310 | 4,270 | $64,137 |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $62,500 | $55,890 | $76,090 | 3,390 | $68,031 |
| 40 | NMNew Mexico | $62,280 | $47,550 | $78,200 | 700 | $67,540 |
| 41 | UTUtah | $61,980 | $57,650 | $71,380 | 970 | $62,692 |
| 42 | MSMississippi | $61,770 | $58,940 | $71,560 | 1,150 | $71,038 |
| 43 | MIMichigan | $61,670 | $52,450 | $68,700 | 4,520 | $64,095 |
| 44 | KYKentucky | $61,480 | $50,320 | $73,800 | 2,580 | $68,191 |
| 45 | ALAlabama | $61,430 | $56,350 | $73,230 | 2,700 | $69,160 |
| 46 | NENebraska | $61,370 | $52,840 | $69,110 | 980 | $68,111 |
| 47 | IAIowa | $61,030 | $52,110 | $66,150 | 1,060 | $69,540 |
| 48 | IDIdaho | $61,020 | $55,950 | $65,900 | 560 | $63,899 |
| 49 | WVWest Virginia | $60,430 | $50,030 | $67,670 | 980 | $67,522 |
| 50 | OKOklahoma | $59,480 | $50,240 | $73,890 | 2,380 | $67,712 |
| 51 | SDSouth Dakota | $49,310 | $46,910 | $60,050 | 300 | $55,663 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $29,710 | $25,510 | $35,900 | 830 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Physical Therapist Assistants, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $83,110, while Texas leads once prices are taken into account at $80,365.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Physical Therapist Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Physical Therapist Assistants the most?
California reports the highest median wage for Physical Therapist Assistants at $83,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($79,460) and New Jersey ($78,440).
Which state pays Physical Therapist Assistants the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Physical Therapist Assistants at $29,710 a year, $53,400 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Physical Therapist Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Texas first at $80,365 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $78,000. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.