Median pay for physical therapist assistants runs from $28,350 in Ponce to $97,190 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 3.43× range across 472 metropolitan areas. The national median of $68,380 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
From $47,750 at the 10th percentile to $89,510 at the 90th is only 1.87×, which is narrow. Pay for physical therapist assistants is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
7 of the ten best-paying metros for physical therapist assistants are in CA. When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in CA against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $97,190 | $46.73 | 0.49 | 400 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $95,920 | $46.12 | 0.6 | 1,040 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $91,230 | $43.86 | 0.49 | 40 |
| Spartanburg SC | $88,070 | $42.34 | 1.35 | 160 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $87,330 | $41.99 | 0.87 | 60 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $87,300 | $41.97 | 0.61 | 90 |
| Vallejo CA | $86,630 | $41.65 | 0.5 | 50 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $85,150 | $40.94 | 0.71 | 100 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $84,930 | $40.83 | 1.26 | 1,180 |
| Salinas CA | $84,850 | $40.80 | 0.52 | 70 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $84,290 | $40.53 | 0.73 | 570 |
| Bakersfield-Delano CA | $84,100 | $40.43 | 0.6 | 150 |
| Modesto CA | $83,450 | $40.12 | 1.09 | 150 |
| Midland TX | $82,620 | $39.72 | 0.74 | 70 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $82,160 | $39.50 | 0.78 | 870 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $82,140 | $39.49 | 0.82 | 3,730 |
| Stockton-Lodi CA | $81,310 | $39.09 | 0.78 | 160 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $80,440 | $38.68 | 0.73 | 60 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $80,430 | $38.67 | 0.95 | 1,860 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $80,370 | $38.64 | 0.72 | 2,110 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | $80,240 | $38.58 | 1.94 | 140 |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $80,180 | $38.55 | 1.67 | 180 |
| Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $79,970 | $38.45 | 1.51 | 120 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $79,790 | $38.36 | 1.31 | 90 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft VA | $79,590 | $38.26 | 1.33 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $28,350 | $13.63 | 1.64 | 80 |
| Aguadilla PR | $29,120 | $14.00 | 2.52 | 90 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $30,330 | $14.58 | 1.12 | 560 |
| Mayaguez PR | $30,950 | $14.88 | 1.64 | 60 |
| Sioux Falls SD-MN | $49,080 | $23.60 | 0.92 | 120 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $49,830 | $23.96 | 0.71 | 30 |
| Rapid City SD | $50,010 | $24.04 | 0.72 | 40 |
| Michigan City-La Porte IN | $51,000 | $24.52 | 1.08 | 30 |
| East South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $51,570 | $24.80 | 1.07 | 100 |
| Dubuque IA | $51,640 | $24.83 | 1.1 | 50 |
Gadsden has 6.78× the national concentration of physical therapist assistants — the densest market in the country for this role, with 160 employed locally. Pay there is $65,060, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden AL | $65,060 | $31.28 | 6.78 | 160 |
| Homosassa Springs FL | $68,030 | $32.71 | 5.8 | 150 |
| Bay City MI | $58,970 | $28.35 | 4.3 | 110 |
| Jonesboro AR | $62,700 | $30.14 | 3.97 | 170 |
| Youngstown-Warren OH | $59,830 | $28.77 | 3.28 | 380 |
| North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $62,190 | $29.90 | 2.87 | 240 |
| Dothan AL | $56,150 | $27.00 | 2.85 | 130 |
| North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $64,410 | $30.97 | 2.85 | 250 |
| Victoria TX | $73,310 | $35.25 | 2.81 | 80 |
| Canton-Massillon OH | $63,820 | $30.68 | 2.78 | 330 |
| Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH | $59,930 | $28.81 | 2.75 | 280 |
| Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $63,710 | $30.63 | 2.74 | 320 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $82,140 | $39.49 | 0.82 | 3,730 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $72,230 | $34.73 | 1.08 | 3,520 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $72,530 | $34.87 | 1.68 | 3,420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $75,620 | $36.36 | 0.47 | 3,220 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $77,280 | $37.15 | 0.93 | 2,210 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $80,370 | $38.64 | 0.72 | 2,110 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $62,220 | $29.92 | 1.36 | 1,880 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $80,430 | $38.67 | 0.95 | 1,860 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $71,540 | $34.40 | 0.79 | 1,650 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $64,720 | $31.12 | 0.84 | 1,440 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $74,730 | $35.93 | 0.66 | 1,370 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $78,790 | $37.88 | 0.59 | 1,340 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 31-2021. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 472 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.