Healthcare Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 31-2022

Physical Therapist Aides

O*NET task statements lead this Physical Therapist Aides card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Massage Therapists, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Medical Assistants, Nursing Assistants.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Physical Therapist Aides: Massage Therapists ($58K) , Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ($38K) , Medical Assistants ($46K) , Nursing Assistants ($42K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Physical Therapist Aides publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 31-2022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment
  2. 2. Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment
  3. 3. Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff
  4. 4. Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment
  5. 5. Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist
  6. 6. Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases
  7. 7. Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality trea…
  8. 8. Record treatment given and equipment used
  9. 9. Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support
  10. 10. Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations
  11. 11. Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms
  12. 12. Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules

Physical Therapist Aides: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 31-2022 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.6
  2. 2. Monitoring 3.3
  3. 3. Service Orientation 3.3
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  6. 6. Coordination 3.1
  7. 7. Writing 3.0
  8. 8. Speaking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.5
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  4. 4. Therapy and Counseling 3.3
  5. 5. Psychology 3.0
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.9
National median after O*NET task lead
$35,240
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment
$35K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
6,600
Annual openings
48,150
Estimated US jobs
Massage Therapists
Highest-pay peer · $58K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Physical Therapist Aides

1. California $38,330
2. New Hampshire $40,460
3. North Dakota $37,680
4. Montana $38,950
5. Washington $39,500
6. Minnesota $42,330
7. Alaska $55,760
8. Maine $39,660
9. Colorado $41,970
10. District of Columbia $38,950

Other Healthcare Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Medical Assistants $45,690
  2. 2. Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers $38,150
  3. 3. Massage Therapists $58,450
  4. 4. Nursing Assistants $42,260
  5. 5. Occupational Therapy Aides $39,160
  6. 6. Psychiatric Aides $44,910

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Physical Therapist Aides (SOC 31-2022). The national OEWS median is $35,240 inside Healthcare Support Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Massage Therapists, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, Medical Assistants, Nursing Assistants. Lead published task: Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $38,330. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Massage Therapists at $58,450. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Physical Therapist Aides pay-rank #17 in Healthcare Support Occupations

On the Healthcare Support Occupations median table (17 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Physical Therapist Aides lands at #17, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 31-2022 · national median $35,240 · lower third of Healthcare Support Occupations (#17/17). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Physical Therapist Aides salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 31-2022

California · top state for Physical Therapist Aides

$38K published median

New Hampshire · #2 state pay

$40K · behind California

Massage Therapists

Highest-pay peer vs Physical Therapist Aides · $58K

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Lower-pay peer beside Physical Therapist Aides · $38K

Compare Physical Therapist Aides

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Physical Therapist Aides with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Physical Therapist Aides full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Physical Therapist Aides land on the Healthcare Support Occupations median table? ▼
Physical Therapist Aides is pay-rank #17 of 17 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Home Health and Personal Care Aides ($36K), Pharmacy Aides ($38K), Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ($38K), Orderlies ($38K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do physical therapist aides do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Physical Therapist Aides. Leading ones include: Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment; Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment; Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff; Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for physical therapist aides? ▼
For SOC 31-2022, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.6), Monitoring (3.3), Service Orientation (3.3), Reading Comprehension (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Physical Therapist Aides? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,240 as the national median for Physical Therapist Aides. The published 10th-90th range is $25,360 to $47,780. Beside Massage Therapists ($58,450), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Physical Therapist Aides? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Physical Therapist Aides is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 6,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Physical Therapist Aides? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Physical Therapist Aides. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Physical Therapist Aides? ▼
California ($38,330), New Hampshire ($40,460), North Dakota ($37,680) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Physical Therapist Aides card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 31-2022. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Physical Therapist Aides. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics