Physical Therapist Aides Salary
The median pay for a physical therapist aides in Merced, CA is $35,870/year ($17.25/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $54K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $36,498 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 60.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $36K actually covers in Merced, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About physical therapist aides
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What this looks like in Merced
Physical therapist aides pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $36K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 59.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for physical therapist aides in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $37K | $33K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $38K | $34K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $38K | $36K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $44K | $38K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level physical therapist aides (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $36K. Top earners bring in $54K or more, a $19K spread from bottom to top.
Physical Therapist Aides pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Physical Therapist Aides salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $56K | +58% | 110 |
| Minnesota | $42K | +20% | 150 |
| Colorado | $42K | +19% | 360 |
| New Hampshire | $40K | +15% | 130 |
| Maine | $40K | +13% | 90 |
| Washington | $40K | +12% | 760 |
| District of Columbia | $39K | +11% | 30 |
| Montana | $39K | +11% | 110 |
| California | $38K | +9% | 7,330 |
| North Dakota | $38K | +7% | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $37K | +6% | 1,020 |
| Ohio | $37K | +6% | 760 |
| Wisconsin | $37K | +4% | 840 |
| Illinois | $37K | +4% | 680 |
| Oregon | $36K | +2% | 1,090 |
| Connecticut | $36K | +2% | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $36K | +1% | 1,200 |
| Kentucky | $35K | +1% | 160 |
| New York | $35K | +0% | 4,950 |
| Arizona | $35K | +0% | 1,340 |
| Florida | $35K | -0% | 1,210 |
| Indiana | $35K | -0% | 860 |
| West Virginia | $35K | -1% | 170 |
| Maryland | $35K | -1% | 830 |
| North Carolina | $35K | -1% | 1,050 |
| New Jersey | $34K | -2% | 2,230 |
| Delaware | $34K | -3% | 300 |
| Hawaii | $34K | -4% | 60 |
| Virginia | $33K | -5% | 1,260 |
| South Carolina | $33K | -6% | 370 |
| New Mexico | $32K | -9% | 240 |
| Nevada | $32K | -9% | 900 |
| Texas | $32K | -10% | 5,710 |
| South Dakota | $31K | -11% | 70 |
| Rhode Island | $31K | -11% | 280 |
| Georgia | $31K | -13% | 1,200 |
| Wyoming | $30K | -14% | 240 |
| Tennessee | $30K | -14% | 710 |
| Arkansas | $29K | -16% | 160 |
| Michigan | $29K | -17% | 1,810 |
| Missouri | $29K | -17% | 750 |
| Utah | $29K | -17% | 1,130 |
| Iowa | $29K | -17% | 390 |
| Idaho | $29K | -19% | 540 |
| Nebraska | $28K | -20% | 670 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -22% | 370 |
| Mississippi | $27K | -22% | 270 |
| Alabama | $27K | -23% | 750 |
| Kansas | $25K | -28% | 440 |
| Louisiana | $22K | -36% | 1,380 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track physical therapist aides salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Merced numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare Support
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a physical therapist aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $36K, rent takes 59.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for physical therapist aides in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new physical therapist aides typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,433/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 62% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is physical therapist aide a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $36K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for physical therapist aides?
Merced pays $36K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $36K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do physical therapist aides make in Merced, CA?
The median is $35,870 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,500, and experienced physical therapist aides can clear $53,500. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $36K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,520/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 59.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a physical therapist aides salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median physical therapist aides salary is worth about $36,498 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do physical therapist aides get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.