Physical Therapist Assistants Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 33.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,735/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new physical therapist assistants typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,854/month.

Local pay is 13% above the national median — $77K here vs. $68K nationally.

Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s +13%.

The median is $76,950 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $64,230, and experienced physical therapist assistants can clear $96,790. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,210/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,735/month, which eats 33.3% 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.

Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median physical therapist assistants salary is worth about $76,950 in national-average purchasing power.

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.