Physical Therapist Assistants Salary
The median pay for a physical therapist assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $87,330/year ($41.99/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $113K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $79,463 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 76.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $87K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). 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 assistants
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Santa Cruz-Watsonville sits well above the national pay line for physical therapist assistants, local pay runs about 28% higher than the U.S. median of $68K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 77.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for physical therapist assistants in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $82K | $72K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $96K | $83K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $82K | $73K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $79K | $74K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level physical therapist assistants (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $87K. Top earners bring in $113K or more, a $49K spread from bottom to top.
Physical Therapist Assistants pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Physical Therapist Assistants salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $83K | +22% | 9,400 |
| Massachusetts | $79K | +16% | 2,640 |
| New Jersey | $78K | +15% | 1,810 |
| Texas | $78K | +14% | 10,510 |
| Maryland | $78K | +14% | 1,430 |
| Alaska | $78K | +14% | 110 |
| Connecticut | $76K | +11% | 980 |
| Nevada | $76K | +10% | 560 |
| Delaware | $75K | +9% | 340 |
| Virginia | $74K | +8% | 3,370 |
| Oregon | $73K | +7% | 890 |
| Georgia | $73K | +6% | 2,620 |
| Florida | $73K | +6% | 9,870 |
| Vermont | $72K | +5% | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $71K | +4% | 500 |
| South Carolina | $71K | +3% | 1,870 |
| Rhode Island | $69K | +0% | 420 |
| North Carolina | $68K | -1% | 3,280 |
| Hawaii | $68K | -1% | 250 |
| Minnesota | $67K | -2% | 1,230 |
| Washington | $66K | -3% | 2,150 |
| Maine | $66K | -3% | 410 |
| Louisiana | $65K | -4% | 1,670 |
| Indiana | $65K | -5% | 2,830 |
| Illinois | $65K | -5% | 4,890 |
| Colorado | $65K | -5% | 1,350 |
| Arizona | $65K | -5% | 2,010 |
| Arkansas | $65K | -6% | 1,620 |
| Kansas | $65K | -6% | 1,300 |
| New York | $64K | -6% | 3,620 |
| Wisconsin | $64K | -6% | 1,650 |
| Ohio | $64K | -7% | 7,040 |
| Missouri | $64K | -7% | 2,490 |
| Wyoming | $64K | -7% | 240 |
| North Dakota | $64K | -7% | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $63K | -7% | 40 |
| Montana | $63K | -8% | 250 |
| Pennsylvania | $63K | -8% | 4,270 |
| Tennessee | $63K | -9% | 3,390 |
| New Mexico | $62K | -9% | 700 |
| Utah | $62K | -9% | 970 |
| Mississippi | $62K | -10% | 1,150 |
| Michigan | $62K | -10% | 4,520 |
| Kentucky | $61K | -10% | 2,580 |
| Alabama | $61K | -10% | 2,700 |
| Nebraska | $61K | -10% | 980 |
| Iowa | $61K | -11% | 1,060 |
| Idaho | $61K | -11% | 560 |
| West Virginia | $60K | -12% | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $59K | -13% | 2,380 |
| South Dakota | $49K | -28% | 300 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track physical therapist assistants salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a physical therapist assistant afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $87K, rent takes 77.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/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.
What’s the entry-level salary for physical therapist assistants in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new physical therapist assistants typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,836/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 110% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is physical therapist assistant a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Local pay is 28% above the national median — $87K here vs. $68K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 10% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for physical therapist assistants?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $87K median vs. the U.S. average of $68K — that’s +28%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do physical therapist assistants make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $87,330 a year, that works out to about $42 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $63,940, and experienced physical therapist assistants can clear $112,610. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $87K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,464/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 77.1% 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 assistants salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median physical therapist assistants salary is worth about $79,463 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do physical therapist assistants 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.