Physical Therapist Aides
Also called: Physical Therapist Aide (PTA), Physical Therapy Aide (PTA), PT Tech (Physical Therapy Technician), Rehabilitation Technician (Rehabilitation Tech)Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing the patient and the treatment area.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Physical therapist assistants and aides”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,290 | $23,500 to $31,100 | 750 |
| Alaska | $55,760 | $35,740 to $70,680 | 110 |
| Arizona | $35,260 | $34,290 to $38,550 | 1,340 |
| Arkansas | $29,450 | $27,800 to $37,470 | 160 |
| California | $38,330 | $35,760 to $46,190 | 7,330 |
| Colorado | $41,970 | $34,790 to $48,050 | 360 |
| Connecticut | $35,770 | $35,160 to $36,710 | 520 |
| Delaware | $34,060 | $31,200 to $35,680 | 300 |
| District of Columbia | $38,950 | $36,960 to $38,950 | 30 |
| Florida | $35,140 | $32,130 to $37,500 | 1,210 |
| Georgia | $30,550 | $23,600 to $35,190 | 1,200 |
| Hawaii | $33,810 | $33,570 to $38,550 | 60 |
| Idaho | $28,660 | $27,010 to $33,280 | 540 |
| Illinois | $36,650 | $35,040 to $38,090 | 680 |
| Indiana | $35,100 | $26,930 to $44,900 | 860 |
| Iowa | $29,120 | $26,770 to $37,160 | 390 |
| Kansas | $25,280 | $22,720 to $26,850 | 440 |
| Kentucky | $35,490 | $29,830 to $41,010 | 160 |
| Louisiana | $22,460 | $21,050 to $27,980 | 1,380 |
| Maine | $39,660 | $37,130 to $59,380 | 90 |
| Maryland | $34,780 | $32,300 to $36,550 | 830 |
| Massachusetts | $37,440 | $36,770 to $41,140 | 1,020 |
| Michigan | $29,350 | $27,810 to $34,580 | 1,810 |
| Minnesota | $42,330 | $40,030 to $47,800 | 150 |
| Mississippi | $27,370 | $24,510 to $32,110 | 270 |
| Missouri | $29,250 | $28,600 to $35,350 | 750 |
| Montana | $38,950 | $30,980 to $44,720 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $28,080 | $28,080 to $36,940 | 670 |
| Nevada | $31,970 | $29,000 to $36,400 | 900 |
| New Hampshire | $40,460 | $33,100 to $46,840 | 130 |
| New Jersey | $34,430 | $32,220 to $37,490 | 2,230 |
| New Mexico | $31,990 | $29,790 to $38,800 | 240 |
| New York | $35,380 | $34,200 to $43,480 | 4,950 |
| North Carolina | $34,760 | $31,040 to $38,950 | 1,050 |
| North Dakota | $37,680 | $32,900 to $46,860 | 120 |
| Ohio | $37,220 | $31,570 to $40,260 | 760 |
| Oklahoma | $27,630 | $23,250 to $33,820 | 370 |
| Oregon | $36,060 | $35,230 to $37,390 | 1,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,520 | $24,180 to $39,230 | 1,200 |
| Rhode Island | $31,200 | $31,200 to $34,490 | 280 |
| South Carolina | $33,280 | $26,120 to $37,250 | 370 |
| South Dakota | $31,330 | $30,590 to $42,070 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $30,320 | $25,700 to $35,950 | 710 |
| Texas | $31,590 | $26,420 to $38,240 | 5,710 |
| Utah | $29,150 | $26,330 to $30,500 | 1,130 |
| Virginia | $33,390 | $27,460 to $36,910 | 1,260 |
| Washington | $39,500 | $36,720 to $46,920 | 760 |
| West Virginia | $34,840 | $28,110 to $37,890 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $36,820 | $31,890 to $43,060 | 840 |
| Wyoming | $30,470 | $29,880 to $36,920 | 240 |
Nationally: $35,240. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment. | Not published |
| Not much | Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support. | Not published |
| Not much | Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange treatment supplies to keep them in order. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| AI alone | Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain equipment or furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly or disassembly of equipment or accessories. | Not published |
| AI + software | Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record treatment given and equipment used. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations. | Not published |
| Not much | Train patients to use orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
- #46 Provide support or encouragement to others
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals |
Show all 19 activities
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Administer therapeutic treatments | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Fit assistive devices to patients or clients | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures | |||
| Transport patients or clients |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for physical therapist aides specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 10,926 moves out
- 1 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Moderate +7.3% 5%
- 2 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 3 Physical Therapist Assistants Low +23.0% 4%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 5 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Moderate +4.1% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 6,956 moves in
- 1 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Moderate +7.3% 7%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 3 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 6%
- 4 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 5%
- 5 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 10% less than high school
- 34% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
- 10% some college
- 25% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 10% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 7% high school
- 14% some college
- 40% associate's
- 33% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Physical therapist assistants and aides” · 1,459 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Physical therapist assistants and aides”
2 programs: Rehabilitation Aide and Physical Therapy Technician/Aide.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
12.4% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 3.8% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (PHYSICAL THERAPY AIDE). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Physical Therapist Aides” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-2022.00