Physical Therapy Assistant Pay in the Southeast

Recently published data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the number of employed physical therapy (PT) assistants at close to 93,000 as of May 2020.  Approximately 27,500 physical therapy assistants were employed in the twelve-state Southeastern U.S. at that time. BLS data shows the Southeast to be a modestly subpar region for physical therapy assistant pay.  Although Florida rated as one of the ten best states in the nation for PT assistant annual mean wages, and two other Southeast states ranked in the top 15 nationally, most Southeastern states registered PT assistant annual mean wage levels below the national average. About 59% of the Southeast's PT assistants lived in a state with an annual mean wage level for the profession that was below the national average.  A further review of BLS data from May 2020 renders the following details about physical therapy assistant pay in the Southeast:

Physical Therapy Assistant Pay in the Southeast

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AL	1,620	$58,430	21st
AR	1,420	$60,080	15th
FL	7,100	$62,960	7th
GA	2,590	$56,920	27th
KY	1,520	$55,120	34th
LA	1,470	$56,810	29th
MS	850	$50,120	45th
NC	2,640	$61,020	12th
SC	1,450	$59,410	16th
TN	3,060	$57,790	24th
VA	2,960	$58,960	20th
WV	840	$54,930	35th
U.S.	92,740	$59,440	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 29, 2021