Physical therapist assistants in New Hampshire earned an average salary of $52,291 as of 2015 according to the state’s Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau (ELMIB). Experience is a significant factor in the expected earnings of New Hampshire’s physical therapist assistants. Physical therapist assistants with experience earned an average of $57,138 in 2015, while those new to the profession earned an average of $42,598 that year.
The ELMIB gives a “very favorable” rating to the prospects of physical therapist assistants in New Hampshire. This designation indicates that the occupation enjoys a high job growth rate that will result in a large number of openings between 2012 and 2022.
An Increasing Number of Jobs for Physical Therapist Assistants in New Hampshire
The number of jobs for physical therapist assistants in New Hampshire is expected to increase by 33.9% during the ten-year period from 2012 to 2022, a rate that is more than three times the overall job growth rate in the state. The ELMIB’s predictions suggest that job growth will be even higher in these two regions:
- Southern New Hampshire: 2%
- Rockingham: 36%
The healthcare and social assistance sector employed more people than any other industry in New Hampshire in 2012, and is expected to add the most jobs by 2022. The specific healthcare sectors in which most physical therapist assistants work should see rapid growth in New Hampshire during this ten-year period:
- Nursing and residential care facilities – 27.8% job growth creating 4,225 new jobs
- Hospitals -14.3% job growth creating 3,969 new jobs
Legal Changes that Benefit the Physical Therapy Field in New Hampshire
Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants will benefit greatly from a new law signed by Governor Hassan in 2014. House Bill 1281 updated the state law on co-pays for physical therapy and chiropractic services as a way to limit prohibitively high payments.
Insurers are no longer allowed to charge co-pays, co-insurance, or office deductibles for physical therapy treatment higher than the fees charged for primary care physician services. The New Hampshire Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association worked for years to bring about this change, which should help patients in the state maintain access to PT services.
The Salaries for PTAs Differ Across New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau showed that the salaries for physical therapist assistants in the state varied significantly among the major metropolitan areas as of 2015:
Shown below for comparison is a full salary analysis for physical therapist assistants in New Hampshire’s major urban and rural areas as provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2014: