According to a salary survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) in May 2014, physical therapist assistants in Kentucky earned an average salary of $52,040 annually, which is equivalent to approximately $25 per hour. Statewide, the median salary for PTAs in Kentucky was $52,150. Staring salaries for physical therapist assistants was $35,720, while highly experienced PTAs earned $71,070 on average that year.
Location of employment can have a significant impact on a physical therapist assistant’s earnings according to a May 2014 report published by the DOL. For instance, the median salary for physical therapist assistants in Owensboro was $46,000 that year, while the median salary for those working in Bowling Green was significantly higher at $51,300. Elizabethtown’s median salary of $52,600 made it one of the highest-paying regions for PTAs in the state in 2014.
Job Growth Projections for Physical Therapist Assistants in Kentucky
In 2012, the Kentucky State Labor Market Analysis showed that 1,426 physical therapist assistants were licensed and employed statewide. The same report revealed a projected job growth rate of 43% in the ten-year period leading up to 2022, with the expectation that a total of 2,045 licensed PTAs would be working in the state by that time.
The small town of Middletown, Kentucky is home to just under 8,000 residents, but it is fast becoming a beacon of healthcare as locals prepare for their newest rehabilitation center, Arlington Pointe, which is set to open December 2015. The facility is expected to provide 200 new jobs, with the demand for experienced licensed physical therapist assistants being particularly high. In the fall of 2015, The Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, located in Louisville, received a $14,000 grant with instructions to apply the funds towards the hospital’s physical therapy programs, creating even more jobs for PTAs in the area.
In May 2014, the United States Department of Labor included Bowling Green on its list of the nation’s top-ten metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of physical therapist assistants. This already promising job market is only expected to improve in the coming years.
Salaries for Physical Therapist Assistants in Kentucky’s Major Metro and Non-Metro Areas
A detailed analysis comparing salary data for physical therapist assistants in various areas throughout Kentucky can be found in the chart below. Data is provided by the United States Department of Labor (2014):