For physical therapist assistants seeking high salaries and numerous choices for employment, Georgia is a great place to call home. Professors from Chattahoochee College’s physical therapy department report that many of the students in their PTA program receive multiple job offers upon graduating.
The physical therapy job market in Georgia is promising for prospective PTAs, offering both plentiful job opportunities and lucrative salaries. The May 2014 reports released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the statewide average salary for PTAs in Georgia is $56,440.
Job Growth and Salary Expectations for Physical Therapist Assistants in Georgia
According to The Georgia Labor Market Explorer, there were 1,080 licensed PTAs in Georgia as of 2012. This number is expected to increase by 39 percent to 1,490 by 2022. This is equivalent to an average of 70 job openings per year.
Physical therapist assistants in Georgia have the opportunity to earn average salaries that are quite competitive when compared to the national averages:
National
- Experienced (U.S.): $75,500
- Mid-Career (U.S.): $54,400
- Entry-Level (U.S.): $31,800
Georgia
- Experienced (GA): $73,500
- Mid-Career (GA): $57,900
- Entry-Level (GA): $39,800
Salaries for Physical Therapist Assistants in Georgia’s Major Metro and Non-Metro Areas
Approximately one third of all physical therapist assistants in Georgia are located in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta area. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 580 PTAs worked there as of May 2014. The Augusta-Richmond County area is home to the second highest number of PTAs in Georgia with 80, and Savannah comes in with the third most with 70 licensed physical therapist assistants calling this area home.
The highest average salary is found in Rome, where physical therapist assistants earn an average of $66,560 per year. Though most of Georgia’s PTAs work in major cities, the second highest salaries are found in the North Georgia nonmetropolitan area where the average is $60,430. The Athens-Clarke County area comes in with the third highest salary – $58,760.
For more details on salaries for physical therapist assistants in Georgia, see the table below (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014):