In New York State, the rapidly growing field of physical therapist assisting pays exceptionally well. Physical therapist assistants in New York earned an average salary of $53,6060 as of 2015 according to the state’s Department of Labor. Experienced physical therapist assistants whose salaries fell within the top ten percent earned an average salary of $60,900 that year, while entry-level PTAs earned $39,180 on average.
Factors Contributing to Strong Job Growth for PTAs in New York
The New York Department of Labor expects the number of physical therapist assistants to increase by 30.7% between 2012 and 2022, a rate that is more than 2.75 times faster than the state’s average job growth rate. The level of increase is expected to be even higher in certain regions of New York State during this ten-year period:
- Capital Region: 8%
- Hudson Valley: 1%
- New York City: 4%
Physical therapist assistants are expected to benefit from the increasing need for healthcare professionals in New York. The Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University of Albany analyzed this trend in a 2014 report entitled The Health Care Workforce in New York, 2013: Trends in the Supply and Demand for Health Workers.
Health sector employment is a major economic driver for the state. This is particularly true in upstate New York. The number of jobs in the healthcare field in this region increased by 32% between 1990 and 2012, while the number jobs in all other employment sectors actually declined.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the home health care service industry pays the highest wages for physical therapist assistants. Employment in this setting almost tripled in New York between 1990 and 2012 according to the Center for Health Workforce Studies.
Another trend that will benefit the physical therapy field is the expansion of ambulatory care services throughout New York State. This sector includes such major employers of physical therapist assistants as physician’s offices and specialty clinics dedicated to orthopedics and sports medicine.
How Location Affects the Salaries of Physical Therapist Assistants in New York
The New York State Department of Labor found that the average salary for physical therapist assistants in various regions of the state differed by more than $21,000 as of 2015:
For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed profile of salaries for physical therapist assistants in New York’s major cities and rural areas as of 2014. This analysis revealed that the average salary for a PTA was the highest in the New York City-Long Island area: