# Physical Therapist Assistants

US SOC code 31-2021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/31-2021

Also called: PTA, Physical therapy assistant, Rehab therapy assistant, PT assistant.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **112,430** US physical therapist assistants, with median pay of **$68,380** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.apta.org/apta-history/pta-history) of **6,000** from 1970, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for physical therapist assistants: Digital MSK care platforms, 2014 to 2022. Digital MSK platforms are augmentative for the chronic pain population and substitutive for a subset of lower-acuity MSK cases that would otherwise generate PTA clinic visits.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 23% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-2021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **10.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.018** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.018. BLS counted **72,640** of these jobs in May 2013 and **112,430** in May 2025 (+55%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Physical Therapist Assistants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1921
- Latest US employment: 112,430 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $68,380 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +23% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1970 | 6,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., APTA [1] |
| 1990 | 44,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook [2] |
| 2000 | 44,120 | $31,000 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [3]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [5] |
| 2003 | 52,440 | $36,610 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 57,420 | $37,890 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 58,670 | $39,490 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 59,350 | $41,360 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 59,120 | $44,130 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 61,820 | $46,140 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 63,750 | $48,290 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 65,960 | $49,690 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 67,550 | $51,040 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 69,810 | $52,160 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 72,640 | $53,360 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 76,910 | $54,410 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 81,230 | $55,170 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 85,580 | $56,610 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 90,170 | $57,430 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 94,250 | $58,040 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 96,840 | $58,790 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 92,740 | $59,770 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 93,660 | $61,180 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 97,740 | $62,770 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 104,000 | $64,080 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 108,010 | $65,510 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 112,430 | $68,380 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (84)

### Employment series

1. [APTA — "History of the PTA" (PTA history and first program context, 1967 Miami Dade / St Mary's)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history/pta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
2. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — "Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides" (historical employment context, pre-2000 era)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — "Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides" (historical wage context, circa 2000; ~$14-16/hr median cited)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [APTA — "APTA History" (reconstruction aide era, 1918-1921 APTA founding, WWI origins)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
9. [National Museum of American History — "Sister Kenny and the Polio Epidemic" (hot-pack physical therapy technique, 1940s-1950s)](https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1157052), Smithsonian Institution
10. [APTA — "History of the PTA" (first PTA programs 1967, Miami Dade / St Mary's, CAPTE accreditation history)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history/pta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
11. [PMC — "Ultrasound in Physical Therapy: A Historical Review of Its Development and Use" (therapeutic ultrasound as standard PT modality)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4580927/), PMC / Physical Therapy Research
12. [PMC — "Impact of the Medicare prospective payment system for hospitals" (1983 inpatient PPS, DRG-based payment, post-acute care demand surge)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4191526/), Health Care Financing Review / PMC
13. [APTA — "Supervision and Teamwork" (state PTA licensure requirements, supervision model, general vs direct supervision)](https://www.apta.org/your-practice/supervision-teamwork), American Physical Therapy Association
14. [Congress.gov — Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (H.R. 2015, signed August 5, 1997; Section 4541 imposing Medicare outpatient therapy caps)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2015), US Congress
15. [ICIC — "WebPT's Rapid Rise to Success Through Digitizing the Physical Therapy Landscape" (PT documentation shift from paper to electronic, WebPT founded 2008)](https://icic.org/blog/webpts-rapid-rise-to-success-through-digitizing-the-physical-therapy-landscape/), Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
16. [Hinge Health — "Announcing the World's First Digital MSK Clinic" (digital MSK clinic model, employer benefits, clinical outcomes)](https://www.hingehealth.com/resources/support/the-worlds-first-digital-clinic-for-back-and-joint-pain/), Hinge Health
17. [Sword Health — "Sword Health: MSK Care Platform" (2015 founding, $3B valuation 2022, AI + clinician model)](https://www.swordhealth.com/), Sword Health
18. [SEC EDGAR — Hinge Health S-1 Registration Statement (2025 IPO, ~$2.6B valuation, digital MSK clinical model, employer coverage)](https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=hinge+health&type=S-1&dateb=&owner=include&count=40), US Securities and Exchange Commission
19. [CAPTE — "Accredited Physical Therapy Programs" (directory of accredited PTA programs; 379 programs as of 2025 annual accreditation reports)](https://www.capteonline.org/programs/accredited-physical-therapy-programs), Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 31-2021 Physical therapist assistants (2025: 114.1 thousand; 2035: 140.4 thousand; +23.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-2021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 31-2021 Physical Therapist Assistants: probability 0.018, rank 83 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 31-2021.00, human-rated β 0.103)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [APTA — "APTA History" (organization founded January 1921, WWI reconstruction aide origins, Mary McMillan)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
24. [US National Archives — "Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965)" (PT coverage under Medicare Parts A and B)](https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/medicare-and-medicaid-act), US National Archives
25. [APTA — "History of the PTA" (first PTA programs 1967, Miami Dade / St Mary's, first graduates 1969)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history/pta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
26. [PMC — "Impact of the Medicare prospective payment system for hospitals" (1983 PPS implementation, DRG-based payment, post-acute care demand shift)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4191526/), Health Care Financing Review / PMC
27. [Congress.gov — Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (H.R. 2015, Section 4541, Medicare outpatient therapy cap)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2015), US Congress
28. [Hinge Health — "About Hinge Health" (founded 2014, digital MSK clinic model, employer benefits)](https://www.hingehealth.com/about/), Hinge Health
29. [Congress.gov — Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA, H.R. 2, signed April 16, 2015; permanent repeal of Medicare therapy caps)](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2), US Congress
30. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 31-2021 Physical Therapist Assistants (2024-34: +22%, 19,800 annual openings)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-2021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

31. [APTA — "APTA History" (reconstruction aide program, 1918, WWI origins, organization founded 1921)](https://www.apta.org/apta-history), American Physical Therapy Association
32. [BLS OOH — "Physical Therapists" (DPT credential, median wage $99,710, career advancement from PTA)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Physical Therapist Assistants (31-2021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/31-2021.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OOH — Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides, 2024-2034 projections](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [DeepCura — Best AI Scribe for Physical Therapy in 2026 (ranked comparison)](https://www.deepcura.com/resources/best-ai-scribe-for-physical-therapy), accessed 2026-06-05
- [ScribePT — AI documentation platform purpose-built for PT/OT/SLP](https://www.scribept.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [WebPT Rehab AI — AI scribe, CPT coding guidance, and compliance tools](https://www.webpt.com/rehab-ai), accessed 2026-06-05
- [SPRY — AI documentation and billing optimization for PT practices](https://www.sprypt.com/blog/ai-for-physical-therapy-notes-documentation), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Exer AI — AI-driven motion measurement and remote monitoring for rehab](https://www.exer.ai/posts/ai-is-changing-physical-therapy), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Net Health — AI motion capture and Limber RTM for rehab therapy](https://www.nethealth.com/blog/ai-in-physical-therapy-improving-patient-care/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.