Occupational Therapy Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants: $39K vs $68K Median Pay

Occupational Therapy Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants: what changes?

Consider Occupational Therapy Aides if you want to under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. Consider Physical Therapist Assistants if you would rather assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. Entry credentials differ: Occupational Therapy Aides, high school diploma or equivalent; Physical Therapist Assistants, associate's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Occupational Therapy Aides and Physical Therapist Assistants. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Occupational Therapy Aides

National median pay (2025): $39,160
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 600

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (4,400 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Occupational Therapy Aides brief

Physical Therapist Assistants

National median pay (2025): $68,380
Route into the job: Associate's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 18,500

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Physical Therapist Assistants brief

How the national numbers differ

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on annual openings

Physical Therapist Assistants is at 18,500 annual openings, compared with 600 annual openings for Occupational Therapy Aides.

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on median pay

Physical Therapist Assistants is at $68,380, compared with $39,160 for Occupational Therapy Aides.

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on projected growth

Physical Therapist Assistants is at 23% projected growth, compared with 3.6% projected growth for Occupational Therapy Aides.

28/ 100

Occupational Therapy Aides

73.4/ 100

Physical Therapist Assistants

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Occupational Therapy Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants

Dimension	Occupational Therapy Aides	Physical Therapist Assistants
Median pay (2025)	$39,160	$68,380
Pay percentile	10.2 percentile	60.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.6%	23%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	600	18,500
2025 employment	4,400	114,100
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Associate's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Occupational Therapy Aides brief Read Physical Therapist Assistants brief

Occupational Therapy Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Occupational Therapy Aides

Physical Therapist Assistants

How the national numbers differ

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on annual openings

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on median pay

Physical Therapist Assistants has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Therapy Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants

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