What Is the Average Salary of a PTA in Alabama?
A physical therapist assistant, or PTA, works to relieve pain and improve physical function in patients with injuries, illnesses, and neurological and congenital disorders. At the direction of a physical therapist, she uses techniques such as exercise, ultrasound therapy and adaptive equipment. Most PTAs in Alabama earn at least $38,000 per year.
Other People Are Reading
-
Employment
-
Of the estimated 63,750 physical therapist assistants working in the United States in 2009, about 1,240 were employed in Alabama, advises the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gadsden, Alabama, in fact, had the second-highest concentration of these workers per capita by metropolitan area in the country, second only to New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Salary Range
-
PTAs in Alabama were earning an average salary of $21.53 per hour as of May 2009, or $44,790 per year, reports the BLD. The middle 50 percent of Alabama PTAs were making $38,050 to $54,830 per year. The bottom 10 percent had annual salaries of $21,140 and less, and the top 10 percent were earning at least $62,290 per year.
-
High-Paying Areas
-
Not only did Gadsden have the second-highest concentration of PTAs per capita in the country in 2009, it also was the highest-paying location in Alabama for PTAs. Gadsden PTAs were earning $25.10 per hour on average, or $52,210 per year. The next highest-paying area was the Dothan metro area, at $49,920 per year on average.
Other Areas
-
PTAs in the southeastern Alabama nonmetropolitan area had the lowest pay in the state, at an average annual salary of $37,300. The average salary of a PTA in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and the Anniston-Oxford area was in the range of about $39,400 to $41,000; in Montgomery, Mobile and the southwestern nonmetropolitan area in the range of about $42,700 to $43,800; and in Decatur, Birmingham and the northeastern nonmetropolitan area in the range of about $45,400 to $47,000.
Job Openings
-
PTAs are needed in Alabama to work for acute care centers, home health agencies, physical therapy private practices, senior care centers and rehabilitation centers, as illustrated by job postings at Indeed.com in 2011. Although the employers generally do not disclose salary information, some list benefits. Examples of benefits provided by some organizations include health, dental and vision insurance, along with life and disability insurance, paid time off, flexible scheduling, a company-matched 401(k) program, continuing education opportunities, tuition reimbursement and a signing bonus.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
