SalaryExplorer

SOC 31-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Physical Therapist Assistants — Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, NC · 10 metro areas compared

$64,660 /year
$31.09per hour
180jobs in area
−5.4%vs US median

The median wage for Physical Therapist Assistants in Winston-Salem, NC is $64,660 per year, close to the national median of $68,380 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $68,38010TH$50,66025TH$60,560MEDIAN$64,66075TH$75,80090TH$80,980

How pay has moved

$67,963$60,0672019202020212022202320242025$64,660
$66,630 in 2019 to $64,660 in 2025, -3% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow much faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+22.0%
Openings per year
19,800
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Winston-Salem, NC.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Physical Therapist Assistants in Winston-Salem, NC is $64,660 per year, close to the national median of $68,380 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $50,660 at the tenth percentile to more than $80,980 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $60,560 to $75,800.

Employment stands at 180, or 0.7 jobs per thousand held locally. Burlington leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $76,010. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 154th of 468 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Winston-Salem, NC · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$50,660−25.9%
25th$60,560−11.4%
Median (50th)$64,660−5.4%
75th$75,800+10.9%
90th$80,980+18.4%
Mean$66,780−2.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in North Carolina

Median annual wage for Physical Therapist Assistants, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Burlington$76,01040
2Wilmington$75,820220
3Durham$73,970130
4Charlotte$70,720870
5Goldsboro$69,15030
6Raleigh$67,890390
7Rocky Mount$65,22070
8Greensboro$64,610190
9Fayetteville$64,520130
10Greenville$63,90080

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Winston-Salem run 8.0% below the national average, so the median of $64,660 goes as far as $70,283 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 2.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$64,660as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$70,283US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $64,660 a year, 5.4% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $50,660 to $80,980 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 180 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Burlington, at $76,010.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Physical Therapist Assistants in Winston-Salem, NC?

The median annual wage is $64,660, or $31.09 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $68,380, so pay in Winston-Salem, NC is 5.4% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC earns more than $80,980 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $50,660 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Burlington, at $76,010 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 180 jobs in this occupation in Winston-Salem, NC. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Physical Therapist Assistants Salary in Winston-Salem, NC (2025): $64,660 Median | Salary Explorer