PTA vs OTA: pay, jobs and what each takes

Occupational therapy assistants, by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025): a median of $34.76 an hour ($72,300 a year), against $32.88 ($68,380 a year) for physical therapist assistants, $1.88 an hour more. The open jobs on this board today post medians of $35 an hour for physical therapist assistants and $35 for occupational therapy assistants.

On this board today: 3,859 open physical therapist assistant jobs and 2,361 occupational therapy assistant jobs, read from each employer's own job board. BLS expects about 18,500 openings a year for physical therapist assistants and 8,100 for occupational therapy assistants, with employment changing +23.0% and +21.5% over 2025-2035.

Physical therapist assistants carry out the treatment plan a physical therapist writes: exercises, gait training and modalities, in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and home health. Occupational therapy assistants carry out the treatment plan an occupational therapist writes, in nursing homes, rehab, schools and home health.

An associate degree from an accredited PTA program, then the NPTE-PTA exam. (BLS: Associate's degree.) An associate degree from an accredited OTA program, then the NBCOT COTA exam. (BLS: Associate's degree.) Each occupation's page lists its credentials and who grants them: Physical therapist assistants, Occupational therapy assistants.