Physical Therapist Aides in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,402
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$6,548
16.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,905
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$38,950
Kept after tax
$32,402
Worth in national money
$35,905
State rank
8
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for physical therapist aides is strong here. Montana's middle earner gets $38,950, putting the state 8 of 50 — about 10.53% ahead of the national figure.
- Measured against other jobs in Montana, this one sits low: 410 of 475 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $38,950 you keep $32,402 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $35,905 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $38,230.
- For physical therapist aides, Montana sits in the upper band nationally: a median of $38,950, ranking 8 of 50 and running about 10.53% above the national midpoint. Nominal advantage of this size is usually, though not always, large enough to survive the state's own tax and price levels.
- Physical therapist aides occupies position 410 of 475 in Montana's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay in Montana is $32,402 after the full tax stack, from $38,950. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $35,905 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $38,230 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Physical Therapist Aides
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $24,240 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,950 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,780 |
| This salary | $38,950 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Montana | $32,402 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,476 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,456 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $37,613 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,761 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of physical therapist aides in Montana earn under $38,950 and half over. The published range runs $24,240 at the tenth percentile to $48,780 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $32,402, from $38,950, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 410 of 475 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Montana, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $35,905, the adjusted value of that $38,950 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 410 of 475 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for physical therapist aides in Montana, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $24,240 to $48,780; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $32,402 from $38,950. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 410 of 475 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Montana, so $35,905 — the adjusted value of that $38,950 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 410 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $24,240 and the top tenth $48,780, so most people doing this work in Montana sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Montana sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $35,905 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $32,402.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($24,240 to $48,780) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $35,905 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $32,402 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.