Physical Therapist Assistants in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$49,362
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$12,308
20.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,410
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — 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
$61,670
Kept after tax
$49,362
Worth in national money
$52,410
State rank
43
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Michigan pays physical therapist assistants a middle wage of $61,670, 43 of 51 states and about 9.81% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Physical therapist assistants ranks 221 among 493 occupations Michigan publishes pay for.
- Here is where Michigan does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $61,670 you keep $49,362, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $52,410 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $60,260, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Michigan's $61,670 median for physical therapist assistants places it 43 of 51 states, about 9.81% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- Position 221 of 493 in Michigan places physical therapist assistants in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Michigan income tax, retained pay for physical therapist assistants on $61,670 is $49,362. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $52,410 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $60,260 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Physical Therapist Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,700 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $61,670 |
| Top tenth earn over | $78,600 |
| This salary | $61,670 |
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 Michigan | $49,362 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,732 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$826 |
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 | $58,720 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$999 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Michigan earn less than $61,670. The published range is $35,700 up to $78,600, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Michigan the take-home figure of $49,362, from $61,670, 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 221 of 493 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Michigan, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $52,410, the adjusted value of that $61,670 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 221 of 493 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for physical therapist assistants in Michigan the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $35,700 to $78,600. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Michigan is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $49,362 from $61,670. 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 221 of 493 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Michigan, so $52,410 — the adjusted value of that $61,670 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 221 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $35,700 at the bottom tenth to $78,600 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Michigan is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $52,410 in national terms.
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; Michigan then takes its own share, leaving $49,362.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,700 to $78,600) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Michigan rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan'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 $52,410 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 $49,362 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan 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.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.