Physical Therapist Assistants in Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$57,240
after federal, FICA and Virginia tax
Tax takes
$16,520
22.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$56,814
Virginia costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Virginia — 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
$73,760
Kept after tax
$57,240
Worth in national money
$56,814
State rank
10
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Virginia is one of the better-paying states for physical therapist assistants. The middle earner takes $73,760, which ranks 10 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 7.87% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Virginia reports figures for, this is number 165.
- No great distortion either way. Virginia costs about what the country costs, so from $73,760, take-home of $57,240 is worth roughly $56,814 in national money. The average lands at $72,710, below the middle of the range.
- Virginia ranks 10 of 51 states publishing a median for physical therapist assistants, at $73,760 — about 7.87% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- In Virginia's occupational distribution, physical therapist assistants sits at 165 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Price parity in Virginia is near the national base, so for physical therapist assistants, whose median is $73,760, the adjusted figure of $56,814 differs little from $57,240 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $72,710 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Physical Therapist Assistants
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $54,170 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $73,760 |
| Top tenth earn over | $93,600 |
| This salary | $73,760 |
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 Virginia | $57,240 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $60,720 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$5,671 |
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 | $68,812 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$7,762 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Virginia earn less than $73,760. The published range is $54,170 up to $93,600, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- That $57,240 take-home in Virginia comes from $73,760. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 165 of 489.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $56,814 uses one figure for the whole of Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 489 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 165.
- Reported values are medians; for physical therapist assistants in Virginia the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $54,170 to $93,600. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Retained pay of $57,240, from $73,760, assumes a single Virginia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 165 of 489 locally, and the state ranks 10 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $56,814, worked from $73,760, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Virginia address, on work sitting at 165 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $54,170 at the bottom tenth to $93,600 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Virginia run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $56,814 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
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; Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $57,240.
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 ($54,170 to $93,600) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Virginia rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Virginia's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $56,814 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $57,240 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Virginia 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.