Massage Therapists vs Physical Therapist Assistants
Median pay is about $10k higher for Physical Therapist Assistants. The usual entry education is postsecondary cert for Massage Therapists and associate's for Physical Therapist Assistants.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Massage Therapists | Physical Therapist Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $58,450 | $68,380, higher |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $43,480 | $59,820, higher |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $78,320 | $78,680, higher |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | +15% Growing fast | +23% Growing fast, higher |
| Openings a year | 20,400 | 18,500 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | Postsecondary cert | Associate's |
| Difficulty modeled | 2.4 / 5 | 2.6 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Low | Very low |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 29th pct | 16th pct |
Where the skills differ
Only Massage Therapists
- Active Learning
Only Physical Therapist Assistants
- Monitoring
Both lean on active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, writing, critical thinking.
More comparisons
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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.