Best Physical Therapy Aide Programs in California (2026)

Quick answer: Physical therapy aides in California earn a median of $38,330 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited physical therapy aide schools in California with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

If you want to train as a physical therapy aide in California, start by weighing program length, schedule, and cost at nearby schools. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $38,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

California Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$38,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
California pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$34,690 to $60,200BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying California metro for this fieldSan Francisco, CA, $44,440BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.8% growth, about 6,600 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment7,330 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
California location quotient1.30BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Physical therapy aide Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the California figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 117 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 96.6 miles away BOC Score 78.5
Tuition $7,350 - $20,095
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 95.3%
  • Graduation rate: 55.9%
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 337
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,992 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 99.6 miles away BOC Score 75.1
Tuition $7,458 - $20,485
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 93.5%
  • Graduation rate: 56.5%
  • Programs offered: 18
  • Annual completions: 1372
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,664 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Casa Loma College-Los Angeles

Sherman Oaks, CA 106.7 miles away BOC Score 69.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 69.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 150
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $72,581 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 90.1 miles away BOC Score 68.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 52.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 7
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $63,285 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 110.4 miles away BOC Score 63.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 53.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 69
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $79,546 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Concorde Career College-North Hollywood

North Hollywood, CA 107.0 miles away BOC Score 57.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 76.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 9
  • Annual completions: 387
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,837 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Southern California Health Institute

North Hollywood, CA 108.8 miles away BOC Score 51.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 84.0%
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 179
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $35,921 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA 62.6 miles away BOC Score 47.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 35.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 2591
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,147 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Institute of Technology

Clovis, CA 97.7 miles away BOC Score 44.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 74.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 22
  • Annual completions: 1551
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,172 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles, CA 116.3 miles away BOC Score 36.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 773
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,028 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 31.0 miles away BOC Score 24.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 21.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 72
  • Annual completions: 1246
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,238 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Physical Therapy Aide Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Physical Therapist Aides
Physical Therapist Aides annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $25360, P25 $30410, P50 $35240, P75 $38810, P90 $47780.10th$25,36025th$30,41050th (median)$35,24075th$38,81090th$47,780
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Physical Therapist Aides annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$25,360
25th$30,410
50th (median)$35,240
75th$38,810
90th$47,780
Projected employment growth, United States, Physical Therapist Aides, 2024-2034
Physical Therapist Aides employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 45600; 2034 projected employment 46900; percent change +2.8%.202445,600 jobs2034 (proj.)46,900 jobsChange: +2.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Physical Therapist Aides employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
202445,600
2034 projected46,900
Percent change+2.8%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does physical therapy aide training take in California?

Physical therapy aide certificate programs in California typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do physical therapy aides earn in California?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), physical therapy aides in California earned a median annual wage of approximately $38,330. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $34,690 to $60,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many physical therapy aide schools are in California?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)