Physical Therapist Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Physical Therapists

The median physical therapist salary in the United States is $102,760 per year ($49.40/hour). Salaries range from $77,140 at the entry level to $135,140+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 267,330 physical therapist jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 10.9% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asPhysical TherapistPhysiotherapistPTDPT
Median Salary
$102,760
per year
Hourly Rate
$49.40
per hour
Employment
267,330
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$77,140
25th percentile
$86,160
Median
$102,760
75th percentile
$121,160
90th percentile
$135,140

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+10.9%
Faster than average

Annual Openings

13,200
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Doctoral or professional degree

Physical Therapist Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for physical therapists.

PTs treat movement dysfunction across outpatient orthopedic clinics, hospitals, home health, skilled nursing, and sports/pediatrics. DPT required (3-year doctoral program post-bachelor's, ~$150k in tuition). Career splits by setting: outpatient ortho (fast pace, productivity metrics, 60-80% take-home), hospital acute (better hours, benefits, less pay), home health (highest pay, isolation, driving). Employers screen for: hands-on manual skills, clinical reasoning, documentation efficiency, and productivity under insurance-driven visit limits.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Clinical reasoning + differential
Ruling in/out ortho vs neuro vs systemic. Red flag screening (cancer, cauda equina, DVT).
Manual therapy
Joint mobilizations, soft tissue, MDT (McKenzie), muscle energy, dry needling in some states. Continuing education compounds pay.
Therex prescription
Progressive exercise design based on functional goals. Ability to modify on the fly.
Documentation efficiency
Insurance-driven notes (SOAP, functional deficits, goals). Speed matters β€” 30 min per patient is the target.
Productivity management
Outpatient: 10-14 patients/day, often 2 at once (double-booking). Time management is a career skill.
Patient education + adherence
Home exercise programs, understanding pain science, motivating adherence.

How to Become a Physical Therapist

  1. 1
    Bachelor's with PT prereqs
    Anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry, psychology. GPA 3.5+ for competitive DPT admissions.
  2. 2
    GRE + apply to DPT programs
    Rolling admissions. ~200 programs. Cost $80-150k tuition.
  3. 3
    3-year DPT + clinical rotations
    9-12 months of full-time clinical rotations across settings during year 3.
  4. 4
    Pass NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam)
    Federally administered. Pass rate ~85% first attempt. State licensure follows.
  5. 5
    First year: outpatient or hospital
    Outpatient teaches speed + volume. Hospital teaches acuity + team medicine. Pick based on career vision.
  6. 6
    Consider residency + specialty (OCS, SCS, NCS)
    Board certification adds prestige and $3-8k/year. Not required but helps for competitive settings.

Career Progression

Staff PT
0-3 yrs$78k-$95k (outpatient) Β· $85-110k (home health, per-visit)
  • β€’Full patient panel (10-14/day outpatient, 6-8 home health)
  • β€’Documentation and billing
  • β€’Meeting productivity metric
Next: Senior PT or specialty.
Senior PT / Clinical Specialist
3-8 yrs$88-115k
  • β€’Complex cases
  • β€’Mentor new grads
  • β€’Own a specialty (sports, geri, peds, ortho)
  • β€’Board certified (OCS, SCS, NCS)
Next: Clinic Manager or specialty leadership.
Clinic Manager / Director of Rehab
5+ yrs$95-130k + bonus
  • β€’Run outpatient clinic or hospital rehab unit
  • β€’Staff scheduling, hiring, productivity
  • β€’P&L for clinic
Next: Regional operations or owner.
PT / Practice Owner
5+ yrs$110k-$300k+ depending on practice size
  • β€’Own or partner in outpatient practice
  • β€’Full business ownership: billing, marketing, hiring
  • β€’Highest ceiling but 60-70hr weeks

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through evaluating a new patient with low back pain.technical
Subjective: onset, mechanism, red flags (cancer hx, weight loss, bowel/bladder), 24hr pattern, aggravating/easing factors, past medical hx. Objective: postural, ROM, strength, neuro screen (myotomes, dermatomes, reflexes), special tests (SLR, slump, prone instability). Interpret: peripheralization vs centralization, directional preference. Plan: manual + therex + patient education. Screens for clinical reasoning process.
Q2. A patient is not making progress after 6 sessions. What do you do?situational
Re-evaluate. Is the diagnosis correct? Is the intervention appropriate? Is adherence adequate? Discuss with the patient β€” sometimes psychosocial factors dominate. Escalate: physician re-referral, imaging if red flags emerge, or PT specialist consult. Never keep grinding on a plan that isn't working.
Q3. Tell me about a difficult patient.behavioral
STAR. Real patient: anxiety, non-compliance, chronic pain, or personality challenge. Your approach β€” empathy, boundary setting, involving family, adjusting plan. Never bad-mouth. Screens for professionalism + empathy.
Q4. How do you handle productivity metrics that feel like they compromise care?situational
Honest. Respect the metric AND the patient. Efficiency comes from experience β€” grouping supervised exercises, streamlining documentation, effective HEP. But if metric requires unsafe care, escalate to management with specifics. Screens for professional integrity + business awareness.
Q5. Why outpatient vs hospital?culture
Concrete. Outpatient: chronic ortho, longer relationships, business exposure. Hospital: acute care, medical team, better hours. Pick based on real preference.

Resume Template β€” Staff PT (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Staff PT (0-3 yrs)
  • β–ΈManaged patient caseload of 12/day in outpatient ortho clinic; maintained 96% productivity metric across 24 months.
  • β–ΈAchieved patient-reported outcome measures (LEFS, DASH) meeting or exceeding minimal clinically important difference in 82% of cases.
  • β–ΈPrecepted 3 DPT students through clinical rotations; all passed final clinical evaluations.
  • β–ΈCompleted 40+ hours of manual therapy continuing education; earned certification in dry needling.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Documentation issues β€” insurance-driven, non-negotiable.
  • βœ—Slow patient care β€” 30 minutes is the target, not the maximum.
  • βœ—Unwilling to double-book β€” outpatient reality.
  • βœ—Poor patient education β€” chronic pain requires teaching, not just hands-on.
  • βœ—No specialty or CE plan β€” signals plateau mindset.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“Specialty certifications (OCS, SCS, NCS, cert dry needling) β€” $3-10k premium.
  • βœ“Manual therapy continuing education β€” cited by top employers.
  • βœ“Sign-on bonus β€” $5-25k common at outpatient chains.
  • βœ“Student loan repayment β€” some employers offer $10-30k/year.
  • βœ“Guaranteed patient volume floor (per-visit models).
  • βœ“Productivity structure β€” % of collections vs hourly.
  • βœ“CE budget annually.

Physical Therapist Resume Review β€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired physical therapists. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • βœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • βœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Physical Therapist Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 13 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 8 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
  • βœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
βœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee β€” no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

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Physical Therapist Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$85K
$124Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

California
$124K
+21%
Alaska
$115K
+12%
New Jersey
$112K
+9%
Nevada
$111K
+8%
Maryland
$107K
+4%
New Mexico
$107K
+4%
Washington
$106K
+3%
Texas
$106K
+3%
Illinois
$105K
+2%
Connecticut
$104K
+2%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
California$124,190+20.9%
Alaska$115,280+12.2%
New Jersey$112,140+9.1%
Nevada$111,250+8.3%
Maryland$106,890+4.0%
New Mexico$106,880+4.0%
Washington$105,950+3.1%
Texas$105,810+3.0%
Illinois$105,250+2.4%
Connecticut$104,360+1.6%
1–10 of 51

Physical Therapist Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$141,980+38.2%
Vallejo, CA$141,530+37.7%
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$140,100+36.3%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$139,000+35.3%
Napa, CA$138,540+34.8%
Chico, CA$134,970+31.3%
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$131,430+27.9%
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$128,680+25.2%
Hanford-Corcoran, CA$127,460+24.0%
Salinas, CA$127,120+23.7%
1–10 of 390
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A physical therapist earning $102,760/year would need 580 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 623 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how physical therapist salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Physical Therapist salary trend (2011–2024) β†’