Physical Therapists Salary
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · 267K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$102,760
Median hourly
$49
Average annual
$105,280
Typical range
$77,140–$135,140
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Physical Therapists is $102,760 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $49 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury..
Most earn between $77,140 and $135,140 a year. There are roughly 267K people employed as physical therapists in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Physical Therapists.
- Hourly
- $49.40
- Daily
- $395
- Weekly
- $1,976
- Bi-weekly
- $3,952
- Monthly
- $8,563
- Annual
- $102,760
$102,760 a year is around the 50th percentile for Physical Therapistss. The median is $102,760.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1California$124,190
- 2Alaska$115,280
- 3New Jersey$112,140
- 4Nevada$111,250
- 5Maryland$106,890
- 6New Mexico$106,880
- 7Washington$105,950
- 8Texas$105,810
- 9Illinois$105,250
- 10Connecticut$104,360
- 11Massachusetts$103,790
- 12Oregon$103,510
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$141,980
- 2Vallejo, CA$141,530
- 3Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$140,100
- 4San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$139,000
- 5Napa, CA$138,540
- 6Chico, CA$134,970
- 7Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$131,430
- 8Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA$128,680
- 9Hanford-Corcoran, CA$127,460
- 10Salinas, CA$127,120
- 11Modesto, CA$126,600
- 12Merced, CA$126,000
Related job titles
Employers advertise Physical Therapists roles under these titles.
- Acute Physical Therapist (Acute PT)
- Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist (Cardiopulmonary PT)
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
- Geriatric Physical Therapist (Geriatric PT)
- Inpatient Physical Therapist (Inpatient PT)
- Kinesiotherapist
- Orthopedic Physical Therapist (Orthopedic PT)
- Outpatient Physical Therapist (Outpatient PT)
- Pediatric Physical Therapist (Pediatric PT)
- Physiotherapist
- Pulmonary Physical Therapist (Pulmonary PT)
- Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)
- Sports Physical Therapist (Sports PT)
- Therapist
- Travel Physical Therapist (Travel PT)
Related occupations
What a Physical Therapists does
- Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
- Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
- Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.
- Test and measure patient's strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, or respiratory or circulatory efficiency and record data.
- Direct, supervise, assess, and communicate with supportive personnel.
- Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Physical Therapists make?
- The median annual wage for Physical Therapists is $102,760 ($49 per hour). Pay ranges from about $77,140 at the 10th percentile to $135,140 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Physical Therapists?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $105,280, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Physical Therapistss the most?
- California has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $124,190.
- Is Physical Therapists a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 267K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Physical Therapists do?
- Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.; Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.; Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program..