Physical therapist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$49.51 per hour

$102,970 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$44.80 per hour

$93,190 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$38.33 per hour

$79,720 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$33.05 per hour

$68,740 per year

10th percentile

Starting level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$28.33 per hour

$58,930 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Physical therapist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Nevada $97,950
California $97,610
Alaska $96,660
New Jersey $95,690
Connecticut $94,790
New Mexico $93,250
Delaware $93,160
Massachusetts $92,060
Texas $91,060
Virginia $90,960
Hawaii $89,500
Illinois $89,378
Maryland $89,020
Michigan $88,940
Alabama $88,110
Florida $87,840
Wyoming $87,630
South Carolina $87,250
Mississippi $87,090
Ohio $86,970
Oklahoma $86,680
North Carolina $86,600
Kansas $86,530
Georgia $86,310
Washington $86,090
Oregon $85,480
District of Columbia $85,470
Wisconsin $85,430
Tennessee $85,240
Minnesota $85,100
New York $85,100
Kentucky $84,920
Louisiana $84,480
West Virginia $83,390
New Hampshire $82,760
Utah $81,640
Colorado $81,460
Indiana $80,507
Nebraska $80,130
Rhode Island $79,890
Missouri $79,720
Iowa $79,460
Idaho $78,760
North Dakota $77,740
Montana $77,080
Arkansas $76,457
Maine $75,940
South Dakota $75,510
Vermont $74,900
Pennsylvania $71,571
Arizona $66,836
Guam $60,340
Virgin Islands, U.S. $51,020
Puerto Rico $45,120

How much does a Physical Therapist earn?

As with most professions, salaries for physical therapists vary widely based on a therapist’s number of years in the industry. In fact, a therapist’s number of years in clinical practice plays a much larger role in determining salary than does his or her educational level. Entry-level physical therapists made an average of $66,000 in 2011, whereas physical therapists with 16 or more years of experience earned an average salary of $84,000. A therapist who falls somewhere between these two extremes—not fresh out of school, but not quite a seasoned vet—should expect to earn a salary somewhere near the national median ($82,390 in 2014).

Physical Therapist Compensation by Geographical Region

Additional factors such as geographic location and type of therapy facility also affect an individual's salary. For example, the average physical therapist salary in the nation's top-paying state, Nevada, is $127,900; whereas the average salary in the lowest-paying state, Montana, is $69,590. The highest paid in the physical therapist profession work in the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas, Laredo, Texas, and Brownsville, Texas. The Lake Havasu City, Arizona area also pays well, as does the city of Vallejo, California.

How do physical therapist salaries compare to similar careers?

Physical therapists earn about the same as related careers in Missouri. On average, they make less than nurse practitioners but more than clinical psychologists.

Career Median Salary
Nurse practitioner salary $98K
Anesthesiologist assistant salary $95K
Physician assistant salary $95K
Neuropsychologist salary $99K
Informatics nurse specialist salary $82K
Physical therapist salary $80K
Speech language pathologist salary $78K
Nurse educator salary $70K
Orthotist and prosthetist salary $63K
Clinical psychologist salary $66K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)