Physical therapist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$61.54 per hour

$128,000 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$53.28 per hour

$110,820 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$47.40 per hour

$98,590 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$37.83 per hour

$78,690 per year

10th percentile

Starting level physical therapist earnings begin at:

$32.85 per hour

$68,330 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Physical therapist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Mississippi $99,990
North Carolina $99,910
Utah $99,880
New Hampshire $99,850
Maine $99,720
Rhode Island $99,400
Missouri $99,310
Arkansas $99,010
Idaho $99,000
Oklahoma $98,590
Louisiana $98,530
Kansas $98,290
Vermont $97,970
Iowa $97,560
Alabama $97,290
Nebraska $97,090
West Virginia $96,600
South Dakota $92,660
Montana $91,450
North Dakota $85,330
Guam $60,340
Virgin Islands, U.S. $51,020
Puerto Rico $45,120
California $124,190
Alaska $115,280
New Jersey $112,140
Nevada $111,250
Maryland $106,890
New Mexico $106,880
Washington $105,950
Texas $105,810
Illinois $105,250
Connecticut $104,360
Massachusetts $103,790
Oregon $103,510
Arizona $103,220
Ohio $103,050
Georgia $102,700
Delaware $102,050
Colorado $102,030
Minnesota $102,010
Wisconsin $101,840
Hawaii $101,700
District of Columbia $101,640
Indiana $101,560
Virginia $101,450
Pennsylvania $101,380
South Carolina $101,330
Florida $101,040
Michigan $100,900
Kentucky $100,710
New York $100,660
Wyoming $100,400
Tennessee $100,140

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 Oklahoma. On average, they make less than occupational therapists but more than speech language pathologists.

Career Median Salary
Occupational therapist salary $104K
Informatics nurse specialist salary $96K
Dental hygienist salary $98K
Clinical psychologist salary $80K
Counseling psychologist salary $80K
Physical therapist salary $99K
Radiation therapist salary $98K
Nuclear medicine technologist salary $91K
Magnetic resonance imaging technologist salary $87K
Speech language pathologist salary $84K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)