Physical Therapist salary
What a physical therapist actually earns, from 830 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
Switch the market above to see physical therapist pay in the 3 countries our sources cover, each with its own cost of living. The trend, seniority, and state detail below are United States data, where the official record runs deepest.
What the number means
Physical therapy pays a blended US median near 104,000 dollars, and the number comes with a warning the salary line does not show: the field now requires a doctorate, and the debt-to-income ratio is among the worst in healthcare. The work is durable, hands-on, and nearly automation-proof, which is the real case for it. But the pay has been roughly flat for a decade while the required schooling climbed. Read this as a vocation with a comfortable ceiling, not a wealth path.
Open physical therapist roles
Live openings tagged to this occupation, from company career pages and remote boards. Apply at the source.
- Occupational Therapist - Outpatient Hand & Upper Extremity TherapistVeterans Health Administration · Rochester, Pennsylvania$67k–$126kJul 20
- Physical TherapistMilitary Treatment Facilities under DHA · Fort Huachuca, Arizona$91k–$119kJul 16
- Supervisory Physical TherapistMilitary Treatment Facilities under DHA · Cherry Point, North Carolina$90k–$116kJul 16
- Physical Therapist (Clinical Specialist)Veterans Health Administration · Minneapolis, Minnesota$116k–$151kJul 15
- Physical Therapist (Holistic Health and Fitness)U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command · Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri$100k–$130kJul 15
- Occupational TherapistBureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System · Gregg Township, Pennsylvania$64k–$82kJul 14
By country
- United States$90,943 – $118,808 · median $103,254
- United Kingdom$57,442 – $114,646 · median $82,913
- Canada$31,898 – $65,447 · median $31,898
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- Californiamedian $123,300
- Alaskamedian $108,640
- Oregonmedian $104,430
- Texasmedian $103,710
- Delawaremedian $103,120
- Massachusettsmedian $102,260
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Related salaries
- Registered Nurse salary$94,467 median
- Nurse Practitioner salary$95,455 median
- Physician salary$140,794 median
Quick answers
How much do physical therapists make?
The blended US median is about 104,000 dollars, in a fairly tight range that has been close to flat over the past decade.
Is a physical therapy doctorate worth it?
The job is stable and rewarding, but the required doctorate carries debt that the flat salary services slowly. Run the numbers before enrolling.
Is physical therapy safe from AI?
Among the safest careers we track: it is hands-on, judgment-heavy, and physically present, which automation does not replace.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 29-1123. Unemployment is the 2025 BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) CPS (Current Population Survey) annual-average rate for “Physical therapists.” Live corpus 830 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.