Physical Therapists Salary: $101,020 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 248,630 physical therapists work nationally, and $101,020 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 3.7% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Physical Therapists: what the data shows
Common questions about physical therapists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a physical therapists?
Physical Therapists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1123.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 248,630 workers.
What does a physical therapists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a physical therapists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $101,020 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $124,258 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $84,136 |
| 25th percentile | $101,793 |
| Median (50th) | $126,651 |
| 75th percentile | $140,980 |
| 90th percentile | $165,612 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is physical therapists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 19.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 43.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 248,630.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do physical therapistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 248,630 | 16.4% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 231,650 | 15.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 228,410 | 15.1% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 142,700 | 9.4% |
| Hospitals | 141,840 | 9.4% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 122,000 | 8.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Physical Therapists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Assistants | 793,460 | $44,200 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
| Nurse Practitioners | 307,390 | $129,210 |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 487,920 | $43,460 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Dental Hygienists | 200,000 | — |
| Occupational Therapists | 152,280 | $98,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Physical Therapists workforce.
Employment Over Time
248,630 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Physical Therapists grew from 54,320 in 2009 to 96,400 in 2025 (77.5%).
Historical employment for Physical Therapists from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$101,020 Median pay (BLS national)
Physical Therapists earn $101,020 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Physical Therapists.
Salary distribution for Physical Therapists.
Employment Growth Projections
3.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
115,325 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 19.6%
137,967 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 43.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Physical Therapists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Physical Therapists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Physical Therapists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Physical Therapists.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Physical Therapists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Physical Therapists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 24,380 employees, $120,970 avg wage
- TX: 18,930 employees, $106,450 avg wage
- FL: 17,050 employees, $94,690 avg wage
- NY: 15,810 employees, $100,770 avg wage
- PA: 11,100 employees, $98,830 avg wage
- IL: 10,390 employees, $107,980 avg wage
- OH: 9,240 employees, $99,500 avg wage
- MI: 7,800 employees, $96,840 avg wage
- NJ: 7,760 employees, $109,470 avg wage
- NC: 7,350 employees, $95,600 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Physical Therapists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 15,750 employees, $109,280 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 8,360 employees, $109,110 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,150 employees, $117,670 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 5,710 employees, $89,000 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,480 employees, $104,610 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 4,860 employees, $103,040 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,670 employees, $110,760 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,570 employees, $109,580 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,840 employees, $112,190 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 3,580 employees, $99,750 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Physical Therapists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Physical Therapists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Physical Therapists is about 248,630 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Physical Therapists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Physical Therapists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Physical Therapists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Physical Therapists in 2023 were Physical Therapy, Health Sciences, Kinesiology.
Common majors for Physical Therapists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Physical Therapists workers.
Education level distribution for Physical Therapists.
Skills
Physical Therapists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Physical Therapists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Physical Therapists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Physical Therapists include Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, Medicine and Dentistry, Psychology, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Physical Therapists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Physical Therapists include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Physical Therapists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Physical Therapists.
Daily Activities
Physical Therapists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Physical Therapists.
About
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapists earn $101,020 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
29-1123 - Physical Therapists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Physical Therapists reports an average salary of $124,258, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 248,630 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.