Physical Therapist Salary


The salary for a physical therapist will fluctuate from location to location like most jobs and will also be affected by factors like experience, work environment, and specific employers.  According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics May 2009 report, the mean average salary of physical therapists was $76,220. The physical therapist median annual salary ranged from a pay scale of the lowest 10th percentile at $52,170, the 50th percentile at $74,480, and the top 10th percentile at $105,900.

The type of work environment also affects how much a physical therapist makes. The majority is salaried and employed through offices of health practitioners and hospitals. By industry, the annual average salary of physical therapists in offices of other health practitioners and general medical and surgical hospitals were right at around the national average. Other physical therapist may own their own private office, work as consultants for industry and commercial companies, or have contracts such as home health. Those working in special academic settings, consulting, and home health made almost $10,000 more than the national number. The annual mean salary for a home health physical therapist was $83,500. Physical therapist salaries by state ranged from $56,990 in Hawaii to $87,410 in Alaska. Over 30 states had an annual mean wage over $70,000.

Physical Therapist Salary by State

Occupation: Physical Therapists (SOC code 291123)
Period: May 2009

State Employment(1) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage(2)

Alabama

1750 $36.67 $76,260

Alaska

410 $42.02 $87,410

Arizona

2760 $34.88 $72,550

Arkansas

1640 $35.73 $74,310

California

14250 $40.26 $83,740

Colorado

3290 $33.55 69,780

Connecticut

3510 $38.10 $79,250

Delaware

600 $39.64 $82,450

D.C.

280 $40.05 $83,300

Florida

11010 $38.30 $79,670

Georgia

3820 $36.79 $76,530

Hawaii

1000 $27.40 $56,990

Idaho

870 $34.03 $70,780

Illinois

7740 $38.46 $80,000

Indiana

4170 $33.34 $69,340

Iowa

1630 $33.70 $70,100

Kansas

1690 $34.80 $72,380

Kentucky

2200 $36.34 $75,590

Louisiana

2180 $37.46 $77,910

Maine

1090 $33.66 $70,020

Maryland

3700 $41.44 $86,190

Massachusetts

6320 $35.25 $73,320

Michigan

6550 $35.73 $74,310

Minnesota

2980 $33.54 $69,760

Mississippi

1480 $35.17 $73,160

Missouri

4030 $31.28 $65,060

Montana

820 $30.96 $64,400

Nebraska

1180 $33.11 $68,870

Nevada

1280 $41.04 $85,360

New Hampshire

1250 $33.83 $70,370

New Jersey

6080 $40.28 $83,780

New Mexico

850 $32.31 $67,210

New York

13320 $36.02 $74,920

North Carolina

4340 $35.79 $74,450

North Dakota

420 $31.13 $64,750

Ohio

7100 $36.22 $75,340

Oklahoma

1820 $33.48 $69,630

Oregon

2430 $35.04 $72,880

Pennsylvania

9200 $35.88 $74,630

Puerto Rico

630 $16.94 $35,230

Rhode Island

620 $38.23 $79,520

South Carolina

2300 $34.85 $72,490

South Dakota

570 $31.97 $66,490

Tennessee

3810 $36.67 $76,270

Texas

11230 $39.91 $83,020

Utah

1080 $32.47 $67,540

Vermont

700 $31.44 $65,390

Virginia

3930 $36.48 $75,880

Washington

3840 $35.43 $73,690

West Virginia

860 $37.00 $76,970

Wisconsin

4100 $34.89 $72,580

Wyoming

400 $34.28 $71,310

Footnotes:
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by 2,080 hours; where an hourly mean wage is not published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $70.00 per hour or $145,600 per year.