Physical Therapist Salary

Physical Therapists earn a median $102,760 a year nationally. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

U.S. median
$102,760
$49.40 per hour
Range
$77,140 – $135,140
10th to 90th percentile
Employed
267,330
across the U.S.

Physical Therapist take-home pay calculator

Starts at the national median. Pick your state to see your real paycheck.

Physical Therapist
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$81,122
per year · effective tax rate 21.1%
$6,760Monthly
$3,380Twice a month
$3,120Every 2 weeks
$39.00Hourly
  • Federal income tax$13,777
  • Social Security (6.2%)$6,371
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,490
  • Texas income tax$0
  • Take-home pay$81,122

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 0.00% state

Pay by experience

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home (no state tax)
10th percentile (entry level)$77,140$37.09$63,098
25th percentile$86,160$41.42$69,444
Median (50th)$102,760$49.40$81,122
75th percentile$121,160$58.25$94,066
90th percentile (top earners)$135,140$64.97$103,634

Best cities for physical therapists (after tax & cost of living)

#Metro areaMedianTake-homeReal value*Jobs
1McAllen, TX$103,980$81,980$95,442590
2Las Vegas, NV$116,480$90,774$90,5791,530
3El Paso, TX$102,190$80,721$89,777550
4San Antonio, TX$106,010$83,408$88,0611,700
5Toledo, OH$104,750$80,423$87,938560
6Jackson, MS$103,000$77,903$87,484520
7San Jose, CA$139,000$95,768$86,7281,460
8Memphis, TN$100,000$79,180$85,898800
9Chattanooga, TN$99,120$78,561$85,893520
10Houston, TX$107,700$84,597$85,7734,680
11Dayton, OH$103,330$79,463$85,727780
12Sacramento, CA$131,430$91,396$85,6811,610
13Fresno, CA$123,820$87,002$85,164620
14Cleveland, OH$104,030$79,937$85,1092,000
15Tulsa, OK$100,840$75,779$84,940710
16Nashville, TN$103,380$81,558$84,6581,400
17Akron, OH$102,700$79,038$84,650620
18Columbus, OH$105,130$80,680$84,5092,030
19Little Rock, AR$99,940$75,453$84,4331,040
20San Francisco, CA$141,980$97,489$84,3243,140
21Baton Rouge, LA$98,920$75,839$83,541590
22Anchorage, AK$112,590$88,037$83,511460
23Austin, TX$103,630$81,734$83,3462,470
24Winston, NC$101,270$76,541$83,158510
25New Orleans, LA$100,530$76,923$83,073710

*Take-home pay in U.S.-average dollars (BEA Regional Price Parities).

Highest-paying cities

Physical Therapist salary by state

StateMedianTake-homeRangeJobs
California $124,190$87,215 $85,580 – $163,96026,580
Alaska $115,280$89,929 $97,950 – $133,690680
New Jersey $112,140$82,767 $84,640 – $140,0409,750
Nevada $111,250$87,094 $86,260 – $190,6202,030
Maryland $106,890$79,313 $79,990 – $138,6303,940
New Mexico $106,880$80,114 $77,260 – $146,4001,330
Washington $105,950$83,366 $78,300 – $137,5605,370
Texas $105,810$83,267 $76,600 – $139,05021,870
Illinois $105,250$77,808 $83,000 – $140,4109,800
Connecticut $104,360$78,082 $82,110 – $127,1504,060
Massachusetts $103,790$76,877 $82,760 – $130,2206,850
Oregon $103,510$73,422 $79,440 – $133,9503,210
Arizona $103,220$79,074 $81,560 – $134,0505,170
Ohio $103,050$79,274 $79,070 – $126,06010,280
Georgia $102,700$76,372 $78,580 – $130,6306,780
Delaware $102,050$75,228 $79,930 – $136,3501,260
Colorado $102,030$76,827 $76,460 – $132,0105,630
Minnesota $102,010$75,181 $83,570 – $121,3405,180
Wisconsin $101,840$76,457 $80,740 – $124,6405,580
Hawaii $101,700$74,177 $78,630 – $123,280950
District of Columbia $101,640$74,663 $85,620 – $129,470610
Indiana $101,560$77,311 $76,960 – $125,3906,130
Virginia $101,450$75,181 $75,720 – $132,8607,630
Pennsylvania $101,380$77,038 $76,960 – $127,06011,710
South Carolina $101,330$75,193 $72,810 – $123,4803,930
Florida $101,040$79,912 $73,630 – $122,88016,290
Michigan $100,900$75,776 $79,600 – $123,9808,630
Kentucky $100,710$76,272 $73,900 – $126,9203,390
New York $100,660$74,746 $73,580 – $136,12020,940
Wyoming $100,400$79,461 $75,900 – $125,930560
Tennessee $100,140$79,278 $67,280 – $127,5004,800
Mississippi $99,990$75,905 $73,700 – $121,7401,980
North Carolina $99,910$75,639 $78,020 – $125,9407,350
Utah $99,880$75,567 $66,160 – $136,9702,300
New Hampshire $99,850$79,074 $76,180 – $122,5601,960
Maine $99,720$73,349 $78,020 – $121,0301,860
Rhode Island $99,400$75,638 $80,770 – $125,3901,020
Missouri $99,310$74,964 $76,110 – $124,5304,900
Arkansas $99,010$74,835 $73,050 – $127,2102,680
Idaho $99,000$74,338 $74,570 – $122,1001,030
Oklahoma $98,590$74,297 $68,330 – $128,0002,560
Louisiana $98,530$75,576 $60,150 – $127,6403,280
Kansas $98,290$73,292 $72,290 – $122,1302,660
Vermont $97,970$73,746 $75,040 – $115,860760
Iowa $97,560$74,408 $73,780 – $120,7302,530
Alabama $97,290$72,674 $74,770 – $133,7103,040
Nebraska $97,090$73,595 $77,540 – $120,1902,140
West Virginia $96,600$73,067 $73,130 – $126,3801,310
South Dakota $92,660$74,016 $77,890 – $107,8701,060
Montana $91,450$69,359 $78,490 – $115,5401,180
North Dakota $85,330$68,455 $75,290 – $113,600830

Frequently asked questions

How much does a physical therapist make?

The national median salary for physical therapists is $102,760 a year ($49.40 an hour). The lowest-paid 10% earn under $77,140 and the top 10% earn over $135,140. Source: BLS, May 2025.

Which state pays physical therapists the most?

California has the highest median pay at $124,190. After taxes and local prices, McAllen, TX offers the best real take-home pay of any metro area.

How many physical therapists are there in the U.S.?

About 267,330 people work as physical therapists nationwide.

All 104 cities