Pay by state · 52 areas
Physical Therapist Salary by State (2026)
Physical Therapists earn the most in California at $124,190 a year and the least in North Dakota at $85,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $102,760. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $124,190California
- National median
- $102,760BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $85,330North Dakota
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for physical therapists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, New Mexico comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$124,190
- 2Alaska$115,280
- 3New Jersey$112,140
- 4Nevada$111,250
- 5Maryland$106,890
Lowest median pay
- 1North Dakota$85,330
- 2Montana$91,450
- 3South Dakota$92,660
- 4West Virginia$96,600
- 5Nebraska$97,090
All states
Physical Therapist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of physical therapists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $124,190 | $100,790 | $141,260 | 26,580 | $112,166 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $115,280 | $101,500 | $129,760 | 680 | $112,623 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $112,140 | $96,730 | $129,780 | 9,750 | $103,065 |
| 4 | NVNevada | $111,250 | $98,100 | $134,420 | 2,030 | $111,273 |
| 5 | MDMaryland | $106,890 | $96,880 | $125,440 | 3,940 | $101,840 |
| 6 | NMNew Mexico | $106,880 | $89,440 | $128,110 | 1,330 | $115,907 |
| 7 | WAWashington | $105,950 | $92,490 | $129,390 | 5,370 | $99,007 |
| 8 | TXTexas | $105,810 | $88,620 | $127,290 | 21,870 | $109,018 |
| 9 | ILIllinois | $105,250 | $95,940 | $122,920 | 9,800 | $105,294 |
| 10 | CTConnecticut | $104,360 | $96,560 | $113,360 | 4,060 | $100,724 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $103,790 | $94,750 | $121,710 | 6,850 | $98,140 |
| 12 | OROregon | $103,510 | $90,370 | $126,520 | 3,210 | $100,144 |
| 13 | AZArizona | $103,220 | $89,710 | $121,100 | 5,170 | $102,526 |
| 14 | OHOhio | $103,050 | $84,590 | $113,260 | 10,280 | $111,076 |
| 15 | GAGeorgia | $102,700 | $83,770 | $120,610 | 6,780 | $106,654 |
| 16 | DEDelaware | $102,050 | $92,980 | $124,550 | 1,260 | $102,246 |
| 17 | COColorado | $102,030 | $83,320 | $118,980 | 5,630 | $99,008 |
| 18 | MNMinnesota | $102,010 | $94,820 | $107,160 | 5,180 | $103,436 |
| 19 | WIWisconsin | $101,840 | $88,320 | $114,070 | 5,580 | $108,231 |
| 20 | HIHawaii | $101,700 | $93,600 | $117,910 | 950 | $92,496 |
| 21 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $101,640 | $95,940 | $128,750 | 610 | $92,483 |
| 22 | INIndiana | $101,560 | $82,540 | $114,800 | 6,130 | $108,819 |
| 23 | VAVirginia | $101,450 | $84,110 | $118,670 | 7,630 | $100,342 |
| 24 | PAPennsylvania | $101,380 | $82,320 | $116,650 | 11,710 | $103,903 |
| 25 | SCSouth Carolina | $101,330 | $81,850 | $111,860 | 3,930 | $108,086 |
| 26 | FLFlorida | $101,040 | $83,650 | $107,520 | 16,290 | $97,704 |
| 27 | MIMichigan | $100,900 | $86,120 | $108,760 | 8,630 | $104,867 |
| 28 | KYKentucky | $100,710 | $80,990 | $114,820 | 3,390 | $111,703 |
| 29 | NYNew York | $100,660 | $81,470 | $121,270 | 20,940 | $93,272 |
| 30 | WYWyoming | $100,400 | $82,940 | $117,000 | 560 | $108,317 |
| 31 | TNTennessee | $100,140 | $80,930 | $111,140 | 4,800 | $109,002 |
| 32 | MSMississippi | $99,990 | $83,200 | $107,130 | 1,980 | $114,993 |
| 33 | NCNorth Carolina | $99,910 | $84,080 | $110,330 | 7,350 | $105,920 |
| 34 | UTUtah | $99,880 | $80,870 | $109,480 | 2,300 | $101,028 |
| 35 | NHNew Hampshire | $99,850 | $83,290 | $107,250 | 1,960 | $95,858 |
| 36 | MEMaine | $99,720 | $85,150 | $105,000 | 1,860 | $102,751 |
| 37 | RIRhode Island | $99,400 | $88,120 | $113,840 | 1,020 | $97,184 |
| 38 | MOMissouri | $99,310 | $80,910 | $109,880 | 4,900 | $109,352 |
| 39 | ARArkansas | $99,010 | $81,260 | $111,470 | 2,680 | $113,887 |
| 40 | IDIdaho | $99,000 | $84,820 | $104,640 | 1,030 | $103,671 |
| 41 | OKOklahoma | $98,590 | $78,690 | $110,820 | 2,560 | $112,234 |
| 42 | LALouisiana | $98,530 | $77,740 | $109,650 | 3,280 | $111,703 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $98,290 | $78,680 | $107,780 | 2,660 | $109,129 |
| 44 | VTVermont | $97,970 | $81,080 | $103,810 | 760 | $100,012 |
| 45 | IAIowa | $97,560 | $78,810 | $106,070 | 2,530 | $111,164 |
| 46 | ALAlabama | $97,290 | $81,850 | $115,210 | 3,040 | $109,532 |
| 47 | NENebraska | $97,090 | $80,540 | $107,490 | 2,140 | $107,754 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $96,600 | $77,860 | $109,410 | 1,310 | $107,937 |
| 49 | SDSouth Dakota | $92,660 | $82,380 | $103,630 | 1,060 | $104,599 |
| 50 | MTMontana | $91,450 | $81,250 | $103,480 | 1,180 | $96,624 |
| 51 | NDNorth Dakota | $85,330 | $79,080 | $103,120 | 830 | $95,921 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $60,250 | $49,540 | $66,750 | 570 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For physical therapists, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $124,190, while New Mexico leads once prices are taken into account at $115,907.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Physical Therapist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays physical therapists the most?
California reports the highest median wage for physical therapists at $124,190 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($115,280) and New Jersey ($112,140).
Which state pays physical therapists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, North Dakota reports the lowest median for physical therapists at $85,330 a year, $38,860 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $60,250.
In which states do physical therapists earn over $100,000?
31 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Tennessee at $100,140. The rest report less, down to $85,330 in North Dakota.
Is the highest-paying state the best for physical therapists after cost of living?
Not on this data. California pays the most on paper ($124,190) but ranks 6th of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($112,166). New Mexico leads after that adjustment at $115,907, from a raw median of $106,880. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.