Physical Therapist Salary by State (2026)

Name: Physical Therapist annual wages by US state, May 2025
Creator: NueCareer
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Physical Therapists earn the most in California at $124,190 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $60,250 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $102,760. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.

Highest median: $124,190
National median: $102,760
Lowest median: $60,250
States reporting: 52

Top 5 states for Physical Therapists

1. California$124,190 median · $112,166 adjusted · 26,580 employed
2. Alaska$115,280 median · $112,623 adjusted · 680 employed
3. New Jersey$112,140 median · $103,065 adjusted · 9,750 employed
4. Nevada$111,250 median · $111,273 adjusted · 2,030 employed
5. Maryland$106,890 median · $101,840 adjusted · 3,940 employed

Lowest-paying states for Physical Therapists

52. Puerto Rico$60,250 median · no price parity · 570 employed
51. North Dakota$85,330 median · $95,921 adjusted · 830 employed
50. Montana$91,450 median · $96,624 adjusted · 1,180 employed
49. South Dakota$92,660 median · $104,599 adjusted · 1,060 employed
48. West Virginia$96,600 median · $107,937 adjusted · 1,310 employed

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.

Annual wages by state, sortable by median, quartiles, employment and cost-of-living adjusted median
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1	California	$124,190	$100,790	$141,260	26,580	$112,166
2	Alaska	$115,280	$101,500	$129,760	680	$112,623
3	New Jersey	$112,140	$96,730	$129,780	9,750	$103,065
4	Nevada	$111,250	$98,100	$134,420	2,030	$111,273
5	Maryland	$106,890	$96,880	$125,440	3,940	$101,840
6	New Mexico	$106,880	$89,440	$128,110	1,330	$115,907
7	Washington	$105,950	$92,490	$129,390	5,370	$99,007
8	Texas	$105,810	$88,620	$127,290	21,870	$109,018
9	Illinois	$105,250	$95,940	$122,920	9,800	$105,294
10	Connecticut	$104,360	$96,560	$113,360	4,060	$100,724
11	Massachusetts	$103,790	$94,750	$121,710	6,850	$98,140
12	Oregon	$103,510	$90,370	$126,520	3,210	$100,144
13	Arizona	$103,220	$89,710	$121,100	5,170	$102,526
14	Ohio	$103,050	$84,590	$113,260	10,280	$111,076
15	Georgia	$102,700	$83,770	$120,610	6,780	$106,654
16	Delaware	$102,050	$92,980	$124,550	1,260	$102,246
17	Colorado	$102,030	$83,320	$118,980	5,630	$99,008
18	Minnesota	$102,010	$94,820	$107,160	5,180	$103,436
19	Wisconsin	$101,840	$88,320	$114,070	5,580	$108,231
20	Hawaii	$101,700	$93,600	$117,910	950	$92,496
21	District of Columbia	$101,640	$95,940	$128,750	610	$92,483
22	Indiana	$101,560	$82,540	$114,800	6,130	$108,819
23	Virginia	$101,450	$84,110	$118,670	7,630	$100,342
24	Pennsylvania	$101,380	$82,320	$116,650	11,710	$103,903
25	South Carolina	$101,330	$81,850	$111,860	3,930	$108,086
26	Florida	$101,040	$83,650	$107,520	16,290	$97,704
27	Michigan	$100,900	$86,120	$108,760	8,630	$104,867
28	Kentucky	$100,710	$80,990	$114,820	3,390	$111,703
29	New York	$100,660	$81,470	$121,270	20,940	$93,272
30	Wyoming	$100,400	$82,940	$117,000	560	$108,317
31	Tennessee	$100,140	$80,930	$111,140	4,800	$109,002
32	Mississippi	$99,990	$83,200	$107,130	1,980	$114,993
33	North Carolina	$99,910	$84,080	$110,330	7,350	$105,920
34	Utah	$99,880	$80,870	$109,480	2,300	$101,028
35	New Hampshire	$99,850	$83,290	$107,250	1,960	$95,858
36	Maine	$99,720	$85,150	$105,000	1,860	$102,751
37	Rhode Island	$99,400	$88,120	$113,840	1,020	$97,184
38	Missouri	$99,310	$80,910	$109,880	4,900	$109,352
39	Arkansas	$99,010	$81,260	$111,470	2,680	$113,887
40	Idaho	$99,000	$84,820	$104,640	1,030	$103,671
41	Oklahoma	$98,590	$78,690	$110,820	2,560	$112,234
42	Louisiana	$98,530	$77,740	$109,650	3,280	$111,703
43	Kansas	$98,290	$78,680	$107,780	2,660	$109,129
44	Vermont	$97,970	$81,080	$103,810	760	$100,012
45	Iowa	$97,560	$78,810	$106,070	2,530	$111,164
46	Alabama	$97,290	$81,850	$115,210	3,040	$109,532
47	Nebraska	$97,090	$80,540	$107,490	2,140	$107,754
48	West Virginia	$96,600	$77,860	$109,410	1,310	$107,937
49	South Dakota	$92,660	$82,380	$103,630	1,060	$104,599
50	Montana	$91,450	$81,250	$103,480	1,180	$96,624
51	North Dakota	$85,330	$79,080	$103,120	830	$95,921
52	Puerto Rico	$60,250	$49,540	$66,750	570	N/A

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.

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?

Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Physical Therapists at $60,250 a year, $63,940 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Where do Physical Therapists earn the most after cost of living?

Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts New Mexico first at $115,907 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $106,880. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

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