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Job outlook for geriatric physical therapists in the United States
Are geriatric physical therapist jobs in demand?
Geriatric physical therapist job and salary trends over time
Geriatric physical therapist jobs over time
Geriatric physical therapist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 185 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 181 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 191 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 188 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 185 | 0.00% |
Average geriatric physical therapist salary over time
Geriatric physical therapist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,810 | $33.08 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $67,623 | $32.51 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $66,481 | $31.96 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $65,665 | $31.57 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $64,568 | $31.04 | +1.6% |
Geriatric physical therapist jobs by state
Most common states for geriatric physical therapists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 336 | 25% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 188 | 25% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,424 | 24% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 384 | 20% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 173 | 18% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 115 | 18% |
| 7 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,127 | 17% |
| 8 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 528 | 17% |
| 9 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 499 | 17% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 182 | 17% |
| 11 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 956 | 16% |
| 12 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 109 | 16% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,095 | 15% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 824 | 15% |
| 15 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 201 | 15% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 154 | 15% |
| 17 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,509 | 14% |
| 18 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,228 | 14% |
| 19 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 946 | 14% |
| 20 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,703 | 13% |
Most common cities for geriatric physical therapists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Littleton | 1 | 2% | $60,333 |
Geriatric Physical Therapist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of geriatric physical therapist experts
University of South Florida
University of Puget Sound
Andrews University
University of Vermont
Gulf Coast State College
The University of Texas at El Paso
George Fox University
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Springfield College
Augsburg University
Utah State University
FSMTB - Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards
Pennsylvania State University - Beaver
Agnes Scott College
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Sumer Samhoury: The best way to maximize your salary potential is to specialize and get board certified in a specific area or population and if you’re passionate about a specific area of expertise, apply for a 1 year residency program. You will learn one on one with board certified experts and save a lot of money on continuing education and be able to sit for a board certification exam by the time you finish it. You will also learn so much more in a short period of time than if you decide to take multiple continuing education courses.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Sumer Samhoury: My advice would be to find a job where there are many other therapists that can serve as mentors that you can continue to learn from. Being a new grad is challenging because you are now applying everything you learned in school in the clinic and that can be overwhelming without some guidance. It’s also best to start working in an outpatient clinic with patients with a variety of diagnoses and a diverse population to further increase your knowledge base.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Sumer Samhoury: Telehealth and remote PT is becoming more prevalent and being able to educate patients to become more independent in their care and healing is the direction in which this field is going. It will also allow for greater access to PT for less mobile individuals.
Holly Roberts PT, PhD
Director and Associate ProfessorUniversity of Puget Sound
Rehabilitation And Therapeutic Professions
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Holly Roberts PT, PhD: Residency or fellowship training and/or ABPTS board certification can improve salary potential in some settings. It is important for graduates to consider things that are valuable beyond salary. You might value additional time off (flex days or floating holidays), paid continuing education, paid membership for your professional organization, or a flexible schedule. After a certain point, those benefits may be more negotiable than salary.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Holly Roberts PT, PhD: I think technology will play a bigger role in rehabilitation. It will be important to identify valid and reliable technology tools to enhance rehabilitative care. I also think that AI is going to become more prevalent in our field. It will be important for physical therapists to determine when AI may enhance care or improve clinical efficiency. However, AI cannot replace the clinical reasoning of a Doctor of Physical Therapy, nor can it use its hands to assess, guide, or facilitate movement.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Holly Roberts PT, PhD: I advise new graduates to be open to new experiences. We are lifelong learners and there are advances in rehabilitation science every day. Ask questions. Identify a formal or informal mentor, but also know that new graduates have something to teach more "seasoned" clinicians as well. I also recommend considering residency or fellowship training and pursuing specialist certification. Finally, find a way to contribute to enhancing our profession and improving the quality of care for patients. That could be through advocacy, research, health promotion and wellness, or clinical instruction.
Nathan Hess PT, DPT, Ph.D. Candidate
Assistant ProfessorAndrews University
Rehabilitation And Therapeutic Professions
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Nathan Hess PT, DPT, Ph.D. Candidate: PTs like helping people achieve their goals and return to desired functional levels but dislike dealing with insurance and paperwork.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nathan Hess PT, DPT, Ph.D. Candidate: Employment of PTs is expected to grow by 15% over the next 10 years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Nathan Hess PT, DPT, Ph.D. Candidate: A PT evaluates and treats patients with mostly neurological or musculoskeletal injuries, focusing on improving mobility, maximizing function, and managing pain.
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Carissa Wengrovius: Stay curious and continue to review new literature as the evidence in our field grows and evolves quickly. Find a couple of strong mentors who will support you and help you build your skill set.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Carissa Wengrovius: Skilled nursing facilities or home health agencies are higher paying settings for a therapist. Travel therapy also offers significantly higher pay. Working in rural areas will maximize your salary because cost of living is low.
Adam Padgett PTA
Assistant Coordinator & Director of Clinical EducationGulf Coast State College
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Adam Padgett PTA: As the field of physical therapy continually adapts to fluctuating reimbursement rates, the ability to incorporate evidence-based interventions that are also financially viable will be crucial. Examples of such interventions include manual techniques/soft tissue mobilization, neuromuscular education, alongside the therapeutic exercise and activities that are familiar to us. Many facilities are already implementing these practices. Looking ahead, I anticipate the increasing prevalence of interventions such as blood flow restriction techniques and the utilization of augmented/virtual reality technologies.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Adam Padgett PTA: In my experience, a new graduate clinician's salary often reflects their potential. Employers view hiring new graduates as an investment, and they are more inclined to offer competitive salaries to individuals who exhibit a strong work ethic and a keen desire to learn. This reassures employers that the clinician will continue to develop and improve, leading to better patient outcomes. These improvements can manifest in various ways, such as shorter hospital stays, enhanced patient safety and awareness during daily activities, and overall maximization of patient independence.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Adam Padgett PTA: Do not mistake graduation and passing the board exam as reasons to stop learning. Your journey from entry-level to mastery-level clinician is just beginning. Seek positions that are willing to continue teaching and molding you into the clinician you aspire to be. This could involve finding a mentor who is willing to guide you as you gain experience or having access to resources such as an allowance or budget for continuing education (CEUs).
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Dr. Alvaro Gurovich PT, PhD, FACSM: Find a job with solid mentorship and professional development opportunities. You still need to learn a lot. We educate entry-level generalist Physical Therapists that embrace life-long learning as the field is constantly changing. Ten years from now, ~50% of what you learned won’t be that accurate anymore; the main problem is that we don’t know which 50%. Your DPT degree is not the finish line, it is the beginning of your professional career. Your DPT degree is the launch pad to “the infinity, and beyond”.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Alvaro Gurovich PT, PhD, FACSM: The physical therapy field has significantly grown in the past few years. It is impossible to cover all new trends and discoveries in 3 years of PT school. Therefore, general PTs will need to start considering more specialized work to keep up with changes in a specific area. I think new graduates should consider a residency or fellowship to continue with their education within 3 to 5 years of graduation. That will allow them to keep up with the new trends and evidence.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Alvaro Gurovich PT, PhD, FACSM: First, I would definitely advise our students to save and invest in their professional knowledge. More education should mean more income in the future. A recent study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal showed that physical therapists that enrolled in further educational programs, such as a PhD, can earn better salaries down the road. In addition, investing in advocacy toward the profession is always a smart investment. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is constantly working to improve the conditions of PTs. If we support the APTA, the APTA will work for us for better conditions. It’s a smart investment.
What general advice would you give to a Geriatric Physical Therapist?
Jason Brumitt Ph.D.: Couple thoughts. First, it is valuable to stay current on emerging areas of practice. When I was a new graduate 25 years ago, things like blood flow restriction training and dry needling were not around. Now these treatments are emerging as potentially valuable tools in outpatient orthopedic practice. As one stays current on emerging areas one also needs to appreciate the efficacy that supports the use of these treatments. There have been other 'treatments' that have come and gone during my time because they ultimately did not improve patient outcomes. It will be interesting to see how advancements in technology (e.g., AI, virtual reality, gaming) impact how we deliver care. Second, it is always hard to predict the future; because 'we' often focus on what 'we' can get reimbursed to do now. That being said, the visionary therapist will try to work outside the boundaries of traditional practice. What is needed? Health coaching, nutritional counseling, lifestyle medicine. These are areas that we touch on as PTs; however, if we really want to make an impact on population health, these need to be the areas where we lead and excel. There are some working in these realms now and succeeding.
What Geriatric Physical Therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jason Brumitt Ph.D.: One needs to 'be known'. When you are known in your community you will either have a thriving independent practice or become indispensable to your employer. You want to 'be known' in your community for providing good service. Patients often have the choice where to go for treatment - do they come to you because of word of mouth? Can you create a presence online that attracts clients? Another goal is to 'be known' to referral sources. Referral sources (MD, DO, PA, NP) obviously want their patients to be cared for and feel value for PT service (even if the patient's case didn't improve with conservative treatment). Another way to improve your salary potential is to address needs. For example, some are becoming certified in women's health. Having specialty certifications helps to increase your value because you are able to treat a greater variety of patients. Consider working where others are not. There are regions in the country where there is a lack of PTs. You may be able to demand more since there is a critical need.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Jason Brumitt Ph.D.: It is important to be a life-long learner. Prior to starting their first job the new graduate has likely only observed a fraction of the types of cases that they will see in their new specialty area. Learning doesn't stop once you have your diploma. Seek knowledge and experience by working with mentor(s), reviewing cases, reading, and taking continuing education courses.
What will help Geriatric Physical Therapists increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ken Kosior Prof.: Network and take every learning opportunity that comes your way. The professions of PT, OT, etc. within the Rehabilitation Science field are small. Continuing to learn and meet other professionals is critical to your professional success.
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Human FactorsUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville
Psychology Department
What skills stand out on Geriatric Physical Therapist resumes?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Strong analytical skills are a must. This includes both logic and reasoning skills, but also data analysis skills. For many jobs, the ability to collect and scientifically evaluate data will be vital, if not an absolute necessity. Similarly, a strong understanding of experimental methods can put a candidate in a great position to be able to help a company evaluate existing programs and chart a path forward for new ones. Finally, I would say that a strong ability to write is critical. Those graduates who are able to effectively and persuasively communicate in writing are setting themselves up for success at any company and allowing the company to leverage them for increasingly important tasks.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Geriatric Physical Therapists?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Technical skills like the ability to perform statistical analyses are critically important for most Psychology-related jobs. This allows a candidate to collect and analyze data but also to interpret and understand other existing data. A strong statistical background can also help set a candidate apart from their peers in the application process. This includes understanding when and how to use various parametric and nonparametric statistics to be able to answer questions regardless of the data one is working with.
What skills will help Geriatric Physical Therapists earn the most?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: An understanding of a programming language, like Python or Javascript, can be a huge advantage in the job market. It will allow candidates to handle not only large datasets but also do rapid prototyping (in cases of UX work, for example) or even simply design a way in which to collect data for a customer. A student who knows how to code and who can apply those skills in their chosen career field is likely to differentiate themself over the competition.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Geriatric Physical Therapists to find work opportunities?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: One potential outcome of the pandemic is that place may matter less as jobs are created and sustained with remote work environments. For example, it might be possible to participate in education endeavors, community mental health, human services in general, or consulting remotely, which render geography less important.
In addition, there will likely be changes in the types of jobs available to graduates in Psychology as employers are rethinking employee productivity in the wake of the coronavirus and need human resources specialists or industrial/organizational psychologists to consult on organizational change. Individuals with training and experience in delivering services remotely may find themselves able to secure some of these new positions; recent graduates will have a leg up in that regard, since they experienced training in a remote environment.
How do you envision technology impacting Geriatric Physical Therapists in the next 5 years?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: The forced use of technology to connect with others during the pandemic will likely encourage lasting change in education, counseling and human services, business and marketing endeavors, research, and other areas where graduates in psychology end up. This will create shifts in what the jobs look like, what training is needed, and even perhaps, the mental health and well-being of workers in general. As these technological changes are introduced, new graduates will need to learn and embrace them to keep up with the trends, as well as evaluate their effectiveness.
Janelle Bussert
Music Therapist, Adjunct ProfessorAugsburg University
Fairview Homecare and Hospice
What experience really stands out on Geriatric Physical Therapist resumes?
Janelle Bussert: The knowledge that counts for Hospice Music Therapy, honestly, is having worked with older people. It is a unique skill! I would say that any volunteer or professional experience caring for aging adults will help someone be a good Hospice Music Therapist.
Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUtah State University
Department of Speech-Language Pathology
What experience really stands out on Geriatric Physical Therapist resumes?
Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: When I review resumes, I look for life skills and transferable skills. These include skills that emerge from leadership positions, interdisciplinary teamwork, work with individuals and communities who are ethnically and linguistically different from the applicant, and extended practice with technical and professional communication.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Geriatric Physical Therapists in the next 3-5 years?
Debra Persinger Ph.D.: -Simplified technology for the not-so-tech-savvy employees will be necessary to accommodate the span of generational employee demographics engaging in remote work.
-Employees will need to be adaptable - to learn and accommodate the rapid introduction of new and better technological efficiency tools.
-Controls will increase. Much like parental controls to monitor online activity, company restrictions will be implemented to prevent inappropriate online behaviors, accidental sharing, and training on basic etiquette and interpersonal communications.
-Technology that supports work and life activities - order groceries online, stress reduction apps - will demand.
-Time away from the screen will be necessary. Seems counterintuitive for a technology question. For example, I'm predicting that paper books will make a comeback - nobody wants to look at another screen for pleasure reading after working online all day.
Kevin Bennett Ph.D.
Professor of PsychologyPennsylvania State University - Beaver
Psychology
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Geriatric Physical Therapists to find work opportunities?
Kevin Bennett Ph.D.: While the current job market for entry-level positions is competitive across all majors, I think the news looks good for psychology majors. Right now, there is a growing demand for psychologists across several categories. According to the American Psychology Association (APA), the most common employment areas of psychology graduates include health care and social service, education, management and business, and government. In addition, psychology graduates often possess skill sets that make them ideal candidates for many untraditional positions.
Although psychology jobs are growing at a healthy pace, that growth is not distributed evenly across all geographic regions. It is not surprising that the cities with the highest number of job ads were large metropolitan areas, including New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. However, once the population is included as a factor in the data, the highest number of job ads are found in less populated areas, many located in the central states in the U.S. So there may actually be greater opportunities in small communities.
Another metric used to understand economic conditions is the location quotient, or LQ, score. This metric can tell us the concentration of job ads relative to the employed population of an area. A high LQ score means better job prospects. The states with the highest LQ values, according to a recent study, are Alaska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Washington, and Colorado.
Jennifer Hughes Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Psychology Associate Editor, Psi Chi Journal of Psychological ResearchAgnes Scott College
Department of Psychology
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Geriatric Physical Therapists to find work opportunities?
Jennifer Hughes Ph.D.: Many of our psychology graduates go to graduate school, but those that do not, work for mental health facilities, not-for-profits, education, business consulting, etc. The pandemic is producing a mental health crisis in the United States, and those with psychology backgrounds will be needed more than ever.