How much does a staff physical therapist make?

The average staff physical therapist salary in the United States is $73,174. Staff physical therapist salaries typically range between $56,000 and $95,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for staff physical therapists is $35.18 per hour. Staff physical therapist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Staff physical therapists earn the highest average salary in California.

Staff physical therapist salary

Q: What state pays Staff Physical Therapists the most?

California pays Staff Physical Therapists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $105,719 per year, or $50.83 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a staff physical therapist?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a staff physical therapist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Alaska you should be paid close to $92,217 per year.

Quoted expert

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.

Average staff physical therapist salary

$73,174

$35.18 hourly rate

Entry-level staff physical therapist salary

$56,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Staff Physical Therapist Salaries

A Staff Physical Therapist typically earns an average salary of $73,174 per year, with hourly wages averaging around $35. This salary can fluctuate based on factors such as experience level, geographic location, and the specific healthcare facility. For instance, physical therapists with more years of experience often see higher pay rates.

Salary by State and City

Certain states and cities offer more lucrative opportunities for physical therapists. For example, states like California and New York frequently report higher salaries due to the demand for skilled healthcare professionals. Additionally, metropolitan areas often present higher pay rates compared to rural settings. Understanding these trends can help you make informed career decisions.

Career Advancement Opportunities

Physical therapists can enhance their earning potential by pursuing additional certifications or specializing in areas such as sports medicine or geriatrics. These specializations not only broaden your skill set but also position you for higher-paying roles within the healthcare system. By continuously improving your qualifications, you can ensure a rewarding career as a staff physical therapist.

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Staff physical therapist salary by:

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Where can a Staff Physical Therapist earn more?

Compare salary by location

137k

117k

97k

77k

57k

37k

Columbus, OH$109,242

Melbourne, FL$67,336

Compare salary by company

109k

89k

69k

49k

Parkway$98,401

Hamilton Health Care System$78,552

Staff physical therapist salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level staff physical therapist	$73,300	$35.26
Mid-level staff physical therapist	$80,000	$38.45
Senior-level staff physical therapist	$91,600	$44.05

Average staff physical therapist salary by state

The average staff physical therapist salary in California, Alaska, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average staff physical therapist salary states are Montana, Mississippi, and Vermont.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for staff physical therapists

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$105,719	$50.83
2	Washington	$90,615	$43.56
3	Louisiana	$83,266	$40.03
4	Oregon	$83,131	$39.97
5	New Mexico	$83,769	$40.27
6	Rhode Island	$77,073	$37.05
7	New Hampshire	$76,414	$36.74
8	Illinois	$79,301	$38.13
9	Alaska	$92,217	$44.34
10	New Jersey	$80,471	$38.69
11	Massachusetts	$78,497	$37.74
12	Wisconsin	$79,984	$38.45
13	Nebraska	$74,029	$35.59
14	Indiana	$73,103	$35.15
15	Wyoming	$76,351	$36.71
16	Connecticut	$83,122	$39.96
17	Arizona	$78,278	$37.63
18	Alabama	$73,580	$35.38
19	Idaho	$75,119	$36.11
20	Delaware	$77,016	$37.03
21	New York	$76,661	$36.86
22	Minnesota	$77,281	$37.15
23	Hawaii	$82,139	$39.49
24	North Dakota	$70,420	$33.86
25	Texas	$70,897	$34.09
26	Pennsylvania	$69,212	$33.27
27	Maine	$70,201	$33.75
28	Kansas	$69,973	$33.64
29	Utah	$74,441	$35.79
30	Virginia	$75,478	$36.29
31	West Virginia	$66,793	$32.11
32	Nevada	$69,845	$33.58
33	Ohio	$68,488	$32.93
34	South Carolina	$71,763	$34.50
35	Georgia	$70,359	$33.83
36	North Carolina	$71,030	$34.15
37	Michigan	$70,110	$33.71
38	Maryland	$71,912	$34.57
39	Missouri	$67,702	$32.55
40	Iowa	$68,351	$32.86
41	Vermont	$65,448	$31.47
42	Colorado	$69,624	$33.47
43	Montana	$65,746	$31.61
44	Kentucky	$66,706	$32.07
45	South Dakota	$66,285	$31.87
46	Arkansas	$64,266	$30.90
47	Tennessee	$56,568	$27.20
48	Florida	$67,266	$32.34
49	Oklahoma	$57,509	$27.65
50	Mississippi	$65,681	$31.58
51	District of Columbia	$64,320	$30.92

Top staff physical therapist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for staff physical therapists

The highest-paying cities for staff physical therapists are Sunnyvale, CA, East Hartford, CT, and Portland, OR.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Sunnyvale, CA	$109,242	$52.52
2	East Hartford, CT	$83,165	$39.98
3	Portland, OR	$82,898	$39.85
4	Bayonne, NJ	$80,533	$38.72
5	Chicago, IL	$79,313	$38.13
6	Boston, MA	$78,502	$37.74
7	New York, NY	$76,693	$36.87
8	Oakton, VA	$75,517	$36.31
9	Baltimore, MD	$71,985	$34.61
10	Laredo, TX	$71,883	$34.56
11	Portland, ME	$70,477	$33.88
12	Dearborn, MI	$70,147	$33.72
13	Lancaster, OH	$68,511	$32.94
14	Melbourne, FL	$67,336	$32.37

Staff physical therapist salary details

A staff physical therapist's salary ranges from $56,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $95,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average staff physical therapist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a staff physical therapist's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$95,000	$7,917	$46
75th Percentile	$83,000	$6,917	$40
Average	$73,174	$6,098	$35
25th Percentile	$63,000	$5,250	$30
10th Percentile	$56,000	$4,667	$27

Highest paying staff physical therapist jobs

The highest paying types of staff physical therapists are director of physical therapy, occupational therapist, and pediatric physical therapist.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
In Home Therapist	$51,706	$4,309	$24.86	113,993
Therapist	$55,943	$4,662	$26.90	159,770
Occupational Therapist	$75,707	$6,309	$36.40	78,315
Physical Therapy Internship	$71,624	$5,969	$34.43	127,064
Clinical Therapist	$57,864	$4,822	$27.82	136,898
Director Of Physical Therapy	$107,759	$8,980	$51.81	65,423

How would you rate the starting salaries for staff physical therapists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Todd Roach D.C.

Assistant Professor of Biology, Aurora University

Starting salaries, fresh out of school, can vary depending on the desire to be an associate doctor in an established office or to create a practice. As an assistant doctor, there is usually a base monthly salary (typically $30k - $50k, in my experience) with the opportunity to increase that salary, based on the amount of revenue generated in practice. Successful associate doctors may also be able to negotiate some ownership in the existing rule. This is usually the most lucrative situation when someone is just out of college. This is also a great way to learn the aspects of a business which aren't covered in school. Starting a practice from scratch is a long road. There is a steep learning curve for most graduates, and it could take months to establish a stable income finally. Once the practice starts moving and becomes successful, there are more benefits and higher income opportunities.

Top companies hiring staff physical therapists now:

Which companies pay staff physical therapists the most?

Staff physical therapist salaries at Parkway and Healthcare Therapy Services are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average staff physical therapist salary at companies like Concentra and Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Parkway	$98,401	$47.31
2	Healthcare Therapy Services	$86,881	$41.77
3	Concentra	$83,231	$40.01
4	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$82,261	$39.55
5	West Tennessee Healthcare	$82,112	$39.48
6	Kindred at Home	$82,112	$39.48
7	Lowell General Hospital	$82,047	$39.45
8	New York University	$82,043	$39.44
9	Northwell Health	$81,910	$39.38
10	Nova Medical Centers	$80,737	$38.82
11	Nicklaus Children's Hospital	$80,688	$38.79
12	Hospital for Special Surgery	$80,468	$38.69
13	Memorial Healthcare System	$79,927	$38.43
14	Broward Health	$79,580	$38.26
15	Comanche County Memorial Hospital	$79,562	$38.25
16	University Medical Center of Southern Nevada	$79,408	$38.18
17	Henry Ford Health System	$79,114	$38.04
18	Southeastern Lifestyle Fitness Center Lumberton	$78,749	$37.86
19	Alliance Physical Therapy Partners	$78,618	$37.80
20	Hamilton Health Care System	$78,552	$37.77

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$69,000$68,200$67,400$66,600$65,800$65,000

MaleFemale

Staff physical therapist salary trends

The average staff physical therapist salary has risen by $10,243 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average staff physical therapist earned $62,931 annually, but today, they earn $73,174 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for staff physical therapists over the last decade.

Compare staff physical therapist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average staff physical therapist salary over time

Compare staff physical therapist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Staff physical therapist salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$73,200	$35.18	+1.7%
2024	$71,900	$34.57	+1.7%
2023	$70,700	$33.99	+1.2%
2022	$69,800	$33.57	+1.7%
2021	$68,700	$33.01	+1.6%

Recently added staff physical therapist salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Veritas Global Consulting Group, LLC	Staff Physical Therapist-Outpatient Ortho	Chesapeake, VA	06/29/2025	$80,000
Miravistarehab	Staff Physical Therapist	Princeton, NJ	06/29/2025	$80,000
NYU Langone Health	Staff Physical Therapist, -Acute Care, Pediatrics	New York, NY	06/25/2025	$101,491
Orion Placement	Staff Physical Therapist-Seattle Clinic	Seattle, WA	06/24/2025	$80,000
Serenity Med Search	Staff Physical Therapist	Portland, OR	06/17/2025	$89,282
Ivy Rehab	Staff Physical Therapist	Princeton, NJ	06/12/2025	$80,000
True Sports Physical Therapy	Staff Physical Therapist Junior	York, PA	06/12/2025	$75,000
True Sports Physical Therapy	Staff Physical Therapist Junior	Baltimore, MD	06/12/2025	$75,000
Anytime Fitness	Gym Staff	Seattle, WA	06/09/2025	$37,566
Sportsmed Physical Therapy	Staff Physical Therapist & Clinic Director Positions	Jersey City, NJ	06/09/2025	$90,000

Staff physical therapist salary FAQs

What state pays Staff Physical Therapists the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a staff physical therapist?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.

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Staff Physical Therapist Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

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