Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
Is Physical Therapist a Good Salary? (2026)
With a national median of $104,738 per year as of 2026, physical therapist pay is a solidly mid-range professional salary: among Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS occupations tracked here, it ranks #30 of the 65 occupations tracked here, out-earning about 55% of them. Whether that median is "good" for you depends on where you fall in the $60,150-to-$190,700 range that physical therapists actually earn across U.S. metros — entry-level pay sits near the bottom, senior specialists near the top.
This page answers a common U.S. wage question: Is Physical Therapist a Good Salary? (2026). The answer draws on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — the federal survey that captures wages for over 800 occupations across every U.S. metropolitan area. Why BLS OEWS data is the right anchor: alternative wage sources (Glassdoor, levels.fyi, Payscale) are self-reported and skew toward specific roles, industries, or geographies. BLS OEWS is employer-reported, mandatory for businesses above the survey threshold, and uniformly applied across occupations and metros.
The detailed answer below uses the BLS numbers, explains how to read them, and translates the statistical detail into the worker-relevant interpretation of the question.
50th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
How to Judge This Salary
"Good" is relative, so the honest answer uses two anchors from the BLS data. First, the distribution within the role: physical therapists earn anywhere from $60,150 (10th percentile, lowest metros) to $190,700 (90th percentile, top metros), so the same job title can be a great or mediocre salary depending on metro and experience. Second, the comparison to other occupations: at #30 of 65 tracked occupations, physical therapists out-earn roughly 55% of the skilled and professional roles in this dataset. Note these are curated professional occupations, not the whole U.S. labor force — so this is a peer comparison, not an all-economy percentile.
If your offer or current pay is below the $104,738 median, the BLS data is a clean negotiation lever — especially if you have median-or-better experience. If you are above it, benchmark against the 75th and 90th percentiles for your metro instead. See "Senior physical therapist salary" and "Top 10% physical therapist salary" for those higher bands, and the per-city pages to see where physical therapist pay goes furthest after cost of living.
Physical Therapist Pay vs. Other Tracked Occupations
| Physical Therapist National Median | $104,738 |
| Rank Among Tracked Occupations | #30 of 65 |
| Out-Earns | ~55% of tracked occupations |
| Highest-Paying Tracked Occupation (median) | $279,676 |
| Median Tracked Occupation | $102,203 |
| Lowest-Paying Tracked Occupation (median) | $54,808 |
Comparison is against the 65 professional and skilled occupations tracked on SalaryTruth — a peer benchmark, not an all-economy ranking.
Where Physical Therapist Pay Goes Furthest
| Metro | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $141,980 |
| San Jose, CA | $139,000 |
| Sacramento, CA | $131,430 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $125,490 |
| Fresno, CA | $123,820 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay variation for Physical Therapists is meaningful but moderate — top metros pay roughly 1.7× the lowest, a $58,910 spread. Cost of living plus a modest premium for high-demand metros explains most of it.
Roughly 163,910 Physical Therapists are employed across the metros tracked here — a sizable mid-tier occupation with reliable percentile data.
More Physical Therapist Salary Answers
Each page answers a distinct pay question for this role — by experience band, hourly rate, and how the salary stacks up:
- Entry-level physical therapist salary →
- Junior physical therapist salary →
- How much do physical therapists make →
- Senior physical therapist salary →
- Top 10% physical therapist salary →
- How much do physical therapists make an hour →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 70 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 29-1123. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is physical therapist a good salary?
With a national median of $104,738 per year as of 2026, physical therapist pay is a solidly mid-range professional salary: among Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS occupations tracked here, it ranks #30 of the 65 occupations tracked here, out-earning about 55% of them. Whether that median is "good" for you depends on where you fall in the $60,150-to-$190,700 range that physical therapists actually earn across U.S. metros — entry-level pay sits near the bottom, senior specialists near the top.
How does physical therapist pay rank against other occupations?
Physical Therapist ranks #30 of the 65 occupations tracked on SalaryTruth by national median, out-earning about 55% of them. The highest-paying tracked occupation has a median of $279,676; the lowest, $54,808. These are curated professional and skilled occupations, so this is a peer comparison, not an all-economy ranking.
What salary range do physical therapists actually earn?
Physical Therapists earn from $60,150 (10th percentile, lowest metros) to $190,700 (90th percentile, top metros), around a $104,738 national median. The same job title can be a great or a mediocre salary depending on your metro and experience level.
Is $104,738 a good salary?
$104,738 is the median physical therapist salary — half earn more, half earn less. If your pay is below it and you have median-or-better experience, you have a clean BLS-backed case to negotiate up. If you are above it, benchmark against the 75th and 90th percentiles for your metro instead.
Where does this physical therapist salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — an annual federal survey of more than 1 million U.S. employers, the same source the Department of Labor uses to set prevailing wages.
With a national median of $104,738 per year as of 2026, physical therapist pay is a solidly mid-range professional salary: among Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS occupations tracked here, it ranks #30 of the 65 occupations tracked here, out-earning about 55% of them. Whether that median is "good" for you depends on where you fall in the $60,150-to-$190,700 range that physical therapists actually earn across U.S. metros — entry-level pay sits near the bottom, senior specialists near the top.