Healthcare · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Physical Therapist (2024)

The median Physical Therapist salary is $137,250 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Houston, TX offers the best purchasing power at $115,098 adjusted.

$106,002

National Median

$137,250

Highest City

$93,860

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$137,250	$105,240 – $175,410	195.8	$70,097	1,350
2	San Francisco, CA	$136,200	$103,160 – $168,980	179.6	$75,835	3,170
3	Los Angeles, CA	$117,000	$86,040 – $158,540	166	$70,482	8,150
4	Houston, TX	$111,070	$80,110 – $138,200	96.5	$115,098	3,840
5	Dallas, TX	$108,190	$77,210 – $136,030	104.1	$103,929	4,570
6	San Diego, CA	$105,920	$63,260 – $153,290	160.2	$66,117	2,730
7	Seattle, WA	$105,720	$78,500 – $137,540	149.4	$70,763	3,000
8	New York, NY	$105,470	$76,590 – $137,320	187.2	$56,341	15,750
9	Washington, DC	$104,860	$81,870 – $138,280	152.8	$68,626	4,670
10	Portland, OR	$104,430	$82,830 – $130,660	130.1	$80,269	1,800
11	Chicago, IL	$104,200	$82,840 – $151,020	107.3	$97,111	8,360
12	Philadelphia, PA	$103,860	$78,040 – $128,930	118.4	$87,720	5,480
13	Atlanta, GA	$103,790	$77,930 – $133,160	99.2	$104,627	3,210
14	Nashville, TN	$103,750	$64,720 – $122,650	100.3	$103,440	1,350
15	Denver, CO	$102,670	$75,320 – $128,480	112.8	$91,020	2,650
16	Phoenix, AZ	$102,080	$81,160 – $135,370	100.7	$101,370	3,160
17	Boston, MA	$101,470	$77,840 – $127,250	152.1	$66,713	4,860
18	Tampa, FL	$100,740	$76,880 – $118,700	99.6	$101,145	2,460
19	Austin, TX	$100,690	$74,350 – $130,700	103	$97,757	2,310
20	Charlotte, NC	$100,310	$76,400 – $124,250	96.7	$103,733	1,930
21	Detroit, MI	$100,300	$75,650 – $119,940	95.1	$105,468	3,580
22	Salt Lake City, UT	$100,260	$59,500 – $132,970	101.4	$98,876	1,070
23	Minneapolis, MN	$98,870	$83,460 – $114,040	106.2	$93,098	3,430
24	Miami, FL	$97,100	$49,920 – $124,020	123.1	$78,879	5,710
25	Raleigh, NC	$93,860	$67,410 – $123,650	99.8	$94,048	1,100

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Physical Therapist paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Houston, TX	$115,098	$111,070	96.5
2	Detroit, MI	$105,468	$100,300	95.1
3	Atlanta, GA	$104,627	$103,790	99.2
4	Dallas, TX	$103,929	$108,190	104.1
5	Charlotte, NC	$103,733	$100,310	96.7
6	Nashville, TN	$103,440	$103,750	100.3
7	Phoenix, AZ	$101,370	$102,080	100.7
8	Tampa, FL	$101,145	$100,740	99.6
9	Salt Lake City, UT	$98,876	$100,260	101.4
10	Austin, TX	$97,757	$100,690	103
11	Chicago, IL	$97,111	$104,200	107.3
12	Raleigh, NC	$94,048	$93,860	99.8
13	Minneapolis, MN	$93,098	$98,870	106.2
14	Denver, CO	$91,020	$102,670	112.8
15	Philadelphia, PA	$87,720	$103,860	118.4
16	Portland, OR	$80,269	$104,430	130.1
17	Miami, FL	$78,879	$97,100	123.1
18	San Francisco, CA	$75,835	$136,200	179.6
19	Seattle, WA	$70,763	$105,720	149.4
20	Los Angeles, CA	$70,482	$117,000	166
21	San Jose, CA	$70,097	$137,250	195.8
22	Washington, DC	$68,626	$104,860	152.8
23	Boston, MA	$66,713	$101,470	152.1
24	San Diego, CA	$66,117	$105,920	160.2
25	New York, NY	$56,341	$105,470	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Physical Therapist salary at $137,250. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Houston, TX offers the most purchasing power at $115,098 adjusted.

The national median Physical Therapist salary is $106,002 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $93,860 to $137,250 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.