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Median pay
$101,020
Median annual pay for Physical Therapist.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
Strong demand and six-figure median pay are offset by a doctoral training requirement and the economics of graduate-school cost.
Strong demand and six-figure median pay are offset by a doctoral training requirement and the economics of graduate-school cost.
The measurable baseline is $101,020 median pay, 10.9% projected employment change from 2024 to 2034, and about 13,200 annual openings. Those figures establish the national baseline; the occupation-specific evidence on this page is what makes the decision more useful than a generic profile.
The national median-pay figure in the current ChooseField dataset is $101,020. The 2024 self-employed share is 4.5%, which matters because self-employment can make outcomes less uniform across workers. A national median is a benchmark, not a personal forecast: experience, geography, employer type, specialty, credentials, and hours can move actual compensation materially.
BLS data in the ChooseField corpus put 2024 employment at 267,200 and projected 2034 employment at 296,400. That corresponds to 10.9% projected growth over the decade. BLS projects about 13,200 openings per year, including growth and replacement demand. This distinction matters when people ask whether a field is oversaturated: growth measures whether the occupation itself is getting larger, while annual openings also reflect people retiring, changing occupations, or leaving roles that must be refilled.
BLS lists the typical entry education as Doctoral or professional degree. Treat this entry path like an investment: compare the time and cost required to enter with the pay, annual openings, and alternatives available at a similar training level.
A doctoral path is standard. The headline figure is DPT. Physical therapists entering the occupation need a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree; all states require licensure. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current profile).
Physical therapy has strong demand, but the DPT requirement makes graduate-school time and cost central to the decision. A six-figure national median does not automatically make every tuition-and-debt scenario attractive.
This field is a stronger fit if the required education and licensure are acceptable and you value a labor market anchored in direct care or clinical services.
Before choosing Physical Therapist, compare it with Occupational Therapist, Physician Assistant, Registered Nurse. The purpose is not to find a universal winner; it is to see how pay, training time, annual openings, work setting, and field-specific risks change when you move to an adjacent option.
Strong demand and six-figure median pay are offset by a doctoral training requirement and the economics of graduate-school cost. The measurable baseline is $101,020 median pay, 10.9% projected 2024–34 employment change, about 13,200 annual openings, and a typical entry path of Doctoral or professional degree.
The national median in the current ChooseField dataset is $101,020. Treat that as a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Physical therapy has strong demand, but the DPT requirement makes graduate-school time and cost central to the decision. A six-figure national median does not automatically make every tuition-and-debt scenario attractive.
Compare Physical Therapist with Occupational Therapist, Physician Assistant on pay, training time, openings, working conditions, and occupation-specific evidence rather than relying on one score.
National pay and employment projections come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other sources are linked on their cards.