Physical Therapist

Helps patients recover movement and manage pain.

Also known as:Acute Care PT (Acute Care Physical Therapist)Acute Physical Therapist (Acute PT)Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapist (Cardiopulmonary PT)Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)Geriatric Physical Therapist (Geriatric PT)Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT)

Compensation by seniority

Reported

Median

$103k

Mean

$104k

10th–90th pct

$77k–$135k

Employed (US)

267330

Confidence: 90% · based on real BLS OEWS data covering all experience levels (not broken out by seniority) · 267,330 employed nationally · last updated 9/24/2026

Historical trend & projection

Median total compensation at the typical seniority level for this role, 2021–2025, projected forward under three scenarios.

Simulated

Common skills

Patient Care

Core

Common certifications

Registered Nurse (RN) License · 42% of postings

Education requirements

Share of surveyed workers/experts reporting each education level as typical for this occupation (O*NET).

Reported

Doctorate

47% typical

Master's Degree

38% typical

Bachelor's Degree

8% typical

Associate Degree

6% typical

Explore education impact for related majors →

Common next roles

Pharmacist+35.1%Behavioral Health Program Manager+115.8%Clinical Psychologist+2.0%Licensed Therapist+1.5%Medical Laboratory Scientist-9.9%

Common previous roles

Clinical Psychologist+2.0%Licensed Therapist+1.5%Medical Laboratory Scientist-10.9%Pharmacist+26.0%Behavioral Health Program Manager+53.7%

Demand snapshot

Active openings (simulated)2,861

Posting growth (est. from real category-level trend)-5.8%

Median days to fill—

Estimated

Employed (US)267,330

Projected growth8.5%/yr

Reported

Role characteristics

Remote-friendliness10%

Automation exposure25%

Sources & freshness

Compensation and employment figures on this page are real, reported datafrom the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (all experience levels combined — BLS doesn't break wages out by seniority). Education requirements and some alternate titles are real data from O*NET. Historical trend, projections, and demand figures below remain simulated demo data.

Read the full methodology