Nov 24, 2025
What are the best states to be a physical therapist? While working as a PT is one of the most fulfilling and highest-paying allied healthcare careers, there may be some states that are more desirable to practice in than others This rehabilitative professional career is an outstanding choice for those who love being fit, are excited by medical knowledge, and are looking for high job satisfaction.
Even more, the physical therapy profession has an outstanding work/life balance, plus PTs can work in various settings, such as nursing care facilities, ski resorts, beach areas, or metropolitan areas. Or they can work as traveling PTs.
The PT specialty is always in high demand. But where in the United States are the highest average salaries? And what about job growth, cost of living, and quality of life? All of these are important factors when deciding where to live and grow your practice.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Jobs, physical therapy ranks seventh among the top U.S. healthcare jobs of 2025.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the number of physical therapy jobs are expected to grow by 11% between 2024 and 2034. Physical therapy can also be an incredibly lucrative field. According to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, PTs in the United States earned an average annual salary of $102,400 in 2024.
PT salaries do vary by state and types of settings (urban versus rural areas, for example). Weighing location matters because an average income in a less-expensive location might result in more significant take-home pay.
A PT in San Francisco, California, for example, might earn a much higher salary than the national average. But the perk of a higher salary would also come with trade-offs such as the high cost of living in that area.
Where you live can play a big role in how your career shapes up. To help you determine where you have the best chances for both professional and personal satisfaction, we’ve identified four key factors that contribute to states’ being considered the “best” (or “worst”) to work in as a PT:
For each metric, we pulled the latest data from the BLS and U.S. News & World Report. Then we identified which states ranked the highest and lowest for PTs in all four categories.
To dig into the earning potential of PTs — and how salaries vary by state — we looked at data from the BLS’s Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). Below are the five highest-paying states for physical therapy and the five lowest-paying ones.
Rank |
State |
Annual Mean Salary for Physical Therapists |
Hourly Mean Wage for Physical Therapists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $120,970 | $58.16 |
| 2 | Nevada | $113,700 | $54.66 |
| 3 | Alaska | $113,190 | $54.42 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $109,470 | $52.63 |
| 5 | Illinois | $107,980 | $51.91 |
Rank |
State |
Annual Mean Salary for Physical Therapists |
Hourly Mean Wage for Physical Therapists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Maine | $92,780 | $44.61 |
| 47 | Iowa | $92,630 | $44.53 |
| 48 | Montana | $91,290 | $43.89 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $90,270 | $43.40 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $89,870 | $43.21 |
Cost of living is a really important factor to consider when determining your earning potential. To help you get a more accurate picture, we’ve turned to U.S. News’ 2025 affordability rankings to find out which states are considered the most (and least) affordable for physical therapists.
U.S. News ranked each state on two different metrics: cost of living and housing affordability. These two factors were then combined to determine each state’s overall affordability score, with 1 being the most affordable and 50 being the least.
Rank |
State |
Cost of Living Score |
Housing Affordability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Mississippi | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 8 | 2 |
| 4 | South Dakota | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 4 | 7 |
Rank |
State |
Cost of Living Score |
Housing Affordability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Washington | 47 | 45 |
| 47 | Massachusetts | 46 | 47 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 48 | 46 |
| 49 | New Jersey | 49 | 49 |
| 50 | California | 50 | 50 |
When determining whether a state is the “best” or “worst” to work in as a PT, one key factor to consider is not only how much demand there currently is for your particular skill set but also how much demand there will be in the future. (You can think about this in terms of job security.)
We began by using the BLS’s most recent OES statistics (May 2024) to determine which five states currently have the highest employment levels for PTs.
Next, we used job demand projection data from Projections Central to determine which five states are expected to have the most physical therapy job openings between 2022 and 2032. We’ve also included the projected job growth percentage rates for each of the states in this category.
Rank |
State |
Employment Numbers |
Employment per thousand jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 24,380 | 1.350 |
| 2 | Texas | 18,930 | 1.367 |
| 3 | Florida | 17,050 | 1.736 |
| 4 | New York | 15,810 | 1.657 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 11,100 | 1.845 |
Rank |
State |
Projected Number of PT Job Openings per Year |
Job Growth Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,720 | 27.2% |
| 2 | Texas | 1,100 | 21.9% |
| 3 | Florida | 1,090 | 25.3% |
| 4 | Washington | 710 | 27.9% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 690 | 15.1% |
Everyone defines “quality of life” a little differently, so to establish a standard unit of measurement, we turned to U.S. News’ 2025 best states rankings — specifically its “Overall Best States” list. First, analysts ranked each state for the following eight metrics:
Then the analysts used those sub-rankings to provide each state with an overall ranking. Below, we’ve provided you with the rankings for the top five and bottom five, along with their rankings for each metric.
Rank |
State |
Healthcare Score |
Education Score |
Economy Score |
Infrastructure Score |
Opportunity Score |
Fiscal Stability Score |
Crime & Corrections Score |
Natural Environment Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 48 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 12 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 37 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Idaho | 20 | 29 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 16 | 11 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 16 | 14 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 23 | 13 | 29 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 11 |
Rank |
State |
Healthcare Score |
Education Score |
Economy Score |
Infrastructure Score |
Opportunity Score |
Fiscal Stability Score |
Crime & Corrections Score |
Natural Environment Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | West Virginia | 49 | 47 | 47 | 50 | 8 | 24 | 19 | 36 |
| 47 | New Mexico | 38 | 50 | 43 | 42 | 37 | 26 | 49 | 30 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 50 | 34 | 49 | 47 | 31 | 47 | 20 | 31 |
| 49 | Alaska | 29 | 49 | 45 | 46 | 36 | 44 | 46 | 39 |
| 50 | Louisiana | 44 | 46 | 50 | 48 | 46 | 46 | 50 | 49 |
As the data above demonstrates, the best states for physical therapists aren’t always easy to pin down. The highest-paying states for physical therapy practitioners may not always be the most affordable or offer the best quality of life.
That said, it’s important to keep in mind that location isn’t the only major factor that will likely determine how much you can expect to earn. In addition to researching the best states to be a physical therapist, be sure to consider the best industries in which to practice.
Below we’ve assembled a collection of some of the highest-paying industries for physical therapists. Next to each you’ll find the latest average annual and hourly wage according to the latest statistics from the BLS.
Industry |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient Care Centers | $58.30 | $121,270 |
| Home Health Care Services | $55.48 | $115,390 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities | $52.40 | $109,000 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (State Government Owned) | $52.39 | $108,970 |
| Hospitals (State Government Owned) | $52.09 | $108,340 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | $51.94 | $108,040 |
| Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories | $51.93 | $108,000 |
| Hospitals (Local Government Owned) | $51.66 | $107,440 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (Local Government Owned) | $51.62 | $107,380 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $51.52 | $107,160 |
For our analysis, we pulled the latest available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Projections Central, and U.S. News rankings. We considered seven main data points: annual average annual salary, average hourly wages, employment rates, job demand, affordability, quality of life, and average annual salaries and wages for specific industries.
We got our salary and industry data from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System, which allowed us to look at May 2024 data for specific data points relevant to physical therapists. Job demand and projections came from BLS and Projection Central’s 2022–2032 Long-Term Occupational Projections data. And the U.S. News 2025 Affordability and Best States Rankings provided our affordability and quality of life data.
We give you some tips on how to use this data to choose where to practice in the “Physical Therapy as a Career” section below.
Physical therapists treat movement issues, improving the quality of life for their patients through education, exercise, and hands-on care. They work with patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Their patients might suffer from injuries, disabilities, or other health conditions, or they might just want to lead healthier lives.
Physical therapists have a profound impact on the lives of their patients, helping many regain their independence, deal with pain, or achieve fitness and movement goals.
Physical therapy has a long history, with roots as far back as ancient Greece. Hippocrates first advocated using manual therapy techniques, hydrotherapy, and massage for his patients in 435 BCE.
The discipline began to take its modern shape starting in the late 1800s in Europe as a way to treat bone disorders. Like other modern medical treatments, physical therapy rapidly advanced from there, spurred by events such as polio outbreaks and two world wars.
According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), some milestones include:
Today physical therapists are an essential component of the healing process, treating medical conditions such as:
That’s a limited list that could go on and on. The range of conditions PTs treat is vast, offering many options for specialization.
Some areas of specialization physical therapists pursue include:
These specialists help the elderly address the mobility and movement issues that come with age. Some conditions include osteoporosis, arthritis, and some cancers.
Centering on the entire upper arm and the hand, when people have injured themselves or have arthritis, exercises help them regain their range of motion.
These PTs help patients regain function after experiencing neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, strokes, and spine or brain injuries.
This therapy treats those impacted by work-related activities, often manual labor impacts from improper lifting or poor posture. Occupational physical therapists focus heavily on core and upper-body strength.
This therapy helps patients at the opposite end from geriatric care. Genetic conditions, severe injuries, head trauma, or congenital disabilities could result in mobility issues for infants or toddlers.
A major surgery could dramatically impact mobility and movement, requiring rehabilitative physical therapy.
While the potential earnings for a physical therapist are fabulous, this career comes with many other perks. The ability to find a job anywhere, excellent work/life balance, ongoing career growth, opportunities for specialization, and starting your own PT business make this one of the most desirable careers.
But how do you decide where to live and practice? You might want to start with the Quality of Life chart, and then look at salary and affordability options in those states. Remember to also look at employment rates to see how likely you’d be to get a job in those states, and consider growth projections to weigh your future prospects.
And don’t get hung up on high salaries above all else! States where you can make the most money might not be the best places to live and work. For example, California has high salaries but the worst affordability score, while South Dakota has one of the lowest salaries but a low cost of living. If you find yourself stuck with a tie between two states, dig deeper into specific metrics like healthcare or environment — whatever is most important to you — to help you decide.
Either way, physical therapists get to know they make a difference in their patients’ lives and see the results as they work with them. Whether they work with toddlers, GenZ, or Boomers, PTs improve lives across generations no matter which state they’re in.
When job seeking or starting a practice in a new state, one thing you’ll want to explore is physical therapist malpractice insurance. PTs do get named in claims, sometimes unfairly so – like this real story of a Berxi customer whose PT patient assumed his rash was a result of unsanitary equipment.
If you’re looking for a trusted provider with a history of caring for customers, be sure to explore Berxi. Every PT malpractice policy at Berxi policy includes:
In addition, Berxi customers save an average of 15% versus industry standards because they have no commission fees, no membership costs, and no deductibles. Take a moment to get a free online quote — you might be surprised by how much you can save.
Image courtesy of iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen
Image courtesy of iStock.com/andresr
Image courtesy of iStock.com/aldomurillo
Image courtesy of iStock.com/DMP
Last updated on Nov 24, 2025.
Originally published on Jun 04, 2024.
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Lauren Garcia is a contributing writer for Berxi. She's a freelance writer and editor from Orlando, Florida, and a 10-year news veteran. When Lauren's not busy with the written word, she's making magic in the kitchen or chasing her toddler around Disney World.
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