Healthcare Practitioners
Physical Therapists
SOC 29-1123
Help patients recover movement and manage pain after injury or illness.
The job
Median pay
$103k
$86k to $121k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+12% projected
Openings a year
13k
BLS projection
Typical education
Doctoral (DPT)
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
27/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
39th pct
More exposed than 39% of occupations · modeled estimate · 61st pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
74/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 26,580 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $124k |
| Texas | 21,870 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $106k |
| New York | 20,940 | 2.2 | 1.3× | $101k |
| Florida | 16,290 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $101k |
| Pennsylvania | 11,710 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $101k |
| Ohio | 10,280 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $103k |
| Illinois | 9,800 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $105k |
| New Jersey | 9,750 | 2.3 | 1.3× | $112k |
| Michigan | 8,630 | 2.0 | 1.1× | $101k |
| Virginia | 7,630 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $101k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 7,350 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $100k |
| Massachusetts | 6,850 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $104k |
| Georgia | 6,780 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $103k |
| Indiana | 6,130 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $102k |
| Colorado | 5,630 | 2.0 | 1.1× | $102k |
| Wisconsin | 5,580 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $102k |
| Washington | 5,370 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $106k |
| Minnesota | 5,180 | 1.8 | 1.0× | $102k |
| Arizona | 5,170 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $103k |
| Missouri | 4,900 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $99k |
| Tennessee | 4,800 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $100k |
| Connecticut | 4,060 | 2.4 | 1.4× | $104k |
| Maryland | 3,940 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $107k |
| South Carolina | 3,930 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $101k |
| Kentucky | 3,390 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $101k |
| Louisiana | 3,280 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $99k |
| Oregon | 3,210 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $104k |
| Alabama | 3,040 | 1.4 | 0.8× | $97k |
| Arkansas | 2,680 | 2.1 | 1.2× | $99k |
| Kansas | 2,660 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $98k |
| Oklahoma | 2,560 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $99k |
| Iowa | 2,530 | 1.6 | 0.9× | $98k |
| Utah | 2,300 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $100k |
| Nebraska | 2,140 | 2.1 | 1.2× | $97k |
| Nevada | 2,030 | 1.3 | 0.8× | $111k |
| Mississippi | 1,980 | 1.7 | 1.0× | $100k |
| New Hampshire | 1,960 | 2.9 | 1.7× | $100k |
| Maine | 1,860 | 2.9 | 1.7× | $100k |
| New Mexico | 1,330 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $107k |
| West Virginia | 1,310 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $97k |
| Delaware | 1,260 | 2.6 | 1.5× | $102k |
| Montana | 1,180 | 2.3 | 1.3× | $91k |
| South Dakota | 1,060 | 2.3 | 1.4× | $93k |
| Idaho | 1,030 | 1.2 | 0.7× | $99k |
| Rhode Island | 1,020 | 2.0 | 1.2× | $99k |
| Hawaii | 950 | 1.5 | 0.9× | $102k |
| North Dakota | 830 | 1.9 | 1.1× | $85k |
| Vermont | 760 | 2.5 | 1.4× | $98k |
| Alaska | 680 | 2.1 | 1.2× | $115k |
| Washington DC | 610 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $102k |
| Wyoming | 560 | 2.0 | 1.2× | $100k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ21,240 jobs · $108k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA9,750 jobs · $108k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN7,880 jobs · $106k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD6,250 jobs · $106k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX6,100 jobs · $108k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH5,330 jobs · $104k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL4,950 jobs · $101k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX4,680 jobs · $108k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Physical Therapists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.