Physical Therapists
Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury.
Also called: 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)
Median pay
$102,760
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$77,140 – $135,140
People employed
267,330
Holland code
SIR
Social · Investigative · Realistic
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you happy talking and working with people most of the day?
- 2.Do you enjoy serving customers or the public?
- 3.Do you want a lot of freedom to make your own decisions?
- 4.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 5.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 6.Do you work well under tight deadlines?
- 7.Are you OK repeating the same tasks most of the day?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
- Long hours on your feet
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
Physical Therapists pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (50 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What physical therapists do
- 01Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- 02Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- 03Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- 04Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
- 05Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
- 06Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
Skills that matter most
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service
- Therapy and Counseling
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- English Language
Work styles that stand out
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a graduate degree (O*NET Job Zone 5).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month.
- A professional certification is often expected.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from physical therapists
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary79% · +4%
- Genetic Counselors75% · −3%
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary73% · −22%
- Occupational Therapy Assistants71% · −30%
- Physical Therapist Assistants69% · −33%
Change into physical therapists
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Athletic Trainers90% · $62,520
- Midwives83% · $65,790
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary80% · $80,250
- Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary79% · $107,310
- Clinical Neuropsychologists78% · $110,840
Majors that lead here
- Physical Therapy/Therapist
- Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.