The physical therapy job market is always changing. I entered the field about five years ago and the job market looks completely different now from when it did then. Whether you’re a new grad looking for your first job or a seasoned professional looking to make a change, it can be helpful to understand what’s going on in the job market. In this post we’ll discuss current demand for PTs, who’s hiring, and who’s shelling out the cash.
PTs In High Demand
Despite all the challenges our profession faces, our demand just continues to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting the job growth for PTs to increase by 14% from 2023 to 2033. That rate is MUCH higher than the typical average of 4%. LinkedIn also rated PT #3 on its 2025 Jobs on the Rise list.
Factors such as a growing aging population, a rise in chronic disease, a push for decreased opioid use, and people becoming more concerned with their mobility and healthy aging have all contributed to increased demand.
Besides the need for more PTs making matters worse for employers, more and more PTs continue to leave their current positions. Some just leave the profession altogether. Many of the reports out there have different numbers depending on region or setting, but they all show a similar theme. The need for PTs continues to grow, but so do the vacancies.
Honestly when talking about the market, the overall job outlook for PT is great. Maybe even better than great. Basically we can plan on being very wanted and also have plenty of opportunities to choose from. What else could we possibly want right? Hmmm maybe good pay to go along with it? Considering the U.S. is already in a shortage of PTs and our demand is supposedly gonna continue to skyrocket, that means we’re making the big bucks now right? . . . Right?
Salary Outlook
Despite such a large demand for PTs, it doesn’t seem to be influencing our pay much. The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the median annual salary for PTs in 2023 to be about 99k a year. They listed average salaries ranging all the way from 72k – 130k.
According to the APTA salaries do increase year over year, but not even enough to cover for inflation. I’d also argue the deficit is even worse when factoring in the continuing rise of the cost of education. As far as I know, higher monthly student loan payments don’t get factored to that. WebPT does a yearly state of rehab report. In their most recent one it states PTs salaries overall are largely stagnate or maybe even a little worse unfortunately.
It’s extremely difficult to get an accurate number on this. There is a wide array of stats out there for these numbers depending on your source. Obviously there are A LOT of factors that influence salary – practice setting, location, years of experience, etc. We’ll talk later about which settings are shelling out the most. According to APTA for every year of experience you can expect to earn around $800 more annually. I wrote a previous article on PT specialization, which can get you a few thousand more dollars per year as well.
While it’s hard to really dial in on a specific number for PT salaries, there’s one thing I do know for certain. If you are one of the PTs making 130k – I need you to reach out to me. Where are you? What are you? (seriously are you even human?) What do you do? And how’d you get there? Is it all you small business owners or self employed? . . .You may think I’m kidding but I’m not. Actually, if you feel comfortable please share in the comments! I guarantee you I’m not the only one that wants to know.
Well everyone, I didn’t mean to make it look so grim when it comes to salaries. Keep in mind, many of these numbers come based on 2022 or 2023 reports and numbers. A lot of the data from 2024 hasn’t made its way into the world yet. There have been some more recent reports though on which settings might be a little more desperate than others for hiring and retaining PTs.
Who’s Looking
Okay this shocked me a little bit at first, not sure if it will shock anyone else. Outpatient clinics are having more difficulty with their staffing than other settings. In 2024, an APTA report found the national vacancy rate for outpatient PT practices to be almost 10% which is double the national average. They cited the primary reason for this was due to overall practice growth, but also losing current staff to relocation, higher paying opportunities, and better work-life balance.
Does this surprise anyone else? I mean in school, PT or PTA, most of us plan to go to outpatient positions after graduation. All of us can’t wait for our outpatient clinical and dread the inpatient. You’d think outpatient practices would have their pick right? Like I said this shocked me a little bit, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense.
I would say that due to PT mills, outpatient settings are ripe for breeding some of the worst burnout. Unfortunately, many outpatient clinics schedule 30+ patients a day for one therapist, expect documentation to be done completely outside of work, and do little to support their staff. It’s enough for anyone to pack their bags faster than you can say “do 3 sets of 10”. You’d think these practices would realize that at a certain point they’re better off changing their ways and investing in their employees a little more versus choosing to stay understaffed and leaving so much lost revenue on the table.
In a previous blog post on the PT trends for 2025, I said I believed employers would start to need to become more competitive in their job offers. I think outpatient clinics will be the ones who have to do the most soul searching and changing.
Other settings in-need worth noting that I consistently saw in my research are pediatrics and geriatrics. Many parents, especially in rural settings, find themselves waiting to see a pediatric PT. Even those in some cities report significant wait times. LTC facilities also report difficulty filling vacant positions as these are not highly sought after.
So if these are the places needing PTs the most, that means they’re also the ones shelling out the most right? Well yes . . . and no.
Who’s Paying Out
As far as who’s paying the most and how much, again, is very hard to determine from all the different sources out there, but there are some recurring themes. In my research, outpatient centers consistently ranked as one of the top paying settings. The other most consistent setting I saw was home health. Notably absent, was skilled nursing facilities and long term care. On all the lists I saw these settings were either low or not on the list at all. When we’re talking about specialities some of the highest paid included sports medicine, neuro, and geriatrics
Now to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about the data that’s out there when it comes to pay nationally or by setting. A lot of these reports come from recruiting websites that maybe cater more to one part of the country than others, or cater to one particular setting more than others. For example, WebPT largely caters to outpatient facilities so most of their data gives a good look at outpatient facilities, but maybe not SNF or LTC. Basically what I’m trying to say is we unfortunately don’t have a lot of great sources for some of this info or getting a clear consensus is really difficult and unfortunately APTA hasn’t put out a wage report since 2021-2022.
I hoped this info helped some of you, especially those possibly looking to make a career change. Some themes about the PT job market are clear as day and some things clear as mud. We’re definitely a needed and wanted profession. In terms of salary, it doesn’t seem like there’s been much – or enough change given the increased demand for PTs. When it comes to expected salaries in setting and clinic focus, that’s where things aren’t so clean cut.
Like I said before MANY things influence salary. My best advice is to do your research. Find out what a typical salary is for your setting wherever you live. Talk to friends who live in the area and see what they’re comfortable sharing because you can learn A LOT by doing just a little research.
What do you think about the current PT job market? I love the demand, but hate that it doesn’t seem to influence anything in terms of pay or benefits. If you were to switch jobs, what would be your main reason? And what would be your 2-3 must haves for your next position? Drop it in the comments. I’ll be posting some stuff on Instagram @the_pt_page to get the conversation going there as well. So make sure you’re following and be on the look-out for that. Lastly, hit subscribe below to get all new blog posts directly to your inbox so you can stay up-to-date on all things PT.
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