Physical therapists

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Total Workforce

249k

Average Age

Average Salary

$72,820

Average Male Salary

$84,281

Average Female Salary

$67,550

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Physical therapists are most often employed by the Outpatient care centers industry. The average yearly wage for Physical therapists was $72,820 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Physical therapists by wage are Agricultural & food scientists, Cost estimators, and Biological scientists.

Physical therapists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Physical therapists are Franklin & Brentwood Cities PUMA, TN, Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, and Washington & Ozaukee Counties PUMA, WI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Physical therapists are Taylor CountyAbilene City PUMA, TX, Troy & Rochester Area PUMA, MI, and Greater Franklin Town City PUMA, MA.

Photo by COD Newsroom

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Physical therapists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Outpatient care centers is the industry that employs the most Physical therapists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Physical therapists, by average wage, is Offices of physicians. Physical therapists are paid most in Beaches & Merritt Island PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Taylor CountyAbilene City PUMA, TX.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$72,820

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,942

In 2018, Physical therapists earned an average of $72,820, $18,932 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Agricultural & food scientists make somewhat more than Physical therapists while Biological scientists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Physical therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.251

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Physical therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.251, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Physical therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Physical therapists.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Physical therapists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Physical therapists.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Physical therapists, by number of employees, are Outpatient care centers, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, and Home health care services.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Physical therapists, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Other health care services, Offices of physicians, Administration of human resource programs, Child day care services, and Home health care services.

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Industries by Share

249k

2018 Workforce

± 12,243

0.75%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.91%

The number of people employed as Physical therapists has been growing at a rate of 0.75%, from 247,225 people in 2017 to 249,079 people in 2018.

This graphic shows the share of Physical therapists employed by various industries. Outpatient care centers employs the largest share of Physical therapists at 36.6%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 30.1% and Home health care services with 8.15%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Physical therapists in the US. The average age of male Physical therapists in the workforce is 41.1 and of female Physical therapists is 41, and the most common race/ethnicity for Physical therapists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

78.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,875

171k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 10,135

68.5% of Physical therapists are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Physical therapists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Physical therapists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

76.7% of Physical therapists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 12.9% of Physical therapists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Physical therapists.

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Age by Gender

41.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.975

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.653

The median age of Physical therapists is 41, and Male employees are generally 0.0679 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Physical therapists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Physical therapists is Health but a relatively high number of Physical therapists hold a major in Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Physical therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Physical therapists need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Physical therapists need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Science, and Service Orientation.