The results are in: According to U.S. News & World Reports' Best Jobs of 2020, physical therapy is one of the top 10 healthcare jobs in the U.S.! And, as it turns out, you and your peers have a lot to love about your profession. On top of having some of the highest projected job growth numbers (PT jobs are expected to grow by 21.9 percent between now and 2028), physical therapy turns out to be one of the more lucrative healthcare professions in the country as well. (As of May 2018, the average annual PT salary was $88,880, though some PTs make as much as $123,350.)
That said, keep in mind that these metrics will vary from state to state, which means that where you choose to live can play a big role in how your career shapes up. So, whether you're on the hunt for a new job or not, it's important to do a little research to figure out if you're living in a place where you'd be able to get the most out of your career -- or not.
The Best & Worst States for Physical Therapists
The Metrics
To help you determine the best and worst states to live in as a PT, we collected state-level data along four key metrics:
- Salaries
- Affordability/Cost of Living
- Job Demand
- Quality of Life
The Results
Once we aggregated all the data, we were able to identify the best and worst states for PTs in 2020. Take a look at the infographic below to see who came out on top, and who didn't:
Want to dig into the data a little more? Below, we've provided tables for the "Top 5" and "Bottom 5" states for each metric. And, if you'd like to see how each state fared, we've also provided the full data sets at the bottom of this article.
Without further ado, let's get to it!
The States With the Highest & Lowest Physical Therapy Salaries
PTs do important, sometimes grueling work rehabilitating patients and treating chronic conditions. But does the salary reflect all that effort? Below, we’ve provided data from the BLS’ Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program to show you which five states offer the highest salaries for PTs, and which five offer the lowest.
Keep in mind that all BLS data reflects the employment and wage numbers for PTs as of May 2018. We'll update these tables when the BLS releases their 2019 data in May 2020.
The 5 States With the Highest Physical Therapist Salaries
Here are the five states where PTs can make the most money.
| Rank | State | Average Annual Salary for PTs | Average Hourly Pay for PTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $107,920 | $51.89 |
| 2 | Alaska | $99,180 | $47.68 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $97,770 | $47.01 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $97,210 | $46.74 |
| 5 | California | $97,110 | $46.69 |
The 5 States With the Lowest Physical Therapist Salaries
Here are the five states where PTs could make the least amount of money. When reviewing this list, keep in mind that the average annual salary for U.S. workers was $51,960 in 2018. In that light, these numbers are still impressive.
| Rank | State | Average Annual Salary for PTs | Average Hourly Pay for PTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | North Dakota | $78,120 | $37.56 |
| 47 | Idaho | $77,700 | $37.35 |
| 48 | Maine | $76,910 | $36.97 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $76,200 | $36.63 |
| 50 | Vermont | $75,010 | $36.06 |
The Most & Least Affordable States for Physical Therapists
When considering salaries and earning potential in different states, one important aspect to keep in mind is cost of living. Why? If you have a high-paying job in a state that tends to have a very high cost of living, then you would expect to see most (if not all) of your paycheck going toward your living expenses. Conversely, if you had an average salary in a state with a low cost of living, you’d be more likely to have some money left over to spend however you wanted.
To help you get a more accurate picture of your earning potential in a given state, taking into account affordability, we turned to U.S. News's 2019 Affordability rankings. To determine how affordable each state was, U.S. News gave them scores on two metrics: Cost of living and housing affordability. Based on those scores, each state then received an overall ranking on a scale of 1 to 50, with 1 being the most affordable and 50 being the least affordable.
The 5 Most Affordable States for Physical Therapists
Here are the five states that were considered the most affordable. We've also included their scores for the individual metrics to give you more context.
| Rank | State | Cost of Living Score | Housing Affordability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | 13 | 1 |
| 2 | Ohio | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Indiana | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Michigan | 5 | 9 |
The 5 Least Affordable States for Physical Therapists
Here are the five states that were considered the least affordable to live in.
| Rank | State | Cost of Living Score | Housing Affordability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Massachusetts | 43 | 41 |
| 47 | New York | 48 | 39 |
| 48 | Oregon | 45 | 47 |
| 49 | California | 49 | 49 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 50 | 50 |
The States With the Most & Least Demand for Physical Therapists
It’s a safe assumption that the more job openings there are, the greater the need is for PTs. The BLS projects that demand for PTs will grow by about 28 percent between now and 2026, due in large part to the growing needs of the aging baby boomer population. Below, we’ve provided additional projection numbers from Projections Central to show you the five states that are predicted to have the most job openings for PTs between now and 2026, and the five that are predicted to have the least. We’ve also provided the job growth percentages for the states as well.
The 5 States With the Most Demand for Physical Therapists
These are the five states that are projected to have the most PT jobs open up each year between now and 2026. (It’s worth noting that these states also happen to be the top 5 most-populated states in the U.S. in 2019.)
| Rank | State | Average Annual Job Openings for PTs | Job Growth Percentage (2016-2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,640 | 28.8% |
| 2 | New York | 1,490 | 32.7% |
| 3 | Texas | 1,250 | 31.2% |
| 4 | Florida | 1,070 | 31.8% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 790 | 23.9% |
The 5 States With the Least Demand for Physical Therapists
Here are the five states that are predicted to have the least amount of job growth for PTs between now and 2026. It’s worth keeping in mind that it would make sense that some of the least-populous states would have fewer jobs available than those with larger populations.
You’ll notice that there are some two-way ties in the number of job openings. Within those tied pairs, we ranked them based on who had the higher job growth percentage.
| Rank | State | Average Annual Job Openings for PTs | Job Growth Percentage (2016-2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Delaware | 50 | 21.1% |
| 47 | South Dakota | 50 | 20% |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 50 | 9.8% |
| 49 | Wyoming | 30 | 28.9% |
| 50 | Alaska | 30 | 22% |
The States With the Best & Worst Overall Quality of Life
Everyone has a different way of defining “quality of life,” so to establish a standard unit of measurement, we turned to the latest data from the U.S. News’ 2019 Best States Rankings. To determine each state's rank, they first provided them with performance scores for each of the following eight metrics:
- Healthcare
- Education
- Economy
- Infrastructure
- Opportunity
- Fiscal Stability
- Crime & Corrections
- Natural Environment
The scores were on a scale of 1 to 50, with 1 being the best and 50 best the worst. They then used those scores to provide an overall ranking for each state. (You can read more about their methodology here.) Below, we've provided you with the rankings for the top five and bottom five, along with their scores for each metric.
What’s notable about this list is that the top five states are all northern, mostly suburban or rural states. Meanwhile, the states with the lowest quality of life tended to have more metro areas and larger populations.
The 5 Best States for Overall Quality of Life
| Rank | State | Healthcare Score | Education Score | Economy Score | Infrastructure Score | Opportunity Score | Fiscal Stability Score | Crime & Corrections Score | Natural Environment Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 22 | 15 | 14 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 16 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 10 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 16 | 3 |
| 4 | Utah | 9 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 5 | 12 | 49 |
| 5 | Vermont | 11 | 8 | 29 | 28 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 7 |
The 5 Worst States for Overall Quality of Life
| Rank | State | Healthcare Score | Education Score | Economy Score | Infrastructure Score | Opportunity Score | Fiscal Stability Score | Crime & Corrections Score | Natural Environment Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | New Mexico | 34 | 49 | 47 | 17 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 23 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 48 | 44 | 50 | 50 | 30 | 34 | 21 | 41 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 50 | 46 | 48 | 45 | 44 | 44 | 26 | 11 |
| 49 | Alabama | 46 | 50 | 45 | 38 | 45 | 23 | 45 | 35 |
| 50 | Louisiana | 45 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 50 | 43 | 50 | 50 |
BONUS: National Physical Therapist Data
As promised, here are the full datasets we used to identify the best and worst states for PTs in terms of salary, affordability, projected demand/job growth, and quality of life. If your state didn't make any of the lists above, take a look at the following tables to see what's in store for PTs in your neck of the woods.
Physical Therapist Salaries, Nationwide
| State | Average Annual Salary for PTs | Average Hourly Pay for PTs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $90,620 | $43.57 |
| Alaska | $99,180 | $47.68 |
| Arizona | $88,800 | $42.69 |
| Arkansas | $81,430 | $39.15 |
| California | $97,110 | $46.69 |
| Colorado | $82,560 | $39.69 |
| Connecticut | $96,010 | $46.16 |
| Delaware | $93,880 | $45.14 |
| Florida | $87,410 | $42.02 |
| Georgia | $86,320 | $41.50 |
| Hawaii | $90,540 | $43.53 |
| Idaho | $77,700 | $37.35 |
| Illinois | $90,690 | $43.60 |
| Indiana | $83,680 | $40.23 |
| Iowa | $82,960 | $39.88 |
| Kansas | $85,250 | $40.99 |
| Kentucky | $84,630 | $40.69 |
| Louisiana | $89,860 | $43.20 |
| Maine | $76,910 | $36.97 |
| Maryland | $85,170 | $40.95 |
| Massachusetts | $91,750 | $44.11 |
| Michigan | $91,160 | $43.83 |
| Minnesota | $83,750 | $40.26 |
| Mississippi | $89,720 | $43.13 |
| Missouri | $81,330 | $39.10 |
| Montana | $79,050 | $38.00 |
| Nebraska | $80,130 | $38.52 |
| Nevada | $107,920 | $51.89 |
| New Hampshire | $82,880 | $39.85 |
| New Jersey | $97,770 | $47.01 |
| New Mexico | $97,210 | $46.74 |
| New York | $87,470 | $42.05 |
| North Carolina | $87,560 | $42.09 |
| North Dakota | $78,120 | $37.56 |
| Ohio | $86,690 | $41.68 |
| Oklahoma | $84,860 | $40.80 |
| Oregon | $85,890 | $41.30 |
| Pennsylvania | $87,050 | $41.85 |
| Rhode Island | $83,850 | $40.31 |
| South Carolina | $85,450 | $41.08 |
| South Dakota | $76,200 | $36.63 |
| Tennessee | $82,920 | $39.86 |
| Texas | $92,940 | $44.68 |
| Utah | $85,940 | $41.32 |
| Vermont | $75,010 | $36.06 |
| Virginia | $91,700 | $44.09 |
| Washington | $85,930 | $41.31 |
| West Virginia | $89,420 | $42.99 |
| Wisconsin | $85,200 | $40.96 |
| Wyoming | $87,510 | $42.07 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2018)
Projected Job Growth for Physical Therapists, Nationwide
| State | Average Annual Job Openings for Physical Therapists | Job Growth Percentage (2016-2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 180 | 24.4% |
| Alaska | 30 | 22% |
| Arizona | 360 | 45.2% |
| Arkansas | 170 | 30.7% |
| California | 1,640 | 28.8% |
| Colorado | 490 | 44.3% |
| Connecticut | 260 | 18.2% |
| Delaware | 50 | 21.1% |
| Florida | 1,070 | 31.8% |
| Georgia | 420 | 28.9% |
| Hawaii | 60 | 19.8% |
| Idaho | 60 | 25.8% |
| Illinois | 740 | 19.4% |
| Indiana | 330 | 26.5% |
| Iowa | 130 | 26% |
| Kansas | 100 | 10.3% |
| Kentucky | 180 | 23% |
| Louisiana | 210 | 22.3% |
| Maine | 90 | 14.6% |
| Maryland | 360 | 25.2% |
| Massachusetts | 580 | 18.2% |
| Michigan | 630 | 27.3% |
| Minnesota | 260 | 17.9% |
| Mississippi | 110 | 16.3% |
| Missouri | 310 | 22.7% |
| Montana | 80 | 28.1% |
| Nebraska | 130 | 24.9% |
| Nevada | 130 | 31.5% |
| New Hampshire | 110 | 22.7% |
| New Jersey | 550 | 22.2% |
| New Mexico | 100 | 24% |
| New York | 1,490 | 32.7% |
| North Carolina | 440 | 23% |
| North Dakota | 50 | 25.8% |
| Ohio | 540 | 21.5% |
| Oklahoma | 140 | 17.9% |
| Oregon | 220 | 27.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 790 | 23.9% |
| Rhode Island | 50 | 9.8% |
| South Carolina | 220 | 28.4% |
| South Dakota | 50 | 20% |
| Tennessee | 350 | 30.1% |
| Texas | 1,250 | 31.2% |
| Utah | 170 | 46.1% |
| Vermont | 60 | 21.1% |
| Virginia | 480 | 29.7% |
| Washington | 420 | 26.5% |
| West Virginia | 100 | 26.3% |
| Wisconsin | 280 | 15.4% |
| Wyoming | 30 | 28.9% |
Source: Projections Central - Long-Term Occupational Projections for 2016-2026 (July 2019)
Affordability Rankings, Nationwide
| Rank | State | Cost of Living Score | Housing Affordability Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | 13 | 1 |
| 2 | Ohio | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Indiana | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Michigan | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Nebraska | 21 | 5 |
| 7 | Missouri | 4 | 11 |
| 8 | West Virginia | 20 | 8 |
| 9 | Kansas | 8 | 12 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 30 | 4 |
| 11 | North Dakota | 27 | 6 |
| 12 | Arkansas | 3 | 14 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 14 | 13 |
| 14 | South Dakota | 29 | 10 |
| 15 | Mississippi | 1 | 18 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 22 | 15 |
| 17 | Illinois | 23 | 16 |
| 18 | Georgia | 11 | 19 |
| 19 | Alabama | 6 | 20 |
| 20 | Louisiana | 17 | 22 |
| 21 | Minnesota | 31 | 17 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 7 | 28 |
| 23 | Texas | 12 | 27 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 19 | 30 |
| 25 | New Mexico | 15 | 34 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | 36 | 21 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 25 | 33 |
| 28 | Wyoming | 10 | 38 |
| 29 | Delaware | 35 | 31 |
| 30 | Arizona | 26 | 37 |
| 31 | Virginia | 32 | 35 |
| 32 | Idaho | 18 | 40 |
| 33 | Maine | 39 | 26 |
| 34 | New Jersey | 41 | 23 |
| 35 | Florida | 28 | 42 |
| 36 | Utah | 24 | 44 |
| 37 | Vermont | 40 | 32 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | 41 | 29 |
| 39 | Montana | 33 | 43 |
| 40 | Maryland | 46 | 25 |
| 41 | Connecticut | 47 | 24 |
| 42 | Nevada | 38 | 45 |
| 43 | Colorado | 34 | 48 |
| 44 | Washington | 37 | 46 |
| 45 | Alaska | 44 | 36 |
| 46 | Massachusetts | 43 | 41 |
| 47 | New York | 48 | 39 |
| 48 | Oregon | 45 | 47 |
| 49 | California | 49 | 49 |
| 50 | Hawaii | 50 | 50 |
Source: U.S. News & World Report's Best States 2019 Rankings (May 2019)
Quality of Life Rankings Nationwide
| Rank | State | Healthcare Score | Education Score | Economy Score | Infrastructure Score | Opportunity Score | Fiscal Stability Score | Crime & Corrections Score | Natural Environment Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 22 | 15 | 14 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 16 | 5 | 13 | 31 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Minnesota | 10 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 16 | 3 |
| 4 | Utah | 9 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 5 | 12 | 49 |
| 5 | Vermont | 11 | 8 | 29 | 28 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 7 |
| 6 | Maryland | 8 | 13 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 15 | 22 | 25 |
| 7 | Virginia | 18 | 7 | 25 | 35 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 18 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 2 | 1 | 7 | 44 | 29 | 30 | 4 | 26 |
| 9 | Nebraska | 27 | 6 | 21 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 27 |
| 10 | Colorado | 12 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 14 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 10 |
| 12 | New Jersey | 6 | 2 | 31 | 34 | 8 | 49 | 6 | 13 |
| 13 | Florida | 29 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 38 | 2 | 31 | 21 |
| 14 | Iowa | 20 | 9 | 32 | 23 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 32 |
| 15 | North Dakota | 38 | 20 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 28 |
| 16 | Idaho | 26 | 33 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 11 | 8 | 15 |
| 17 | Georgia | 39 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 27 | 20 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 30 | 25 | 14 | 18 | 36 | 4 | 14 | 36 |
| 19 | California | 7 | 21 | 4 | 32 | 49 | 42 | 23 | 5 |
| 20 | South Dakota | 32 | 18 | 27 | 16 | 34 | 3 | 40 | 2 |
| 21 | Connecticut | 3 | 12 | 30 | 46 | 33 | 46 | 7 | 6 |
| 22 | Kansas | 33 | 15 | 36 | 7 | 16 | 35 | 32 | 8 |
| 23 | Delaware | 15 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 36 | 47 |
| 24 | Hawaii | 1 | 29 | 40 | 12 | 46 | 36 | 5 | 16 |
| 25 | New York | 13 | 22 | 33 | 22 | 47 | 26 | 10 | 24 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | 5 | 41 | 20 | 49 | 31 | 31 | 13 | 1 |
| 27 | Oregon | 17 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 43 | 40 | 38 | 30 |
| 28 | Missouri | 41 | 27 | 23 | 25 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 9 |
| 29 | Montana | 28 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 24 | 25 | 22 |
| 30 | Tennessee | 43 | 35 | 12 | 13 | 26 | 1 | 43 | 37 |
| 31 | Wyoming | 42 | 16 | 42 | 15 | 22 | 39 | 17 | 17 |
| 32 | Maine | 19 | 28 | 37 | 42 | 27 | 28 | 3 | 39 |
| 33 | Michigan | 24 | 37 | 19 | 41 | 14 | 27 | 35 | 29 |
| 34 | Arizona | 23 | 40 | 10 | 11 | 40 | 33 | 42 | 33 |
| 35 | Illinois | 22 | 19 | 41 | 24 | 17 | 50 | 20 | 43 |
| 36 | Indiana | 40 | 24 | 28 | 37 | 12 | 6 | 34 | 48 |
| 37 | Nevada | 31 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 37 | 39 | 46 |
| 38 | Texas | 37 | 34 | 15 | 33 | 39 | 12 | 33 | 40 |
| 39 | Ohio | 35 | 31 | 38 | 27 | 7 | 41 | 28 | 44 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 44 | 38 | 39 | 26 | 20 | 45 | 11 | 12 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 21 | 32 | 44 | 43 | 13 | 38 | 37 | 38 |
| 42 | South Carolina | 36 | 43 | 16 | 36 | 41 | 20 | 46 | 34 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 47 | 39 | 34 | 39 | 25 | 32 | 41 | 42 |
| 44 | Alaska | 25 | 47 | 46 | 40 | 18 | 48 | 48 | 45 |
| 45 | Arkansas | 49 | 42 | 43 | 47 | 32 | 21 | 47 | 19 |
| 46 | New Mexico | 34 | 49 | 47 | 17 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 23 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 48 | 44 | 50 | 50 | 30 | 34 | 21 | 41 |
| 48 | Mississippi | 50 | 46 | 48 | 45 | 44 | 44 | 26 | 11 |
| 49 | Alabama | 46 | 50 | 45 | 38 | 45 | 23 | 45 | 35 |
| 50 | Louisiana | 45 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 50 | 43 | 50 | 50 |
Source: U.S. News & World Report's Best States 2019 Rankings (May 2019)
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com/REVOLT