Physical Therapist salary
From 3,658 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 29-1123: Physical Therapists
- Also filed as: Physical Therapy
At a glance
- Mostly Level I (entry-level). 70% of Physical Therapist filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Grandison Management. 1,731 filings (47% of the total), median $77,979.
- Pay depends on the city. Among the 3 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $85,634 in Chicago, IL to $95,139 in Washington, DC.
- Median up 3% since FY2020. From $80,898 in FY2020 to $83,658 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Physical Therapist H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 3,658 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Physical Therapist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 29-1123, Physical Therapists). The median base salary is $82,638, 33% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $77,750 and $94,640. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 70% of filings. New York, NY has the most filings (796), and Grandison Management is the employer that files the most (1,731).
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Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for Physical Therapist
Employers with the most Physical Therapist filings. Bar: share of all Physical Therapist filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 70% of filings
Mid-level · 21% of filings
Senior · 7% of filings
Expert · 2% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $79,227 | 2,536 |
| Level II · Qualified | $95,000 | 774 |
| Level III · Experienced | $110,240 | 251 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $129,459 | 85 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Physical Therapist pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 57 metro areas
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Physical Therapist does
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.
Typical tasks
- Plan, 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.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
- Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
- Confer with the patient, medical practitioners, or appropriate others to plan, implement, or assess the intervention program.
Preparation
Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
O*NET occupation: Physical Therapists (29-1123.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Physical Therapists), the median annual wage was $102,760 in May 2025, with 267,330 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $82,638, 20% lower.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $70,928 | $77,140 |
| 25th percentile | $77,750 | $86,160 |
| Median | $82,638 | $102,760 |
| 75th percentile | $94,640 | $121,160 |
| 90th percentile | $110,240 | $135,140 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $70,928 |
| 25th | $77,750 |
| 50th (median) | $82,638 |
| 75th | $94,640 |
| 90th | $110,240 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $80,898 | $71,282 | $86,866 | 1,700 |
| FY2021 | $82,555 | $73,500 | $91,686 | 1,585 |
| FY2022 | $79,040 | $70,907 | $90,000 | 1,601 |
| FY2023 | $83,059 | $71,439 | $95,000 | 1,314 |
| FY2024 | $82,824 | $73,674 | $96,504 | 1,467 |
| FY2025 | $81,058 | $77,979 | $94,936 | 1,940 |
| FY2026 | $83,658 | $77,418 | $94,016 | 1,718 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Physical Therapist make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Physical Therapist jobs is $82,638 (3,658 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $77,750 and $94,640.
What does an entry-level Physical Therapist earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $79,227. Level I accounts for 70% of Physical Therapist filings.
Which city pays H-1B Physical Therapists the most?
Among metro areas with at least 100 filings, Washington, DC has the highest median base salary for Physical Therapist jobs: $95,139 (146 filings).
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Physical Therapists?
Grandison Management (1,731), Spear Physical Therapy, PLLC (90) and Ati Holdings (73) filed the most Physical Therapist LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B Physical Therapists earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($82,638) is 20% lower than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($102,760, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.