Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations·SOC 29-1123

Best degree programs for Physical Therapists, ranked by enrollment

2 college programs and 282 schools train Physical Therapists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $102,760 median wage, 267,330 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

2 college programs at 282 schools train physical therapists, graduating 13,891 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Physical Therapy/Therapist. The job pays a median of $102,760 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

13,891

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$102,760

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+10.9%

Much faster than average

Openings / yr

13,200

new plus replacement

Schools

282

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About 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 calledDoctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT)Inpatient Physical Therapist (Inpatient PT)Pediatric Physical Therapist (Pediatric PT)TherapistPhysiotherapistKinesiotherapistSchool Physical TherapistLPT (Licensed Physical Therapist)Acute Physical Therapist (Acute PT)Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)Sports Physical Therapist (Sports PT)

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Health Professions And Related Programs

CIP 51.23

Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions

13,891graduates / yr

277 schools · 2 specializations · 100.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $35,966

2 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Physical Therapy/Therapistmain feeder CIP 51.2308	13,795	99.3%	277	$35,966	$26,323
2	Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapistmain feeder CIP 51.2311	96	0.7%	6	$35,966	$26,323

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences San Marcos, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	797	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
2	The University of Montana Missoula, MT Public · 1 feeder programs	301	Physical Therapy/Therapist	48%	—	96%
3	Arcadia University Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	287	Physical Therapy/Therapist	67%	$23,796	80%
4	South College Knoxville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	265	Physical Therapy/Therapist	42%	$20,346	—
5	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	184	Physical Therapy/Therapist	85%	—	58%
6	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	133	Physical Therapy/Therapist	92%	$26,873	10%
7	The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	131	Physical Therapy/Therapist	71%	$21,150	93%
8	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	126	Physical Therapy/Therapist	80%	$35,682	51%
9	The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Galveston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	114	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
10	Creighton University Omaha, NE Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	109	Physical Therapy/Therapist	83%	$27,353	80%
11	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	109	Physical Therapy/Therapist	76%	$28,970	69%
12	Franklin Pierce University Rindge, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	105	Physical Therapy/Therapist	54%	$26,344	93%
13	Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	102	Physical Therapy/Therapist	49%	—	96%
14	Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Provo, UT Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	101	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
15	Duke University Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	98	Physical Therapy/Therapist	97%	$16,260	6%
16	Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	98	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
17	Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	96	Physical Therapy/Therapist	95%	$14,799	8%
18	Hawaii Pacific University Honolulu, HI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	93	Physical Therapy/Therapist	35%	$30,299	86%
19	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs	93	Physical Therapy/Therapist	61%	—	90%
20	Hanover College Hanover, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	92	Physical Therapy/Therapist	67%	$20,442	84%
21	Regis University Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	90	Physical Therapy/Therapist	61%	$22,407	86%
22	Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	84	Physical Therapy/Therapist	94%	$14,126	12%
23	Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	83	Physical Therapy/Therapist	64%	—	81%
24	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	82	Physical Therapy/Therapist	77%	$32,060	84%
25	Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	82	Physical Therapy/Therapist	63%	$31,672	73%
26	Touro University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	78	Physical Therapy/Therapist	72%	$27,110	61%
27	A T Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	77	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
28	Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	77	Physical Therapy/Therapist	80%	$24,886	75%
29	Springfield College Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	77	Physical Therapy/Therapist	74%	$26,290	72%
30	Chapman University Orange, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	76	Physical Therapy/Therapist	82%	$42,965	65%
31	Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	76	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
32	Bellarmine University Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	72	Physical Therapy/Therapist	64%	$22,542	86%
33	University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs	72	Physical Therapy/Therapist	46%	—	75%
34	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	72	Physical Therapy/Therapist	91%	—	24%
35	University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, MD Public · 1 feeder programs	71	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
36	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	70	Physical Therapy/Therapist	76%	—	49%
37	Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	69	Physical Therapy/Therapist	71%	$22,601	67%
38	Gannon University Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	69	Physical Therapy/Therapist	66%	$21,409	74%
39	Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, SC Public · 1 feeder programs	69	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
40	Augustana University Sioux Falls, SD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	68	Physical Therapy/Therapist	73%	$23,011	68%
41	Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	67	Physical Therapy/Therapist	67%	$27,455	77%
42	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	66	Physical Therapy/Therapist	83%	$25,376	81%
43	MGH Institute of Health Professions Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	66	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
44	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	66	Physical Therapy/Therapist	84%	$26,589	19%
45	University of Oklahoma - Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	66	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
46	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	65	Physical Therapy/Therapist	84%	—	58%
47	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	64	Physical Therapy/Therapist	89%	$21,956	11%
48	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	64	Physical Therapy/Therapist	96%	$15,315	4%
49	Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	64	Physical Therapy/Therapist	—	—	—
50	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 1 feeder programs	64	Physical Therapy/Therapist	71%	—	93%

What physical therapists earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$102,760

Mean annual

$105,280

Median hourly

$49.40/hr

People employed

267,330

What the range looks like

10th pct$77,140Median$102,76090th pct$135,140

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$141,980median

3,140 jobs

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$139,000median

1,460 jobs

Napa, CA

$138,540median

50 jobs

Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

$140,100median

290 jobs

Vallejo, CA

$141,530median

300 jobs

Merced, CA

$126,000median

60 jobs

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

$128,680median

310 jobs

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

$131,430median

1,610 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+10.9%

Much faster than average

Openings per year

13,200

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

29,300

267,200 → 296,400

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
California	$124,190	26,580	0.85×	17	1,647
Pennsylvania	$101,380	11,710	1.12×	23	1,358
New York	$100,660	20,940	1.26×	22	913
Texas	$105,810	21,870	0.90×	14	748
Ohio	$103,050	10,280	1.08×	14	542
Tennessee	$100,140	4,800	0.85×	8	525
Florida	$101,040	16,290	0.95×	11	490
North Carolina	$99,910	7,350	0.86×	11	484
Missouri	$99,310	4,900	0.97×	8	464
Massachusetts	$103,790	6,850	1.09×	11	440
Illinois	$105,250	9,800	0.93×	8	359
Wisconsin	$101,840	5,580	1.10×	8	349
Virginia	$101,450	7,630	1.08×	9	338
Indiana	$101,560	6,130	1.11×	7	320
Michigan	$100,900	8,630	1.14×	7	318
Montanalimited	$91,450	1,180	1.35×	1	301
Georgia	$102,700	6,780	0.81×	7	300
Minnesota	$102,010	5,180	1.02×	5	290
Iowa	$97,560	2,530	0.95×	6	202
Connecticutmoderate	$104,360	4,060	1.39×	4	198
Kentuckymoderate	$100,710	3,390	0.98×	4	192
Nebraskamoderate	$97,090	2,140	1.22×	3	190
Alabama	$97,290	3,040	0.84×	5	187
Arkansas	$99,010	2,680	1.20×	5	169
South Carolinamoderate	$101,330	3,930	0.99×	4	163
Utahmoderate	$99,880	2,300	0.77×	3	163
Coloradolimited	$102,030	5,630	1.14×	2	162
Washington	$105,950	5,370	0.88×	5	159
New Jerseymoderate	$112,140	9,750	1.32×	4	154
Arizonalimited	$103,220	5,170	0.93×	2	148
Kansasmoderate	$98,290	2,660	1.07×	3	135
New Hampshirelimited	$99,850	1,960	1.67×	2	132
Oregonmoderate	$103,510	3,210	0.95×	3	126
North Dakotamoderate	$85,330	830	1.12×	3	125
Oklahomamoderate	$98,590	2,560	0.87×	3	107
Louisianamoderate	$98,530	3,280	0.99×	3	99
South Dakotalimited	$92,660	1,060	1.35×	2	99
Marylandlimited	$106,890	3,940	0.83×	2	98
Hawaiilimited	$101,700	950	0.88×	1	93
Nevadamoderate	$111,250	2,030	0.76×	3	93
Mainelimited	$99,720	1,860	1.69×	2	84
West Virginiamoderate	$96,600	1,310	1.08×	3	80
Mississippimoderate	$99,990	1,980	0.99×	4	74
Delawarelimited	$102,050	1,260	1.51×	1	57
Idahomoderate	$99,000	1,030	0.70×	3	54
District of Columbialimited	$101,640	610	0.50×	2	46
Vermontlimited	$97,970	760	1.45×	1	37
Rhode Islandlimited	$99,400	1,020	1.18×	1	35
New Mexicolimited	$106,880	1,330	0.89×	1	24

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

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.
Administer manual exercises, massage, or traction to help relieve pain, increase patient strength, or decrease or prevent deformity or crippling.
Obtain patients' informed consent to proposed interventions.

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0
Active Listening4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Speaking4.0
Writing3.9
Monitoring3.9
Learning Strategies3.1
Active Learning3.1

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.6
Therapy and Counseling4.6
Medicine and Dentistry4.6
Psychology4.1
Education and Training4.0
English Language4.0

Abilities

Oral Expression4.0
Written Comprehension4.0
Oral Comprehension4.0
Inductive Reasoning3.9
Deductive Reasoning3.9
Information Ordering3.9

Core activities

Assisting and Caring for Others4.7
Documenting/Recording Information4.7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.4
Getting Information4.4
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

eClinicalWorks EHR softwarehotMEDITECH softwarehotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft WordhotAdvantage Software Physical Therapy AdvantageBiometrics video game softwareCedaron Dexter Evaluation & Impairment RatingClinicient Insight

How to get in

How to become a Physical Therapist

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above

Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree

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).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 2 majors mapped to Physical Therapists2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

51.2308Physical Therapy/Therapist
51.2311Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

31-2021

Physical Therapist Assistants

$68,380112,430 jobs+22.0%

29-1229

Physicians, All Other

$265,930342,720 jobs+2.5%

29-1122

Occupational Therapists

$100,330162,450 jobs+13.8%

31-2022

Physical Therapist Aides

$35,24048,150 jobs+2.8%

31-2011

Occupational Therapy Assistants

$72,30051,290 jobs+19.2%

31-2012

Occupational Therapy Aides

$39,1604,310 jobs+2.5%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Physical Therapist?+

Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Physical Therapy/Therapist, which awarded 13,795 degrees in 2024-25, 99.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Physical Therapist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions. Together they graduate about 13,891 people a year.

How much do physical therapists earn?+

The median is $102,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $77,140 at the 10th percentile to $135,140 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for physical therapists growing?+

BLS projects a +10.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 13,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

282 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do physical therapists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Home Care Physical Therapist (Home Care PT), Inpatient Physical Therapist (Inpatient PT), Pediatric Physical Therapist (Pediatric PT) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1123.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Physical Therapists by stateCalifornia Pennsylvania New York Texas Ohio Tennessee Florida North Carolina Missouri Massachusetts Illinois Wisconsin

Programs that lead hereRehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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