National Salary Info » Physical Therapists

Highest Paying Industries for Physical Therapists

The top 76 highest paying industries for physical therapists (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment in those industries are also shown. As shown in the table, with an average annual salary of $89,310, home health care services is the highest paying industry for physical therapists. It is followed by nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) industry (average annual salary $89,130). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2015 [1]. For more information about salaries of physical therapists in a specific industry, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 76 Highest Paying Industries for Physical Therapists

Rank	Industry	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Home Health Care Services	$89,310	$61,140	24,740
2	Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	$89,130	$64,230	12,460
3	Nursing and Residential Care Facilities	$88,930	$63,490	14,520
4	Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	$88,650	$61,740	1,650
5	Temporary Help Services	$86,500	$51,770	2,600
6	Specialty hospitals - Privately owned	$83,830	$59,050	6,690
7	Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	$83,690	$59,260	6,880
8	Employment Services	$83,640	$47,900	3,720
9	Hospitals - Privately owned	$83,570	$62,410	50,280
10	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Privately owned	$83,530	$62,790	43,510
11	Administrative and Support Services	$83,500	$48,030	3,770
12	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$83,500	$48,030	3,770
13	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	$83,400	$62,760	50,190
14	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities	$83,380	$44,520	230
15	Hospitals (including private, state, and local government hospitals)	$83,380	$62,320	57,310
16	Other schools and instruction - Privately owned	$83,180	$65,190	n/a
17	Other Schools and Instruction	$83,180	$65,190	n/a
18	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - Local government owned	$83,090	$62,600	5,370
19	Hospitals - Local government owned	$83,090	$62,660	5,470
20	Health Care and Social Assistance	$82,920	$57,600	184,890
21	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - Privately owned	$82,600	$50,260	80
22	Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities	$82,160	$41,730	360
23	All Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$82,160	$55,630	290
24	Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	$82,160	$55,630	290
25	Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$82,070	$53,550	930
26	Offices of Physicians	$81,630	$57,690	11,040
27	Ambulatory Health Care Services	$81,610	$55,170	111,200
28	Child Day Care Services	$81,460	$53,400	280
29	Outpatient Care Centers	$81,020	$56,390	3,460
30	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$80,460	$36,870	670
31	General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - State government owned	$80,230	$62,200	1,310
32	Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities	$80,040	$44,310	920
33	Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities	$79,900	$40,560	120
34	Social Assistance	$79,790	$47,280	1,860
35	Federal government, including USPS	$79,720	$68,050	1,960
36	Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	$79,720	$68,050	1,960
37	Individual and Family Services	$79,650	$46,400	1,360
38	Federal, State, and Local Government (OES Designation)	$79,570	$58,090	3,450
39	Federal, State, and Local Government	$79,570	$58,090	3,450
40	Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	$79,130	$54,210	69,840
41	Offices of Other Health Practitioners	$79,020	$53,670	71,520
42	Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	$78,960	$52,410	620
43	Vocational Rehabilitation Services	$78,540	$43,630	220
44	Hospitals - State government owned	$78,450	$53,590	1,560
45	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - Privately owned	$78,190	$46,010	160
46	Colleges, universities, and professional schools - State government owned	$78,180	$51,530	390
47	Offices of All Other Health Practitioners	$77,620	$50,510	700
48	Public sector -- Federal, state, and local government, including government owned schools and hospit	$77,570	$53,380	16,780
49	Educational Services - State government owned	$76,910	$50,790	440
50	Local government, including schools and hospitals	$76,870	$52,880	12,250
51	State government, including schools and hospitals	$76,570	$49,430	2,560
52	Specialty hospitals - State government owned	$76,450	$63,880	90
53	Educational Services - Privately owned	$75,550	$50,070	1,120
54	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$75,330	$58,000	170
55	Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	$74,900	$56,450	150
56	Educational Support Services	$74,330	$49,680	210
57	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Privately owned	$74,060	$49,600	870
58	Educational Support Services - Local government owned	$73,440	$49,710	190
59	Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations	$71,850	$53,690	30
60	Educational Services	$71,800	$49,140	7,410
61	State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation)	$71,190	$46,580	560
62	Elementary and Secondary Schools	$71,050	$48,820	6,490
63	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$70,960	$43,900	170
64	Educational Services - Local government owned	$70,950	$48,870	5,850
65	Elementary and Secondary Schools - Local government owned	$70,730	$48,740	5,590
66	Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers	$70,130	$26,480	210
67	Other Residential Care Facilities	$70,000	$35,030	50
68	Elementary and Secondary Schools - State government owned	$68,600	$38,030	40
69	Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	$68,170	$43,280	140
70	Other Amusement and Recreation Industries	$68,170	$43,280	140
71	Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries	$68,170	$43,280	140
72	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals	$68,010	$29,370	250
73	Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)	$67,650	$25,790	150
74	Offices of Chiropractors	$63,070	$28,850	820
75	Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	$50,910	$33,630	160
76	Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals - State government owned	$47,670	$27,300	160