Physical therapists

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Total Workforce

247k

Average Age

40.6

Estimated Job Growth

28%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$70,850

Average Male Salary

$85,284

Average Female Salary

$63,619

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Physical therapists are most often employed by the Outpatient care centers industry. The average yearly wage for Physical therapists was $70,850 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Physical therapists by wage are Biological scientists, Psychologists, and Audiologists.

Physical therapists are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, Physicians & surgeons, Physician assistants, Podiatrists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, Radiation therapists, Recreational therapists, Respiratory therapists, Speechlanguage pathologists, Other therapists, including exercise physiologists, Veterinarians, Registered nurses, Nurse anesthetists, Audiologists, Health diagnosing & treating practitioners, all other, Nurse practitioners & nurse midwives, Clinical laboratory technologists & technicians, Dental hygienists, Diagnostic related technologists & technicians, Emergency medical technicians & paramedics, Health practitioner support technologists & technicians, Licensed practical & licensed vocational nurses, Medical records & health information technicians, Opticians, dispensing, Miscellaneous health technologists & technicians, and Other healthcare practitioners & technical Occupations

Photo by COD Newsroom

Management, business, science, & arts occupationsHealthcare 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 Middlesex (Far Southwest), Norfolk (Northwest) & Worcester (Far East) Counties PUMA, MA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$70,850

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,428

In 2017, Physical therapists earned an average of $70,850, $18,785 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Biological scientists make somewhat more than Physical therapists while Psychologists 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

0.297

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Physical therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.297, 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

  1. Beaches & Merritt Island PUMA, FL

  2. Costa Mesa & Fountain Valley Cities PUMA, CA

  3. Greater Newburgh City PUMA, NY

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

  1. Boulder City PUMA, CO

  2. Middlesex (Far Southwest), Norfolk (Northwest) & Worcester (Far East) Counties PUMA, MA

  3. Winnebago (Northeast) & Boone Counties PUMA, IL

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, 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, and Child day care services.

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Industries by Share

247k

2017 Workforce

± 12,197

1.97%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.88%

The number of people employed as Physical therapists has been growing at a rate of 1.97%, from 242,440 people in 2016 to 247,225 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Physical therapists employed by various industries. Outpatient care centers employs the largest share of Physical therapists at  41.1%, followed by Hospitals with 28.8% and Home health care services with 9.37%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Physical therapists in the US. The average age of male Physical therapists in the workforce is 40.5 and of female Physical therapists is 40.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Physical therapists is White.

Gender Composition

82.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 7,050

165k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 9,959

66.6% 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

  1. White

  2. Asian

  3. Black

81.7% of Physical therapists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 11.6% of Physical therapists, Asian 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

40.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.95

40.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.707

The median age of Physical therapists is 40.6, and Male employees are generally 0.177 years younger 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

  1. Health

  2. Biology

  3. Parks, Recreation, & Leisure

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Parks, Recreation, & Leisure

  2. Health

  3. Biology

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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.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Physical therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Physical therapists are expected to see a growth of 28% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

28%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Physical therapists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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