Physical Therapist · Alaska · SOC 29-1123
2026 Physical Therapist Pay in Alaska: BLS Median + Real Take-Home
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Physical Therapists in Alaska earn a BLS median of $108,640, with real take-home of $105,172 after BEA RPP adjustment.
- Bottom quartile $101,240, top quartile $127,020. The P90 ($135,610) is roughly 1.6× the P10 ($87,080).
- BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
- Nominal: #2/51 · Real: #22/51 — ranking shifts by 20 positions after RPP.
- Alaska stays outside the PT Compact, so cross-state moves require a separate endorsement application.
Wage breakdown — Alaska
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $87,080 | $84,301 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $101,240 | $98,009 |
| P50 (median) | $108,640 | $105,172 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $127,020 | $122,966 |
| P90 (top tier) | $135,610 | $131,282 |
| Mean | $113,190 | $109,577 |
| Employment | 600 PTs in Alaska | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Alaska index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 103.3 |
| Goods | 103.7 |
| Services | 113.3 |
| Rents | 96.7 |
Alaska's overall RPP (103.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Alaska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (PT) | $108,640 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$15,148 | 13.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | $0 | no state income tax |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,311 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $85,181 | 78.4% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $82,462 | ÷ (103.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Alaska state-tax burden means for PT take-home
Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $5,432 a year for a PT at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $82,462 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.
Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).
National context
Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $101,020 for PTs with mean pay of $102,400 and total employment of 248,630. Alaska sits at #2 on nominal pay and #22 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Alaska falls 20 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Licensure — Alaska (PT Compact)
Alaska is not currently a PT Compact member. PTs moving to Alaska must apply for a Alaska-specific license through endorsement; a Compact Privilege from another state is not sufficient. Endorsement fees and processing timelines are set by the Alaska Board of Physical Therapy.
Legislative status (2026-05): No active PT Compact legislation.
Source: ptcompact.org state status — re-synced quarterly. See PT Compact reciprocity hub for the cross-state matrix and changelog for status changes.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a PT make in Alaska?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $108,640 for PTs in Alaska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $101,240 and the 75th-percentile is $127,020.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Alaska different from a single CPI number?
- BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Alaska's overall index of 103.3 reflects rents 96.7, services 113.3, and goods 103.7.
- How wide is the wage spread in Alaska?
- P10 to P90 spans $87,080 to $135,610. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is Alaska a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?
- No — Alaska's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Alaska?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Alaska.
- When does this data update?
- BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
- Outpatient vs hospital vs home-health PT pay in Alaska?
- BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Alaska, hospital-based PTs typically lead on hourly rate, home-health PTs lead on per-visit productivity bonuses, and outpatient orthopedic clinics fall in the middle. Travel-PT contracts can substantially exceed all staff settings during demand spikes.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 29-1123, 2024 reference period.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
- Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
- See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.
Cross-comparison: see how Alaska PT pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.