What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Arkansas?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Arkansas), the real-wage equivalent is $111,554 — what the $96,840 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $90,761 to $125,481.

Why is the BEA RPP for Arkansas 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. Arkansas's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 56.7, services 81.9, and goods 93.1.

Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $96,840 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $111,554. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for PTs comparing offers across regions.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?

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 Arkansas.

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 Arkansas?

BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Arkansas, 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.

How much can a travel PT earn in Arkansas?

Travel-PT weekly contracts in {state} typically run $1,800-$2,800 per week including stipends, depending on demand and metro. Annualized, that's well above the staff PT median, but the comparison must net out housing-stipend tax treatment, lack of benefits, and 401(k) accrual.

Arkansas Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $97K Median, Real $112K (2026)

TL;DR

Median PT salary in Arkansas: $96,840 nominal, $111,554 real (BEA RPP basis).
Low BEA RPP (86.8) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $14,714.
Bottom quartile $78,790, top quartile $108,930. The P90 ($129,260) is roughly 1.8× the P10 ($70,990).
PT Compact participation in Arkansas lowers the cost and timeline of multi-state work for licensed PTs.
Nominal: #41/51 · Real: #5/51 — ranking shifts by 36 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Arkansas

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$70,990	$81,776
P25 (lower quartile)	$78,790	$90,761
P50 (median)	$96,840	$111,554
P75 (upper quartile)	$108,930	$125,481
P90 (top tier)	$129,260	$148,900
Mean	$96,510	$111,174
Employment	2,740 PTs in Arkansas

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Arkansas index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	93.1
Services	81.9
Rents	56.7

Arkansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 56.7.

After-tax take-home — Arkansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$96,840	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,552	13.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,277	0–3.9% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,408	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$73,603	76.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$84,786	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Arkansas state-tax burden means for PT take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $73,603 (76.0% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $84,786.

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. Arkansas sits at #41 on nominal pay and #5 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Arkansas climbs 36 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Licensure — Arkansas (PT Compact)

Arkansas participates in the Physical Therapy Compact, with effective participation since 2018. PTs and PTAs with a Compact Privilege issued from another member state may practice in Arkansas without separately applying for a Arkansas license. Arkansas Compact Privilege fees are typically $45 per state per 1-year cycle (vs. $200–$400 + 60–90 days for traditional endorsement), making it the dominant pathway for travel PTs and multi-state telehealth practices.

Arkansas has been a Compact participant for 8 years as of 2026, putting it among the long-tenured members where the Compact pathway is the established norm at most employers and travel agencies.

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

What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Arkansas?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Arkansas), the real-wage equivalent is $111,554 — what the $96,840 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $90,761 to $125,481.
Why is the BEA RPP for Arkansas 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. Arkansas's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 56.7, services 81.9, and goods 93.1.
Is Arkansas a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $96,840 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $111,554. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for PTs comparing offers across regions.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Arkansas?: 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 Arkansas.
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 Arkansas?: BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Arkansas, 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.
How much can a travel PT earn in Arkansas?: Travel-PT weekly contracts in {state} typically run $1,800-$2,800 per week including stipends, depending on demand and metro. Annualized, that's well above the staff PT median, but the comparison must net out housing-stipend tax treatment, lack of benefits, and 401(k) accrual.

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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Arkansas 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.