How much does a PT make in Colorado?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,240 for PTs in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,920 and the 75th-percentile is $113,050.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.9 for Colorado), the real-wage equivalent is $98,413 — what the $100,240 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $81,409 to $110,990.

How are Colorado PT salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the PT pay scale look like in Colorado?

The 90th percentile lands at $127,870. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $113,050.

What are the limits of these PT salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

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.

How much can a travel PT earn in Colorado?

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.

Colorado Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $100K Median, Real $98K (2026)

TL;DR

Colorado pays PTs a BLS median of $100,240 — the more useful number is $98,413, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Quartile range $82,920 (bottom 25%) to $113,050 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $70,070 to $127,870.
Colorado is a PT Compact member: cross-state practice via Compact Privilege rather than full re-licensure.
Nominal: #26/51 · Real: #40/51 — ranking shifts by 14 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Colorado

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$70,070	$68,793
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,920	$81,409
P50 (median)	$100,240	$98,413
P75 (upper quartile)	$113,050	$110,990
P90 (top tier)	$127,870	$125,540
Mean	$100,430	$98,600
Employment	5,430 PTs in Colorado

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Colorado index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.9
Goods	99.2
Services	86.8
Rents	130.5

Colorado's overall RPP (101.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$100,240	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,300	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,718	4.4% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,668	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,554	75.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$74,178	÷ (101.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,554 (75.4% of gross). After the 101.9 RPP, real take-home is $74,178.

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. Colorado sits at #26 on nominal pay and #40 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Colorado falls 14 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Colorado (PT Compact)

Colorado 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 Colorado without separately applying for a Colorado license. Colorado 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.

Colorado 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

How much does a PT make in Colorado?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,240 for PTs in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,920 and the 75th-percentile is $113,050.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Colorado?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.9 for Colorado), the real-wage equivalent is $98,413 — what the $100,240 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $81,409 to $110,990.
How are Colorado PT salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the PT pay scale look like in Colorado?: The 90th percentile lands at $127,870. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $113,050.
What are the limits of these PT salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
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.
How much can a travel PT earn in Colorado?: 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 Colorado 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.