How much does a PT make in Georgia?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,930 for PTs in Georgia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,990 and the 75th-percentile is $118,720.

How many PTs does Georgia employ?

BLS OES counts 5,480 PTs employed in Georgia in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Georgia rank for PT pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Georgia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Georgia?

P10 to P90 spans $76,450 to $131,030. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

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.

Outpatient vs hospital vs home-health PT pay in Georgia?

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

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.

Georgia Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $102K Median, Real $106K (2026)

TL;DR

Median PT salary in Georgia: $101,930 nominal, $105,634 real (BEA RPP basis).
Wage envelope: $76,450 (P10) to $131,030 (P90), with quartiles at $81,990 and $118,720.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Nominal: #14/51 · Real: #21/51 — ranking shifts by 7 positions after RPP.
Georgia participates in the PT Compact — physical therapists with a Compact Privilege can practice across Georgia without a separate license.

Wage breakdown — Georgia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$76,450	$79,228
P25 (lower quartile)	$81,990	$84,969
P50 (median)	$101,930	$105,634
P75 (upper quartile)	$118,720	$123,034
P90 (top tier)	$131,030	$135,791
Mean	$101,610	$105,302
Employment	5,480 PTs in Georgia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Georgia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	96.5
Goods	97.7
Services	92.3
Rents	88.3

Georgia's overall RPP (96.5) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$101,930	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,672	13.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,667	5.19% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,798	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,793	74.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$78,547	÷ (96.5 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,793 (74.4% of gross). After the 96.5 RPP, real take-home is $78,547.

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. Georgia sits at #14 on nominal pay and #21 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Georgia falls 7 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Georgia (PT Compact)

Georgia participates in the Physical Therapy Compact, with effective participation since 2019. PTs and PTAs with a Compact Privilege issued from another member state may practice in Georgia without separately applying for a Georgia license. Georgia 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.

Georgia has been a Compact participant for 7 years as of 2026, putting it in the established middle tier — most major hospital systems and travel agencies in Georgia have updated their credentialing workflows to accept Compact licenses by default.

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 Georgia?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,930 for PTs in Georgia as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $81,990 and the 75th-percentile is $118,720.
How many PTs does Georgia employ?: BLS OES counts 5,480 PTs employed in Georgia in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Georgia rank for PT pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Georgia ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Georgia?: P10 to P90 spans $76,450 to $131,030. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
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.
Outpatient vs hospital vs home-health PT pay in Georgia?: BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Georgia, 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 Georgia?: 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 Georgia 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.