How much does a PT make in Hawaii?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,740 for PTs in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $93,600 and the 75th-percentile is $114,820.

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

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 109.7 for Hawaii), the real-wage equivalent is $91,830 — what the $100,740 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $85,321 to $104,664.

How are Hawaii 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.

Where does Hawaii rank for PT pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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 Hawaii?

P10 to P90 spans $81,210 to $121,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

DPT degree ROI in Hawaii — does the salary justify $100K+ tuition?

BLS reports a Hawaii PT median in the table above; DPT programs typically run $80K-$150K in tuition plus 3 years of foregone earnings. ROI breakeven is usually 8-15 years post-graduation depending on starting compensation, specialty (orthopedic / neuro / cardiopulmonary), and clinical setting (outpatient vs hospital vs home health).

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

BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Hawaii, 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 Do Physical Therapists Make in Hawaii? $101K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

BLS reports Hawaii PT median pay at $100,740. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $91,830.
P25-P75 spread runs $93,600 to $114,820; P10 floor $81,210, P90 ceiling $121,760.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
PT ranking: #21 on the BLS table, #50 once cost of living is in.
Hawaii stays outside the PT Compact, so cross-state moves require a separate endorsement application.

Wage breakdown — Hawaii

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$81,210	$74,027
P25 (lower quartile)	$93,600	$85,321
P50 (median)	$100,740	$91,830
P75 (upper quartile)	$114,820	$104,664
P90 (top tier)	$121,760	$110,991
Mean	$100,900	$91,976
Employment	990 PTs in Hawaii

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Hawaii index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	109.7
Goods	110.3
Services	191.7
Rents	128.7

Hawaii is a high-cost state — RPP 109.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (128.7) and services (191.7).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$100,740	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,410	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$7,383	1.4–11% (12 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,707	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$72,240	71.7% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$65,851	÷ (109.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Hawaii carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (7.3% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 28.3%, leaving $72,240 pre-RPP and $65,851 after the 109.7 cost-of-living index — a $34,889 gap from the headline gross.

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. Hawaii sits at #21 on nominal pay and #50 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Hawaii falls 29 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Hawaii (PT Compact)

Hawaii is not currently a PT Compact member. PTs moving to Hawaii must apply for a Hawaii-specific license through endorsement; a Compact Privilege from another state is not sufficient. Endorsement fees and processing timelines are set by the Hawaii 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 Hawaii?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $100,740 for PTs in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $93,600 and the 75th-percentile is $114,820.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Hawaii?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 109.7 for Hawaii), the real-wage equivalent is $91,830 — what the $100,740 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $85,321 to $104,664.
How are Hawaii 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.
Where does Hawaii rank for PT pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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 Hawaii?: P10 to P90 spans $81,210 to $121,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
DPT degree ROI in Hawaii — does the salary justify $100K+ tuition?: BLS reports a Hawaii PT median in the table above; DPT programs typically run $80K-$150K in tuition plus 3 years of foregone earnings. ROI breakeven is usually 8-15 years post-graduation depending on starting compensation, specialty (orthopedic / neuro / cardiopulmonary), and clinical setting (outpatient vs hospital vs home health).
Outpatient vs hospital vs home-health PT pay in Hawaii?: BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Hawaii, 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.

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

Cross-comparison: see how Hawaii 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.