Physical Therapist · Mississippi · SOC 29-1123
Mississippi Physical Therapist Salary — 2026 BLS + BEA RPP
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- $97,080 is the BLS median wage for PTs in Mississippi; $111,854 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
- Quartile range $80,300 (bottom 25%) to $107,090 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $66,050 to $121,350.
- Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $14,774 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
- Nominal: #39/51 · Real: #4/51 — ranking shifts by 35 positions after RPP.
- Mississippi is a PT Compact member: cross-state practice via Compact Privilege rather than full re-licensure.
Wage breakdown — Mississippi
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $66,050 | $76,101 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $80,300 | $92,520 |
| P50 (median) | $97,080 | $111,854 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $107,090 | $123,387 |
| P90 (top tier) | $121,350 | $139,817 |
| Mean | $95,090 | $109,561 |
| Employment | 2,070 PTs in Mississippi | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Mississippi index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 86.8 |
| Goods | 94.4 |
| Services | 83.5 |
| Rents | 54.9 |
Mississippi 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 54.9.
After-tax take-home — Mississippi (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (PT) | $97,080 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$12,605 | 13.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$3,391 | 4.0% above $10K (2026, HB 1733) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,427 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $73,658 | 75.9% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $84,867 | ÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Mississippi state-tax burden means for PT take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $73,658 (75.9% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $84,867.
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. Mississippi sits at #39 on nominal pay and #4 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Mississippi climbs 35 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Licensure — Mississippi (PT Compact)
Mississippi participates in the Physical Therapy Compact, with effective participation since 2017. PTs and PTAs with a Compact Privilege issued from another member state may practice in Mississippi without separately applying for a Mississippi license. Mississippi 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.
Mississippi has been a Compact participant for 9 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 Mississippi?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $97,080 for PTs in Mississippi as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $80,300 and the 75th-percentile is $107,090.
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Mississippi?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 86.8 for Mississippi), the real-wage equivalent is $111,854 — what the $97,080 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $92,520 to $123,387.
- How are Mississippi 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 Mississippi?
- The 90th percentile lands at $121,350. 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 $107,090.
- How many PTs does Mississippi employ?
- BLS OES counts 2,070 PTs employed in Mississippi in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- 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.
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 Mississippi 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.