Physical Therapist · Nebraska · SOC 29-1123
Physical Therapists in Nebraska: 2026 Salary, Real Wage, and Cost-Adjusted Pay
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- $96,540 is the BLS median wage for PTs in Nebraska; $106,925 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
- Quartile range $79,730 (bottom 25%) to $103,880 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $76,140 to $115,310.
- Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $10,385.
- PT ranking: #43 on the BLS table, #19 once cost of living is in.
- Nebraska participates in the PT Compact — physical therapists with a Compact Privilege can practice across Nebraska without a separate license.
Wage breakdown — Nebraska
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $76,140 | $84,330 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $79,730 | $88,306 |
| P50 (median) | $96,540 | $106,925 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $103,880 | $115,054 |
| P90 (top tier) | $115,310 | $127,714 |
| Mean | $93,510 | $103,569 |
| Employment | 2,380 PTs in Nebraska | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Nebraska index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 90.3 |
| Goods | 96.5 |
| Services | 79.4 |
| Rents | 74.3 |
Nebraska sits below the national baseline (RPP 90.3), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 74.3.
After-tax take-home — Nebraska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (PT) | $96,540 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$12,486 | 12.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$4,509 | 2.46–5.84% (graduated, 3.99% top by 2027) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,385 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $72,160 | 74.7% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $79,922 | ÷ (90.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Nebraska state-tax burden means for PT take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.7% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $72,160 (74.7% of gross). After the 90.3 RPP, real take-home is $79,922.
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. Nebraska sits at #43 on nominal pay and #19 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Nebraska climbs 24 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Licensure — Nebraska (PT Compact)
Nebraska 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 Nebraska without separately applying for a Nebraska license. Nebraska 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.
Nebraska 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 Nebraska?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $96,540 for PTs in Nebraska as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $79,730 and the 75th-percentile is $103,880.
- How are Nebraska 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 Nebraska?
- The 90th percentile lands at $115,310. 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 $103,880.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Nebraska 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. Nebraska's overall index of 90.3 reflects rents 74.3, services 79.4, and goods 96.5.
- How wide is the wage spread in Nebraska?
- P10 to P90 spans $76,140 to $115,310. 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 Nebraska?
- BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Nebraska, 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Nebraska 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.