Why is the BEA RPP for New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire's overall index of 105.4 reflects rents 114.5, services 156.2, and goods 100.0.

Where does New Hampshire rank for PT pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, New Hampshire 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.

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.

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

BLS reports a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?

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

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.

New Hampshire Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $97K Median, Real $92K (2026)

TL;DR

$97,200 is the BLS median wage for PTs in New Hampshire; $92,226 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Wage envelope: $72,460 (P10) to $115,410 (P90), with quartiles at $80,440 and $105,220.
New Hampshire is a PT Compact member: cross-state practice via Compact Privilege rather than full re-licensure.
State ranks #38 nationally on nominal wage, #48 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — New Hampshire

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$72,460	$68,752
P25 (lower quartile)	$80,440	$76,324
P50 (median)	$97,200	$92,226
P75 (upper quartile)	$105,220	$99,836
P90 (top tier)	$115,410	$109,504
Mean	$93,750	$88,953
Employment	1,610 PTs in New Hampshire

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Hampshire index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	105.4
Goods	100.0
Services	156.2
Rents	114.5

New Hampshire is a high-cost state — RPP 105.4 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (114.5) and services (156.2).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$97,200	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$12,631	13.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no tax on wage income (interest/dividends only, repealed 2027)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,436	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$77,133	79.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$73,186	÷ (105.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Hampshire state-tax burden means for PT take-home

New Hampshire levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $4,860 a year for a PT at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $73,186 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

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. New Hampshire sits at #38 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Hampshire falls 10 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — New Hampshire (PT Compact)

New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire without separately applying for a New Hampshire license. New Hampshire 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.

New Hampshire 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

Why is the BEA RPP for New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire's overall index of 105.4 reflects rents 114.5, services 156.2, and goods 100.0.
Where does New Hampshire rank for PT pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, New Hampshire 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.
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.
DPT degree ROI in New Hampshire — does the salary justify $100K+ tuition?: BLS reports a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?: BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across New Hampshire, 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 New Hampshire?: 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 New Hampshire 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.