How much does a PT make in New Jersey?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $106,310 for PTs in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $90,650 and the 75th-percentile is $125,830.

How are New Jersey 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 New Jersey?

The 90th percentile lands at $138,640. 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 $125,830.

Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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 Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.

Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?

No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New Jersey?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within New Jersey.

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.

New Jersey Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $106K Median, Real $98K (2026)

TL;DR

Median PT salary in New Jersey: $106,310 nominal, $97,585 real (BEA RPP basis).
P25-P75 spread runs $90,650 to $125,830; P10 floor $80,220, P90 ceiling $138,640.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #42 of 51; nominal rank is #3.
New Jersey is a PT Compact member: cross-state practice via Compact Privilege rather than full re-licensure.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$80,220	$73,636
P25 (lower quartile)	$90,650	$83,210
P50 (median)	$106,310	$97,585
P75 (upper quartile)	$125,830	$115,503
P90 (top tier)	$138,640	$127,262
Mean	$109,470	$100,486
Employment	7,760 PTs in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$106,310	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$14,635	13.8% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,646	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,133	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$78,896	74.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$72,421	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $78,896 (74.2% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $72,421.

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 Jersey sits at #3 on nominal pay and #42 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Jersey falls 39 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — New Jersey (PT Compact)

New Jersey 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 New Jersey without separately applying for a New Jersey license. New Jersey 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 Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $106,310 for PTs in New Jersey as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $90,650 and the 75th-percentile is $125,830.
How are New Jersey 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 New Jersey?: The 90th percentile lands at $138,640. 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 $125,830.
Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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 Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.
Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?: No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for New Jersey?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within New Jersey.
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.

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

Cross-comparison: see how New Jersey 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.