Physical Therapist · Pennsylvania · SOC 29-1123
Physical Therapists in Pennsylvania: 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
- Headline PT pay in Pennsylvania is $99,570. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $102,228.
- Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
- Wage envelope: $74,000 (P10) to $125,810 (P90), with quartiles at $82,570 and $110,550.
- Pennsylvania is a PT Compact member: cross-state practice via Compact Privilege rather than full re-licensure.
- State ranks #28 nationally on nominal wage, #28 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Wage breakdown — Pennsylvania
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $74,000 | $75,975 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $82,570 | $84,774 |
| P50 (median) | $99,570 | $102,228 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $110,550 | $113,501 |
| P90 (top tier) | $125,810 | $129,168 |
| Mean | $98,830 | $101,468 |
| Employment | 11,100 PTs in Pennsylvania | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Pennsylvania index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.4 |
| Goods | 98.4 |
| Services | 118.3 |
| Rents | 85.8 |
Pennsylvania's overall RPP (97.4) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Pennsylvania (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (PT) | $99,570 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$13,152 | 13.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$3,057 | 3.07% flat (+ local 0.5-3.9% Philly/Pgh) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,617 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $75,744 | 76.1% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $77,766 | ÷ (97.4 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Pennsylvania state-tax burden means for PT take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,744 (76.1% of gross). After the 97.4 RPP, real take-home is $77,766. Local-tax overlay: Philadelphia residents pay 3.75% city wage tax; Pittsburgh ~3% combined city + school. Subtract roughly $3,485/year if PHL-based.
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. Pennsylvania sits at #28 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.
Licensure — Pennsylvania (PT Compact)
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania without separately applying for a Pennsylvania license. Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $99,570 for PTs in Pennsylvania as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $82,570 and the 75th-percentile is $110,550.
- How are Pennsylvania 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.
- How many PTs does Pennsylvania employ?
- BLS OES counts 11,100 PTs employed in Pennsylvania in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Pennsylvania 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. Pennsylvania's overall index of 97.4 reflects rents 85.8, services 118.3, and goods 98.4.
- How wide is the wage spread in Pennsylvania?
- P10 to P90 spans $74,000 to $125,810. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- Is Pennsylvania a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?
- No — Pennsylvania's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Outpatient vs hospital vs home-health PT pay in Pennsylvania?
- BLS does not segment PT pay by setting. In practice across Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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.