What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Virginia?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.3 for Virginia), the real-wage equivalent is $99,387 — what the $100,710 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $81,476 to $115,700.

What does the top of the PT pay scale look like in Virginia?

The 90th percentile lands at $129,440. 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 $117,240.

How many PTs does Virginia employ?

BLS OES counts 6,700 PTs employed in Virginia in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Virginia rank for PT pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Virginia 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.

Is Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?

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

How much can a travel PT earn in Virginia?

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.

Virginia Physical Therapist Salary: BLS $101K Median, Real $99K (2026)

TL;DR

Physical Therapists in Virginia earn a BLS median of $100,710, with real take-home of $99,387 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Bottom quartile $82,560, top quartile $117,240. The P90 ($129,440) is roughly 1.7× the P10 ($75,830).
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #39 of 51; nominal rank is #22.
PT Compact participation in Virginia lowers the cost and timeline of multi-state work for licensed PTs.

Wage breakdown — Virginia

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$75,830	$74,834
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,560	$81,476
P50 (median)	$100,710	$99,387
P75 (upper quartile)	$117,240	$115,700
P90 (top tier)	$129,440	$127,740
Mean	$102,990	$101,637
Employment	6,700 PTs in Virginia

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Virginia index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.3
Goods	101.1
Services	92.4
Rents	105.6

Virginia's overall RPP (101.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (PT)	$100,710	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,403	13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,045	2–5.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,704	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$74,558	74.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$73,579	÷ (101.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Virginia state-tax burden means for PT take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $74,558 (74.0% of gross). After the 101.3 RPP, real take-home is $73,579.

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. Virginia sits at #22 on nominal pay and #39 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Virginia falls 17 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Licensure — Virginia (PT Compact)

Virginia 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 Virginia without separately applying for a Virginia license. Virginia 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.

Virginia 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 Virginia 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

What is the real (cost-adjusted) PT salary in Virginia?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 101.3 for Virginia), the real-wage equivalent is $99,387 — what the $100,710 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $81,476 to $115,700.
What does the top of the PT pay scale look like in Virginia?: The 90th percentile lands at $129,440. 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 $117,240.
How many PTs does Virginia employ?: BLS OES counts 6,700 PTs employed in Virginia in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Virginia rank for PT pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Virginia 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.
Is Virginia a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for PTs?: No — Virginia's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty 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.
How much can a travel PT earn in Virginia?: 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 Virginia 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.