According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the mean annual salary of a physical therapist for May 2007 was $71,520, with those in the bottom 10% earning a mean annual salary of less than $48,530 and those in the top 10% earning a mean annual salary of more than $100,000. This job also has great expectations for growth, so it is likely that there should be no problems getting a job in this field if you have the qualifications.

There are many factors that can affect the salary range of a physical therapist, including the industry they work in, the location where they work, and the years of experience that they have. All of these things need to be considered when considering the income of a physical therapist.

The industries where the mean annual pay of a physical therapist is the highest are social advocacy organizations ($82,710), other amusement and recreation industries ($82,650), home health care services ($79,300), vocational rehabilitation services ($76,980), and employment services ($74,720). However, only one of these industries is among the top employers of physical therapists, and that is home health care services. The other industries among the top five physical therapist employers are offices of other health care professionals, general medical and surgical hospitals, nursing care facilities, and offices of physicians. It looks like the best chance of getting a job with a high salary for physical therapists is to work in the home health care services.

Although salaries vary by location, when you consider the salary range for physical therapy in different locations be sure to also consider the cost of living as well. With that said, the states with the highest pay for physical therapists are Nevada ($80,960), California ($78,940), Rhode Island ($78,430), New Jersey ($78,130), and Texas ($77,290). Rhode Island is also one of the states that employ the most physical therapists. The others are Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Experience definitely does make a difference in the income of a physical therapist. According to PayScale, the median annual salary for physical therapists with less than one year of experience is $53,586, while that of a physical therapist with 20 or more years of experience is $69,601. The longer you work as a physical therapist the higher your salary can go.

Those with higher levels of experience and higher levels of education are more likely to hold positions in management or positions with more responsibility, which in turn lead to the higher salary ranges for physical therapists. Louis Zhang, Certphysicaltherapist dot com