Physical Therapists: Survey Insights from the State of the Profession Guide

Here’s a snapshot from our 2024 State of the Therapies Guide: Insights from the Rehabilitation Professionals. 

Physical therapists are a growing profession, with job opportunities expected to increase 15% between 2023 and 2033. As of 2023, there were 246,800 physical therapists working in the United States. Physical therapists may work in various settings, from hospitals to athletic departments.  

Download the 2024 State of the Rehabilitation Therapies Guide

Demographics 

The PTs included in our survey come from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, specialties, and years of experience. 

Of all survey respondents, 54.4% report being women and 22.9% report being men. 21.2% prefer not to disclose their gender. Most respondents are White/Caucasian, while a small percentage (5.1%) are Asian/Pacific Islander and (3.1%) Hispanic.  

Respondents were between 35 and 74 years old at the time of the survey.  

Employment profile 

According to the Journal of Physical Therapy Education, physical therapy ranks in the top 20% of jobs in the United States for work satisfaction. This was reflected in our survey results, where at least 63% of respondents reported feeling at least somewhat satisfied in their current role.  

Physical therapists working in home health reported feeling the most job satisfaction, with 51% feeling somewhat satisfied in their role, and 26% feeling extremely satisfied. When measured by experience, those with more than 40 years in the field reported the most job satisfaction, with 17% reporting feeling somewhat satisfied with their role, and an impressive 49% reporting feeling extremely satisfied.   

While still high, the lowest satisfaction rates were reported by physical therapists working in the inpatient setting. 22% of these physical therapists reported feeling extremely satisfied in their role, and 41% reported feeling somewhat satisfied.  

Despite high job satisfaction rates, most physical therapists report feeling concerned about the state of the profession. Of our respondents, 79% reported feeling either somewhat or extremely concerned about the current state of the profession.  

Concerns and challenges to the physical therapy profession 

Most of the concerns had to do with educational systems and healthcare organizations focusing too much on things like reimbursement rates and politics and too little on patient care. One survey respondent stated, “Every doctorate seems to mostly orient towards research or teaching and much less to patient care.” Another complained that the profession had “too much emphasis on sports med/rehabbing athletes [and a] lack of emphasis on helping those with chronic conditions.”  

In addition, Medicare has recently begun making cuts to reimbursement rates for physical therapy services. This forces healthcare organizations to increase patient loads for physical therapists, delay pay raises, or even eliminate physical therapy services for some patients.  

These problems contribute to burnout among physical therapists across all levels of experience and work settings. Overall, 70.3% of our survey respondents reported experiencing burnout in the last 12-18 months. The highest levels of burnout were reported in physical therapists with less than 9 years of experience (79%) and those working in home health (77%).   

Poor staffing is one of the most common causes of burnout among healthcare professionals. Physical therapy seems to follow this trend, with 48% stating that their workplace is not efficiently staffed.  

Salary Guide 

Our survey respondents reported earning between $60,000 and $87,000 at the time of the survey. At that time, just under 50% reported receiving a pay raise within the last year.  

According to the BLS, physical therapists in the United States earn $99,710 per year, or $47.94 per hour, on average. Those working in home health typically earn the most, while those working in outpatient offices earn the least.  

Physical therapists often earn more than those in other types of therapy, but their education requirements are higher. In our survey, as many as 46% report feeling dissatisfied with their current salary. Decreasing reimbursement rates can compound this problem of relatively low pay compared to the educational and licensing requirements.  

While physical therapists do earn a decent living, many struggle to pay off student loans. Unfortunately, the high cost of a Doctorate in Physical Therapy programs is a huge barrier for many who would love to become physical therapists. Students in the United States can spend up to $217,000 to complete their physical therapy program.  

To help with the high cost of physical therapists' schooling, legislatures have introduced the Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act.  

“This bill would allow PTs to participate in the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program, an initiative that repays up to $50,000 in outstanding student loans to certain health care professionals who agree to work for at least two years in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area.”