Insights
What Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists Earn in Every State
By Molly Salinas, licensed speech-language pathologist · September 2, 2026 · 6 min read
The table below lists the mean annual wage the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates for physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists in every state and the District of Columbia. They are occupational employment estimates for clinicians already working, not job offers, and they say nothing about what any single employer is paying this month. They do tell you where a given offer sits against the people already employed in that state, which is the question both sides of a hiring conversation actually want answered.
Nationally, physical therapists average $105,280, occupational therapists $101,280 and speech-language pathologists $98,170. State figures above those lines usually reflect cost of living or a supply gap; figures below them are worth reading next to the therapist counts on each state's page, because a low wage in a state with few therapists per capita is a different market from a low wage in a saturated one.
Suppressed cells show n/a: BLS withholds an estimate when the sample is too small to publish. Click any state for its full workforce, employer and licensure-compact picture.
| State | PT mean wage | OT mean wage | SLP mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $105,280 | $101,280 | $98,170 |
| Alabama | $100,190 | $95,760 | $78,780 |
| Alaska | $115,830 | $108,000 | $100,320 |
| Arizona | $107,360 | $104,960 | $100,270 |
| Arkansas | $98,120 | $104,940 | $90,490 |
| California | $122,580 | $121,920 | $118,600 |
| Colorado | $103,870 | $111,620 | $116,960 |
| Connecticut | $105,460 | $102,140 | $101,340 |
| Delaware | $108,470 | $105,190 | $105,380 |
| District of Columbia | $112,400 | $110,850 | $112,940 |
| Florida | $98,510 | $95,620 | $96,710 |
| Georgia | $103,240 | $101,460 | $93,470 |
| Hawaii | $101,050 | $100,280 | $91,660 |
| Idaho | $96,830 | $100,000 | $87,060 |
| Illinois | $109,080 | $99,570 | $92,660 |
| Indiana | $102,240 | $96,090 | $92,290 |
| Iowa | $94,780 | $89,720 | $83,760 |
| Kansas | $95,540 | $96,150 | $82,760 |
| Kentucky | $99,190 | $95,450 | $89,180 |
| Louisiana | $97,250 | $92,940 | $77,000 |
| Maine | $97,950 | $87,900 | $83,690 |
| Maryland | $110,700 | $106,300 | $98,070 |
| Massachusetts | $106,900 | $99,730 | $101,890 |
| Michigan | $100,630 | $89,150 | $88,650 |
| Minnesota | $102,240 | $91,450 | $87,670 |
| Mississippi | $96,850 | $93,430 | $78,570 |
| Missouri | $98,700 | $95,200 | $89,040 |
| Montana | $93,440 | $92,310 | $80,780 |
| Nebraska | $95,890 | $91,620 | $87,030 |
| Nevada | $120,700 | $112,290 | $103,870 |
| New Hampshire | $98,420 | $89,080 | $88,460 |
| New Jersey | $114,550 | $110,150 | $109,510 |
| New Mexico | $110,060 | $101,800 | $102,370 |
| New York | $102,740 | $97,650 | $107,700 |
| North Carolina | $100,010 | $91,360 | $88,640 |
| North Dakota | $92,480 | $87,670 | $75,980 |
| Ohio | $102,740 | $97,390 | $93,140 |
| Oklahoma | $97,520 | $104,370 | $87,230 |
| Oregon | $106,510 | $112,000 | $106,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $101,650 | $98,460 | $93,720 |
| Rhode Island | $102,520 | $99,380 | $103,850 |
| South Carolina | $98,100 | $97,180 | $89,950 |
| South Dakota | $93,200 | $88,150 | $73,310 |
| Tennessee | $98,260 | $95,080 | $85,050 |
| Texas | $109,270 | $107,630 | $99,460 |
| Utah | $99,790 | $97,210 | $90,630 |
| Vermont | $95,870 | $92,960 | $86,040 |
| Virginia | $104,070 | $102,130 | $99,590 |
| Washington | $108,550 | $110,100 | $107,610 |
| West Virginia | $96,880 | $95,810 | $88,180 |
| Wisconsin | $102,210 | $91,150 | $85,550 |
| Wyoming | $99,480 | $90,790 | $89,350 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates. Mean annual wage, all industries.
For an employer, the practical use is simple: if the offer you are about to make sits below your state's median for the discipline, the vacancy is going to explain itself, and no recruiter can talk a good clinician into a below-market job for long. For a therapist, it is the number to have in hand before the pay conversation starts.
