Salary data · California

Physical therapist salary in California

Physical therapists in California earn a mean of $122,580 a year and a median of $124,190, 16.4% above the national mean of $105,280. That ranks 1st of the 51 states with a published estimate.

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$122,580

Mean annual wage

about $59 an hour

$124,190

Median annual wage

1st of 51

State rank

by mean wage

26,580

PTs employed

BLS estimate

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates. These are estimates for physical therapists already employed in California, not offers; the hourly figure divides the annual mean by 2,080 hours. Setting, specialty and caseload move an individual offer well above or below them. Updated October 22, 2026.

By metro

Physical therapist pay by metro in California

Metro estimates from the same survey, highest mean first. Each city links to its full therapy workforce page.

Metro	Mean	Median	Employed
San Francisco	$145,040	$141,980	3,140
Sacramento	$128,040	$131,430	1,610
Riverside	$121,540	$120,110	2,240
Los Angeles	$115,890	$108,170	9,750
San Diego	$114,510	$113,850	2,680

Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan estimates. Suppressed cells show n/a.

The market

How many physical therapists work in California

23,041 physical therapists hold an active individual NPI with a practice address in California, 58.5 per 100,000 residents, and 1,275 new ones enrolled in the last twelve months. A high wage with few clinicians per capita usually means employers are competing for people; a low one in a crowded market means the opposite.

Source: NPPES monthly file, October 2026 (CMS, public domain), as of October 2026.

Licensed in another state?

California is not a member of the PT Compact: physical therapists and physical therapist assistants licensed in another state need a full California license before starting.

How the PT Compact works →How to get a California license, step by step →

Open roles

PT openings in California

No public PT listing in California right now. Most of our searches are confidential and never posted, so tell us what you want and we will match you quietly.

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