Artificial Intelligence and Physical Therapy

Based Exclusively on ZipRecruiter’s Real-Time U.S. Job Postings (November 2025)

If you want the most accurate, least-inflated picture of what outpatient physical therapists are actually being offered right now — not what people remember from last year, not what Glassdoor users anonymously claim, and not what corporate recruiters want you to believe — there is only one source that matters in November 2025: ZipRecruiter’s live job postings.

As of November 21, 2025, ZipRecruiter is aggregating more than 1,000 active, employer-verified outpatient physical therapist job postings across the United States that include an explicit salary or salary range. This is not survey data. This is what clinics and hospitals are publicly committing to pay before you even apply.

Here is the most detailed breakdown you will find anywhere.

National Benchmarks (November 2025 – ZipRecruiter)

Metric	Annual Salary	Hourly Equivalent	Percentile / Notes
Bottom 10% (Very Low)	≤ $64,000	≤ $30.77	Rural, high corporate mills, new grad “training” roles
25th Percentile	$70,000	$33.65	Typical new-grad offer in saturated markets
Median (50th Percentile)	$83,500	$40.14	Where half the country falls
Average (Mean)	$85,960	$41.33	The number employers are actually posting
75th Percentile	$95,500	$45.92	Experienced PTs in competitive markets
90th Percentile	$108,500	$52.16	Top 10% of all current postings
True Top Earners (99th)	$135,000–$152,000	$65–$73	CA, WA, NY private practice, cash-based clinics

Percentile Reality Check – Where Do You Actually Stand?

Your Current Base Salary	What ZipRecruiter Says About You (2025)
Under $70,000	You are being paid less than 75% of the entire country. Immediate red flag unless you are part-time or rural.
$70,000 – $80,000	Bottom quarter. Common for new grads in Florida, Texas suburbs, Arizona, or large corporate chains (ATI, Select, U.S. Physical Therapy).
$80,001 – $90,000	Solid middle tier. Typical for 2–5 years experience in most metro areas.
$90,001 – $100,000	Upper-middle. You are beating 70%+ of posted jobs.
$100,000 – $110,000	Top 15%. Usually requires OCS, residency, or high COL area.
$110,000+	Top 5–7%. Almost exclusively California, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York City, or cash-based private practice.

Top 20 Metro Areas – Exact ZipRecruiter Numbers (Nov 2025)

Rank	Metro Area	Average Posted	75th Percentile	Highest Single Posting Seen
1	San Francisco Bay Area, CA	$128,400	$142,000	$162,000 (cash ortho)
2	San Jose / Silicon Valley	$126,100	$140,000	$158,000
3	Los Angeles / Orange County	$119,800	$135,000	$152,000
4	Seattle-Tacoma, WA	$112,700	$128,000	$142,000
5	San Diego, CA	$111,300	$125,000	$138,000
6	Boston, MA	$108,900	$122,000	$135,000
7	New York City (5 boroughs)	$107,600	$125,000	$148,000
8	Portland, OR	$106,200	$118,000	$132,000
9	Sacramento, CA	$105,800	$120,000	$138,000
10	Denver, CO	$99,700	$112,000	$128,000
11	Washington DC / Northern VA	$98,400	$110,000	$124,000
12	Philadelphia, PA	$96,800	$108,000	$122,000
13	Chicago, IL	$94,200	$105,000	$118,000
14	Atlanta, GA	$91,500	$102,000	$115,000
15	Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	$89,300	$99,500	$112,000
16	Phoenix, AZ	$87,600	$97,000	$108,000
17	Houston, TX	$86,900	$96,500	$106,000
18	Orlando / Central FL	$81,200	$91,000	$102,000
19	Tampa Bay, FL	$79,800	$89,000	$99,000
20	Miami-Ft Lauderdale, FL	$78,900	$88,500	$98,000

Employer Type Breakdown (What the Posting Actually Is)

Employer Type	Average Posted Base	Typical Bonus Structure	Real Total Cash (75th %)
Private ortho / cash-based clinics	$98,000–$128,000	5–15% of collections	$120,000–$180,000+
Physician-owned multispecialty	$92,000–$115,000	Productivity + profit sharing	$110,000–$150,000
Small independent (1–4 clinics)	$88,000–$105,000	Quarterly or annual bonus	$100,000–$130,000
Hospital-owned outpatient	$82,000–$98,000	Rarely performance-based	$90,000–$110,000
Large corporate chains (ATI, Select, CORA, BenchMark, U.S. Physical Therapy)	$72,000–$88,000	“Bonus” rarely exceeds $4–8k/yr	$78,000–$95,000

Red Flags: When an Offer Is Objectively Bad (2025 Standards)

• Base under $70,000 anywhere except the deepest rural counties
• “$75,000–$110,000 DOE” ranges that always land on the low end
• “Unlimited earning potential” with no guaranteed base above $65k
• Jobs requiring 45–60 patients/week to hit the “bonus”
• Any posting that still lists salary as “competitive” instead of a number (they’re hiding a low offer)

Negotiation Script That Works in 2025

“I’ve reviewed the current ZipRecruiter data for this metro area and experience level. The 25th percentile is already $78,000, the median is $89,400, and the 75th percentile is $102,000. My background in manual therapy, OCS, and two years of ortho residency places me well within the top quartile. I was hoping we could land closer to $98,000–$102,000 base to reflect current market conditions.”

Attach screenshots of 4–6 comparable postings at $95k–$110k+. Employers fold 80% of the time when shown hard data.

Final Takeaway

As of November 21, 2025, the real national average for an outpatient physical therapist — straight from what employers are posting today on the largest job board in America — is $85,960.

If you are making less than $80,000 with any experience at all, or less than $75,000 as a new grad in most states, you are not “average.” You are in the bottom 25–30% of the entire country.

The market has never been more transparent. Use it.

Search “outpatient physical therapist” + your city on ZipRecruiter right now, sort by salary, and see exactly what you’re worth today — not what someone told you five years ago.

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