Physical Therapists in Pennsylvania
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$77,038
after federal, FICA and Pennsylvania tax
Tax takes
$24,342
24.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$79,014
Pennsylvania costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Pennsylvania — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$101,380
Kept after tax
$77,038
Worth in national money
$79,014
State rank
24
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Pennsylvania pays physical therapists around $101,380 at the midpoint, 24 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Pennsylvania. It ranks 54 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- No great distortion either way. Pennsylvania costs about what the country costs, so from $101,380, take-home of $77,038 is worth roughly $79,014 in national money. The average comes to $101,650, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- For physical therapists the Pennsylvania median is $101,380, ranking 24 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Within Pennsylvania, physical therapists ranks 54 of 492 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Price parity in Pennsylvania is near the national base, so for physical therapists, whose median is $101,380, the adjusted figure of $79,014 differs little from $77,038 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $101,650 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Physical Therapists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $76,960 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $101,380 |
| Top tenth earn over | $127,060 |
| This salary | $101,380 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Pennsylvania | $77,038 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $80,151 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$3,467 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $96,956 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$4,789 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of physical therapists in Pennsylvania earn under $101,380 and half over. The published range runs $76,960 at the tenth percentile to $127,060 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Pennsylvania the take-home figure of $77,038, from $101,380, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 54 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $79,014 uses one figure for the whole of Pennsylvania. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 54.
- Figures are distribution medians for physical therapists in Pennsylvania, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $76,960 to $127,060; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Pennsylvania is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $77,038 from $101,380. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 54 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $79,014, worked from $101,380, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Pennsylvania address, on work sitting at 54 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $76,960 at the bottom tenth to $127,060 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Pennsylvania sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $79,014 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Pennsylvania's own levy, $77,038 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($76,960 to $127,060) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Pennsylvania rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Pennsylvania's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $79,014 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $77,038 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Pennsylvania income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.