How Much Does a Physical Therapist Make in New York in 2026?

A typical Physical Therapist in New York earns about $48.39 per hour, or $100,660 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). Calculated from that annual figure, pay works out to roughly $8,388 a month and $1,936 a week. Those figures sit in the middle of the state's pay range for the profession, with plenty of variation by city and experience.

Nationally, Physical Therapists earn a typical $102,760 a year, so New York runs about 2% below the national figure. The state ranks 29th among 51 states and jurisdictions tracked for this occupation. Around 20,940 Physical Therapists work in New York, a workforce large enough to support pay comparisons across the state's cities and regions.

Entry-level positions in New York typically offer around $35.37 an hour, or about $73,580 a year, for Physical Therapists just starting out. Pay tends to move toward the state's typical $100,660 within the first several years on the job. New graduates should expect starting offers closer to the lower figure rather than the typical one.

Experienced Physical Therapists in New York often earn upwards of $121,270 a year, and the top 10% make over $136,120. That leaves a spread of $62,540 between entry-level and top pay in the state. Setting, years of experience, and city all play a part in where an individual PT lands within that range.

New York's typical Physical Therapist pay rose from $81,700 in 2015 to $100,660 in 2025, a gain of $18,960 over the decade. That amounts to a 23% increase in typical pay over ten years. The rise was steady rather than sudden, building year over year rather than in one jump.

Nationally, typical pay for the profession rose 22% over the same ten years, so New York's climb kept pace with the country as a whole. Pay for Physical Therapists in the state has moved up consistently rather than stalling. Someone entering the field now starts from a higher point than someone who started in 2015, though future gains are not guaranteed.

Pay runs highest in the New York City metro area, where Physical Therapists earn $107,650 a year, about 7% above the statewide figure. Ithaca follows at $101,290 a year, and Binghamton at $99,670, both still above the state figure. These figures cover each city's full metro area, not just the city center.

Rochester pays the least among the state's metro areas, with a typical $83,070 a year for Physical Therapists, a spread of $24,580 between the highest and lowest metro areas in New York. The New York City metro also has the largest Physical Therapist workforce in the state, with about 21,240 employed there. Higher pay in costlier metro areas usually tracks the higher cost of living in those places.

Among New York's neighbors, New Jersey pays the most for Physical Therapists, at $112,140 a year, about 11% higher than New York's figure. Connecticut ($104,360), Massachusetts ($103,790), and Pennsylvania ($101,380) also pay somewhat more, while Vermont pays less, at $97,970. Physical therapy licenses can often be transferred or endorsed between neighboring states, so a change of address does not always mean starting the licensing process from scratch.

Physical Therapists in New York typically earn $100,660 a year, up 23% over the past decade from $81,700 in 2015. Pay varies by city and experience across the state. Readers weighing a move or a new role should check the state licensing or registry page for requirements, and the city pages on this site for local figures, before deciding where to practice.