How Much Does a Physical Therapist Make in Rhode Island in 2026?

A typical Physical Therapist in Rhode Island earns about $47.79 per hour, or $99,400 per year, according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $8,283 a month and $1,912 a week, based on the annual figure. Pay for individual therapists moves up or down from there depending on setting, experience, and location within the state.

That figure sits 3% below the national typical pay of $49.40 an hour ($102,760 a year), placing Rhode Island 37th out of 51 states and Washington D.C. Lower pay in Rhode Island tends to track a lower cost of living compared with nearby major metro areas. The state employs about 1,020 Physical Therapists, compared with 267,330 nationwide, a small slice of the profession relative to its population.

Entry-level positions for Physical Therapists in Rhode Island typically offer around $38.83 an hour, or about $80,770 a year, according to the same May 2025 wage data. New therapists usually start near this figure while building clinical experience and caseload. Within a few years, pay tends to move up toward the state's typical rate of $47.79 an hour. Setting plays a role, with hospitals and specialty clinics often starting therapists higher than smaller outpatient practices.

Experienced Physical Therapists in Rhode Island often earn upwards of $54.73 an hour, or around $113,840 a year, and the top 10% make over $60.28 an hour ($125,390 a year). That leaves a spread of about $44,620 between entry-level and top-tier pay across the state. The gap tends to reflect years of practice, work setting, and which city a therapist works in, with specialty and leadership roles landing at the higher end.

Rhode Island Physical Therapist pay has risen steadily over the past decade, climbing from $78,120 a year in 2015 to $99,400 a year in 2025. That's a gain of $21,280, or 27%, over ten years. Pay rose most sharply between 2019 and 2021, then leveled off before ticking down slightly in 2025 after peaking at $102,900 in 2024.

Nationally, Physical Therapist pay rose 22% over the same decade, meaning Rhode Island's climb outpaced the national trend by five percentage points. For someone entering the field now, that history shows pay has moved up over time, though it offers no guarantee of future increases. Local wage trends are worth checking again as new data is published each year.

Pay for Physical Therapists is fairly uniform across Rhode Island's tracked metro areas. Providence, whose metro area also covers Warwick, reports the state's typical pay at $100,290 a year ($48.22 an hour), just 1% above the statewide figure. This metro area also holds the state's largest Physical Therapist workforce, with about 1,440 professionals.

Warwick, part of the same Providence metro area, reports identical pay of $100,290 a year, leaving no measurable spread between the state's two tracked cities. Rhode Island's small size means most Physical Therapists work within commuting distance of the same labor market, so location within the state has little effect on pay. Cost of living in the Providence area, higher than in much of the country, factors into wages across the whole state.

Rhode Island's Physical Therapist pay trails both of its neighbors. Connecticut reports the highest typical pay in the region at $104,360 a year, 5% above Rhode Island's figure, while Massachusetts pays $103,790 a year, 4% higher. Both differences likely track higher costs of living in parts of those states. Physical Therapist licensure earned in Rhode Island can often be endorsed into a neighboring state, though requirements vary and should be confirmed with that state's licensing board.

Physical Therapists in Rhode Island typically earn $99,400 a year, a figure that has climbed 27% over the past decade after tracking slightly below the national rate. Pay stays fairly consistent across the state's Providence-Warwick metro area, with modest differences from neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts. Readers considering the profession in Rhode Island can check the state licensing board for requirements and review city-level pages for local pay figures before making a decision.