How Much Does a Physical Therapist Make in Vermont in 2026?

A typical Physical Therapist in Vermont earns about $47.10 per hour ($97,970 per year), according to the latest government wage data (May 2025). That works out to roughly $8,164 a month and $1,884 a week, both calculated from the annual figure. Pay varies by setting, employer, and years of experience, but this figure marks the middle of the range across the state.

Vermont's typical pay sits about 5% below the national figure of $102,760 a year, and the state ranks 44th out of 51 states and territories on this measure. That gap tracks with Vermont's lower cost of living compared to bigger metro states nearby. About 760 Physical Therapists work in Vermont, a modest workforce for a small state.

Entry-level Physical Therapists in Vermont typically start around $36.08 an hour, or about $75,040 a year, according to the same May 2025 wage data. Positions in the next tier up offer around $38.98 an hour, near $81,080 a year. Pay tends to move toward the statewide typical figure of $97,970 within the first several years on the job. New graduates typically start near these lower figures, not the statewide typical pay.

Experienced Physical Therapists in Vermont often earn upwards of $49.91 an hour ($103,810 a year), and the top 10% of earners make over $55.70 an hour, or $115,860 a year. That puts the full spread between entry-level and top pay at $40,820 a year. Setting, years of experience, and which part of the state a therapist works in all play a role in where someone lands within that range.

Vermont's typical Physical Therapist pay rose from $74,430 in 2015 to $97,970 in 2025, a gain of $23,540 over the decade. That amounts to a 32% increase in typical pay over ten years. The rise wasn't a straight line: pay dipped slightly in 2018 before climbing steadily through the early 2020s. Most of the increase came in the last three years of the decade, from 2022 onward.

Nationally, typical Physical Therapist pay rose 22% over the same ten years, so Vermont's 32% increase outpaced the national trend. Pay has moved up steadily for Physical Therapists in Vermont, though past gains don't guarantee future increases. Someone starting a career in Vermont now enters a field where pay has climbed faster than the national pattern in recent years.

Pay for Physical Therapists is fairly uniform across Vermont, since the state's wage data covers only the Burlington-South Burlington metro area. Physical Therapists there typically earn $99,230 a year ($47.71 an hour), just about 1% above the statewide figure. With 340 Physical Therapists, Burlington also holds the largest Physical Therapist workforce in the state. There isn't a second distinct labor market in Vermont large enough to report separately.

South Burlington, part of the same metro area, reports identical pay: $99,230 a year, for a city spread of $0. That reflects one labor market rather than two separate pay scales. Vermont's cost of living, lower than nearby big cities but higher than rural New England, helps explain where pay across the state lands. Physical Therapists moving between towns in Vermont shouldn't expect much pay difference tied to location alone.

All three of Vermont's neighboring states pay Physical Therapists more. Massachusetts leads at $103,790 a year, about 6% above Vermont's figure, followed by New York at $100,660 (3% higher) and New Hampshire at $99,850 (2% higher). Vermont sits at the lower end of this small regional cluster. Physical Therapy licenses can often be transferred or endorsed between neighboring states, making a move across state lines a realistic option for therapists chasing higher pay.

Physical Therapists in Vermont typically earn $97,970 a year, a figure that has climbed 32% over the past decade. Pay trails the national figure and each neighboring state, from New Hampshire to Massachusetts. Readers weighing a move or a new license should check Vermont's state licensing board for requirements and review city-level pages for local pay figures before deciding where to work.