59 Physical Therapy Statistics, Facts & Demographics

There are 578,565 people employed in the physical therapy industry in the US as of 2022. Find more physical therapy statistics and facts below.

Steven Zauderer

October 29, 2024

8.5

min read

Top Physical Therapy Statistics & Facts

There are 578,565 people employed in the physical therapy industry in the US as of 2022.
Globally, there are 1,600,606 registered physical therapists.
There are currently 38,800 physical therapy clinics in the US.
The average age of physical therapists is 41.2 years old.
In 2020, physical therapists earned an average of $74,972 per year, $19,018 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.
It's estimated that physical therapist job growth over the next 10 years is 18.2%.
The average male salary is $88,787, and the average female saalry is $68,176.
The highest paying industries for Physical therapists, by average wage, are Pharmacies & drug stores, Insurance carriers, and National security & international affairs.
70% of hospital patients believe they require a referral for an appointment with a physical therapist, yet a referral isn't needed.
Women make up 68% of employed physical therapists.
By 2029, physical therapist positions are anticipated to increase by 18%.
41% of hospital patients searching for a pain relief option that's drug-free find that physical therapy is the best treatment solution.
By 2029, the employment of physical therapists is predicted to increase by nearly 20%.
Treatment costs related to physical therapy can decrease by as much as 70%, according to a 2018 study.
33% of industries employing physical therapists are private outpatient clinics and offices, while 28% work in hospitals.

physical therapy statistics and demographics

How Many Physical Therapists Are There In The U.S?

In the United States, more than 578,565 people are employed as physical therapists.
On average, a physical therapy clinic has between 101 to 200 patients come on every 7 days.
The states with the largest number of physical therapists are New York, California, and Texas.
In the United States, there are 38,000 physical therapy clinics in operation.
Out of all the physical therapy clinics in the US, it's estimated that 300 million therapy sessions are conducted annually.
The majority of physical therapists work from hospitals, physical therapy centers, or are employed through services for at-home healthcare.
36% of physical therapists are employed through private offices and outpatient clinics.
29% of physical therapists work in state, private, and local area hospitals.

11% of physical therapists are employed in at-home services.

Residential and nursing facilities employ 5% of all physical therapists.
3% of all physical therapists are self-employed through independent practice.
Most patients, 46% to be exact, seek physical therapy for back-related pain and injuries.
About three-quarters of patients seek physical therapists that involve them taking no prescription medications.
68% of patients consider physical therapy to be very safe.
When physical therapists were called upon first, it resulted in about 75% fewer treatment expenses in the initial year when compared to those receiving an MRI.
Patients that rely on a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit for a long period can lower their physical therapy costs by nearly 70%.
Of the 5,267 physical therapy sessions evaluated, just 0.6% end with a physiological abnormality, with arrhythmia being the most common.

Every year, about 50% of people in the US that are over 18 will get a bone injury with symptoms that last a quarter of a year.

11.7 million Americans 18 and older in 2011 used outpatient physical therapy services, meaning that 9.58% of others that could've gotten an advantage from it did.
About 30% of hospital patients that get outpatient physical therapy are present for every visit that's authorized by their health insurance company.
The money that a clinic takes in is linked to reimbursements. Therefore, a patient who visits eight times while being authorized to do so ten times will leave the clinic to accrue 80% of the possible revenue, leaving 20% unavailable.
Just 35% of physical therapy patients abide by the care plan provided to them by their insurer.
During the first quarter of 2020, 40 physical therapists provided 4,548 sessions, with 3,883 in attendance by their patients.
The smallest 10% of physical therapists earn a wage of $62,120, yet the highest 10% of earners take in $124,740.
The employment of physical therapists is predicted to increase by 22% between 2018 and 2028.
Job growth among physical therapists is anticipated to rise by 21%, with the nationwide employment amount increasing by 3.71% over ten years. However, some in the medical field predict physical therapists to grow at a rate of 18.2%.
Out of the nearly 30,000 resumes of physical therapists, the average prefers to retain their job for about a decade, at a rate of 31%.

White Americans make up 76.3% of all physical therapists, the most common ethnicity in the profession.

13.5% of all physical therapists are Asian, the second most common ethnicity in the field.
Women made only 97% of what male physical therapists earned in 2021.
There are 23% of physical therapists that identify as LGBTQ.
A bachelor's degree is earned by 58% of all physical therapists. The second most common degree is a doctorate, with 175 physical therapists finishing post-graduate. Master's degree earners make up 14% of all physical therapists.
Spanish is the most common foreign language spoken by physical therapists in the United States, with 47.9 of them understanding the language at different levels.
The second most spoken foreign language is Hindi, with 8.3% understanding it partially or fluently, and Gujarati is the third most common language.
As whites make up the largest ethnicity employed as physical therapists, the second most common is Asian, at 13.7% of the total. Hispanic or Latino people account for 6% of all physical therapists.
$91,000 is earned by the top 10% of all physical therapists in the profession, though some earn much more.

36.3% of all physical therapists are male.

2% of male physical therapists work as midwives, while 98% of women do.
97% of female physical therapists are perinatal nurses, while only 3% of men are.
6.% of all physical therapists are black or African American.
2.2% of physical therapists are Native American, with Alaskan natives making up 0.3%
3.9% of physical therapists consider their ethnicity to be unknown.
According to data showing trends between 2010 and 2019 among physical therapists, the average age of one is 40 years old. This accounts for at least 52% of all physical therapists that were employed at the time.
A bachelor's degree is the most common degree earned by physical therapists, meaning the majority remain in college for four years. However, some decide to pursue a higher degree while continuing to work in their profession.

Only 6% of all physical therapists have an associate's degree, while 14% of them hold a master's.

About 17% of all physical therapists have a doctor's.
About 69% of physical therapists wish to move to another job within a decade or shorter.

How Many Physical Therapists Are There In The World?

Currently, 1.6 million physical therapists are practicing in the medical field around the world.
The physical therapy industry in 2022 had a $46.4 billion value.
Although the physical therapy industry has grown at a 3.4% rate in the last half-decade, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted some of its economic prospects.

Physical Therapist Demographics

Gender

The average age of male physical therapists is 41.3 years old and of female physical therapists is 41.1 years old. The most common race/ethnicity for physical therapists is White.

67% of physical therapists are female, making them the more common gender in the occupation.

There are fewer men than women employed as physical therapists, who make up just 36.35% of them all. Women amount to 63.7% of those employed. Unfortunately, for every dollar earned by a male physical therapist, women make three cents less.
The average income for a male physical therapist is $79,983.
The average income of women working as physical therapists is $77,916.

Race & Ethnicity

The most common race or ethnicity of physical therapists are:

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

Most physical therapists are White (75.6%), making it the most common race or ethnicity in this field. 12.2% of physical therapists are Asian, making it the second most common race or ethnicity in this field.

race and ethnicity of physical therapists

Age By Gender

The average male physical therapist is 41.3 years old, while the average female physical therapist is 41.1 years old. The median age of physical therapists is 41.2 years old.

52% of all physical therapists are 40 years old and above. This is no surprise considering that many in the profession pursue a master's or doctorate later on in their practice.
34% of physical therapists are between the ages of 30 and 40 years old. At this age, many are in pursuit of a postgraduate degree, though some might have already completed one during their 20s.
14% of physical therapists are between 20 and 30 years of age. Within this group, many that are employed are entry-level.

By Country

Some of the best colleges and universities for students pursuing a career in physical therapy are located in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and the majority of Western Europe.
Norway has the largest percentage of physical therapists relative to their country's population, with 2.5 physical therapists for every 1,000 persons.

How Big Is The Physical Therapy Market?

Current physical therapy statistics show that the top 15% earn $95,620, though averages rise and fall based on the region of practice.
While various sources show different percentages, male physical therapists earn more money than their female workmates.
By 2031, the number of people employed as physical therapists is expected to increase by 17%. The reason for this growth is the baby boomer population getting older, and the rise in symptoms related to obesity and diabetes.
The amount of people working as physical therapists is growing at a 6.48% rate, from 249,079 people in 2018 to 265,218 one year later.
Centers for outpatient care employ the most physical therapists, with 41.8% working in the area. 27% work in home-related healthcare services and the rest are employed at medical and general hospitals.
While national employment figures are anticipated to grow by 3.71% over the next several years, physical therapy positions are predicted to increase by approximately 18% within the same timeframe.
The average student completing graduation to become a physical therapist within two to four years is 91.45%. 100% of all physical therapy graduates become employed after six months of successfully passing the license exam.

First-year treatment costs can be reduced by as much as 72% when clinical therapy starts with physical therapy instead of an MRI.

Relying on physical therapy as a plan for managing symptoms when they initially appear can result in 72% less medical expenses during the first year of treatment.
In the last decade, the employment of physical therapists rose by nearly 40%, which is considerably faster than most occupations in the medical world.
A career in physical therapy is predicted to grow by 25% from 2020 to 2026.
Patients' treatment costs as a whole can be reduced by physical therapy by nearly 70%.
80% of physical therapy training involves learning in a classroom setting, while 20% is done in a clinical setting.

How Much Do Physical Therapists Make?

In 2020, physical therapists earned an average of $74,972 per year, $19,018 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

What Is The Average Age Of A Physical Therapist?

The average age of physical therapists is 40 years old. In some estimates, the age is slightly older, between 41 and 45. Physical therapy is considered to be a profession that gives many rewards, such as seeing and meeting different patients, doctors, and lots of new faces.
Physical therapy is considered to be one of the top 10 happiest professions in the United States.

Average Number Of Physical Therapy Visits

Anywhere from 6 to 12 sessions is the average number of physical therapy visits by a patient. the first two sessions are considered to be the most important.

Physical Therapy Patient Statistics

200 patients a week is the average amount seen by most physical therapy clinics.
There are over 30,000 physical therapy clinics spread across the United States.
People over 65 represent 55% of all physical therapy patients.
Women make up 55% of all physical therapy patients.
Patient treatment expenses can be lowered through getting physical therapy, by a rate of 72%.