Therapist salary: 13 therapy careers ranked by pay

Therapist salary by type of therapy

BLS publishes separate wage estimates for 13 occupations whose job is a form of therapy, and their medians run from $58,450 for massage therapists to $105,310 for radiation therapists.^{[oews_nat][oews_api]} The table ranks them by median annual wage and shows the 10th and 90th percentiles, which bracket what a new graduate and a top earner make.

Hourly = annual ÷ 2,080. Jobs: BLS OEWS employment estimate, May 2025; wage and salary workers only, so self-employed therapists in private practice are not counted.

How much does a therapist make a year?

A typical therapist makes $102,760 a year as a physical therapist, $100,330 as an occupational therapist, $97,870 as a speech-language pathologist, $82,280 as a respiratory therapist and $59,350 as a mental health counselor, at the BLS national median for May 2025.^{[oews_nat][oews_api]} The table converts each median to a month, an hour and a single filer's take-home pay after 2026 federal tax.^[irs]

Median annual wage. Per month = annual ÷ 12; per hour = annual ÷ 2,080. *Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.

How much do therapists get paid per hour?

Therapists get paid $28.10 to $50.63 an hour at the median, depending on the therapy, and the 90th percentile of physical therapists earns $64.97.^{[oews_nat][oews_api]} BLS reports one wage per worker, so overtime, bonuses and per-visit pay are not included, and therapists in their own private practice are not surveyed.^[oews_faq] The hourly column in the ranked table above covers all 13 careers; state figures for six of them are in the comparison tool at the top of the page.

Which therapist makes the most?

Radiation therapists have the highest median at $105,310, followed by physical therapists at $102,760 and clinical and counseling psychologists at $100,580.^{[oews_nat][oews_api]} Among the rehabilitation therapies, physical therapists lead at $102,760; the top PT state is California at $124,190, covered on the physical therapist salary page.^[onet_pt] Occupational and speech therapists follow closely: see occupational therapist salary and speech pathologist salary.

Counselors and psychologists in the same data

Counselors and psychotherapists are separate BLS occupations from the rehabilitation therapies this site covers in depth. BLS counts 491,930 mental health counselors (the occupation includes substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors) with a median of $59,350, and 66,740 marriage and family therapists with a median of $66,940.^[oews_nat] Clinical and counseling psychologists, who need a doctorate, earn $100,580. These figures exclude therapists who own a private practice, because OEWS surveys employers.^[oews_faq]

*Single filer, 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; before state tax.

Degree versus pay

Pay tracks the length of training. Physical therapists need a three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy, and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists a master's or doctorate; respiratory therapists, PT assistants and OT assistants start with a two-year associate degree.^{[ooh_pt][ooh_ot][ooh_slp][ooh_rt][ooh_pta][ooh_ota]} The steps for each are on how to become a physical therapist, how to become an occupational therapist, how to become a speech pathologist and how to become a respiratory therapist.

An associate-degree route pays back fastest: an OT assistant's median of $72,300 and a PTA's $68,380 come after about two years of school, against about seven years of college for a PT. Program options for PT assistants are on PTA programs.^{[onet_ota][onet_pta][capte_pta]}