Physical Therapist.
San Francisco.
$138,000
median salary, 37% above the national average
$113,000 to $160,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
San Francisco is 35% more expensive than the national average. For Physical Therapists, that shakes out to a median of $138,000, with the full range spanning $113,000 to $160,000. Setting drives the biggest pay differences, with home health and travel PT positions paying 15 to 25% above outpatient clinics. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Physical Therapist in San Francisco, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $141,980 for Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, based on 3,140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$103,860
25th percentile
$123,470
Median
$141,980
75th percentile
$160,770
90th percentile
$188,070
Workers surveyed
3,140
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) rather than Physical Therapist specifically. The San Francisco range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1123Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $124,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$90,000
to $110,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$117,000
to $145,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$152,000
to $179,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$173,000
to $214,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $34,000 to the total package.
Base
$138,000
Equity
$19,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $172,000
How San Francisco compares.
San Francisco, CA
$138,000
Cost of living: 35% above average
National Average
$101,000
San Francisco is $37,000 above
Physical Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in San Francisco.
What you should know.
The Physical Therapist landscape in San Francisco is not what most salary sites will tell you. San Francisco is the epicenter of venture capital and startup innovation, consistently producing the highest tech salaries in the nation. The city's concentration of AI labs, SaaS companies, and fintech firms creates intense competition for talent. Despite remote work trends, SF still commands the steepest salary premiums for engineering and product roles. Setting drives the biggest pay differences, with home health and travel PT positions paying 15 to 25% above outpatient clinics. Board-certified specialists in areas like orthopedics or neurology earn premiums. Geographic cost of living and state reimbursement rates also create significant variance across markets.
New-graduate PTs start at $70,000 to $80,000 in outpatient settings. With board certification and five years of experience, salaries reach $90,000 to $105,000. Clinical directors and practice owners can earn $110,000 to $130,000 depending on practice size and revenue. In San Francisco, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 35% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Benefits typically include CEU reimbursement of $1,500 to $3,000, student loan repayment assistance, and health insurance. Travel PTs receive housing stipends and per diems that can add $15,000 to $25,000 in effective annual compensation. And on the tax side: california's top marginal state income tax rate is 13.3%, the highest in the U.S. San Francisco has no additional city income tax, but overall tax burden remains steep. When someone quotes you $138,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage competing offers aggressively. SF employers expect candidates to shop around, and matching or beating a rival offer is standard practice here. The range for Physical Therapists in San Francisco runs from $113,000 to $160,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Civil Engineer in San Francisco earns $139,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in San Francisco is CTO at $401,000
Common questions.
Physical Therapist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Francisco.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Physical Therapist Salary in San Francisco, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/physical-therapist/san-francisco
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