Physical Therapist.
St. Louis.
$90,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$74,000 to $104,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Physical Therapist offer in St. Louis, MO, here is the reality: $74,000 to $104,000, with $90,000 as the midpoint. 11% below the national average. Setting drives the biggest pay differences, with home health and travel PT positions paying 15 to 25% above outpatient clinics. Do not accept the first number. 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 St. Louis, 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 $100,600 for Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area, based on 2,480 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$77,390
25th percentile
$81,910
Median
$100,600
75th percentile
$110,510
90th percentile
$124,190
Workers surveyed
2,480
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 St. Louisrange 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 $81,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$59,000
to $72,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$77,000
to $95,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$99,000
to $117,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$113,000
to $140,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $23,000 to the total package.
Base
$90,000
Equity
$13,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $113,000
How St. Louis compares.
St. Louis, MO
$90,000
Cost of living: 10% below average
National Average
$101,000
St. Louis is $11,000 below
Physical Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in St. Louis.
What you should know.
The Physical Therapist landscape in St. Louis is not what most salary sites will tell you. St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent. 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 St. Louis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
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: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. When someone quotes you $90,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs. The range for Physical Therapists in St. Louis runs from $74,000 to $104,000. 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?
- An Occupational Therapist in St. Louis earns $91,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in St. Louis is CTO at $278,000
Common questions.
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