Physical Therapist Salary in Washington
Staff and travel PT pay work differently in Washington. Staff physical therapists earn a 2025 median of $105,950 a year, while current Advantis travel contracts post $2,415 per week. Washington does not tax individual wages or salaries, but housing and transportation costs can still shape the value of an offer. Whether you're looking near Puget Sound, in eastern Washington or around Vancouver, compare guaranteed hours, housing, commute costs and licensing readiness before choosing an assignment.
What Is the Physical Therapist Salary in Washington?
The median physical therapist salary in Washington is $105,950 per year, or $50.94 per hour, based on BLS 2025 wage data. That is about 3% above the U.S. median of $102,760 in the same dataset. Use the statewide figure as a benchmark for permanent PT roles, then consider how employer, setting, experience and location may affect an individual offer. Travel contracts are quoted weekly, so compare them separately from the annual staff figure.
What Is the Travel Physical Therapist Salary in Washington?
Across 44 eligible open Advantis Medical PT contracts in Washington, the current median is $2,415 per week. It is a helpful starting point, but the schedule, setting, guaranteed hours, housing market and contract terms all matter when you compare jobs. Rates also change as assignments open and fill, so review the current listing before making a decision.
How Travel PT Pay in Washington Compares With Staff Pay
Washington's staff median makes a weekly staff-versus-travel comparison especially useful. This calculator converts the BLS median annual staff wage to a weekly equivalent, then compares it with the live travel weekly rate shown above. Adjust the travel rate or switch states to test another scenario.
Select a state to compare the travel weekly rate with the weekly equivalent of the median staff Physical Therapist wage and see current contracts in that state.
Open contracts in
Live weekly rates for Physical Therapy assignments currently accepting interest.
See all jobs inThe staff weekly figure is calculated by dividing the selected state's BLS OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Physical Therapists by 52. It is a weekly equivalent for comparison, not an observed or guaranteed weekly staff paycheck. Travel figures use the selected gross weekly rate.
This is a gross-pay comparison only. Travel and staff compensation are structured differently. It does not include taxes, employer-paid benefits, overtime, shift differentials, bonuses, housing or travel expenses, paid or unpaid time off, or time between assignments. Results are for general comparison only and are not job offers, guaranteed earnings, or take-home-pay calculations.
Highest Travel PT Salary in Washington by City
Washington's highest current PT rates can move between Puget Sound, eastern Washington and southwest Washington as assignments open and fill. Think of the ranking as a current view of individual contracts, not a citywide salary comparison.
What Your Washington PT Pay Is Really Worth
Washington does not tax individual wages or salaries, but housing can still have a major effect on what your weekly pay covers. Near Puget Sound, short-term rent, parking, ferries, tolls and commute costs can add up quickly. In 2024, Washington's all-items price level was 107.0 with the U.S. at 100. Its housing-rent price level was 126.0, putting housing-rent prices about 26% above the national benchmark for that category while overall prices were about 7% higher.
That 19.0-point difference is why it helps to price housing near the facility instead of relying only on a statewide cost figure.
Washington PT Licensing at a Glance
You'll need authorization to practice before starting a Washington assignment. Washington participates in the PT Compact, and eligible PTs can purchase a Washington Compact Privilege for $92: a $47 state fee, including processing, plus the $45 Commission fee. Washington does not require a jurisprudence exam for the privilege. If you cannot use the Compact route, follow the full-license pathway, which lists an $80 application fee.
For licenses first issued on or after January 1, 2026, the jurisprudence exam must be completed once during the first full continuing-education cycle. Confirm that your credential is active and facility clearance is complete before relying on a start date.
Planning information, not legal or licensure advice. Confirm current requirements with the state board and PT Compact.
How Do Travel PT Stipends Work?
A travel PT package usually includes a taxable hourly wage plus housing and meal stipends that may be tax-free when IRS requirements are met. That split can make two contracts with the same weekly gross look different once you review the details.
Stipends are generally set as a weekly amount, so overtime usually increases taxable wages rather than the stipend. Always review the pay breakdown and contract terms for the specific assignment.
How to qualify for tax-free stipends
Stipend eligibility generally depends on three conditions, and documenting them is the traveler’s responsibility, not the agency’s.
- You keep a tax home
- A permanent residence you actually pay for and return to between assignments.
- You’re paying twice
- Covering a place back home and a place near the assignment at the same time.
- The work is temporary
- Generally expected to last a year or less. Assignments expected to run longer, or that stretch on in one area, are typically treated as indefinite.
When these conditions are not met, stipends are generally treated as taxable wages, so the same gross contract amount can leave less after taxes. Individual outcomes depend on facts and circumstances. Read more in our guide to how a tax home works.
Estimate only, to show the shape of the difference. It assumes a 22% federal bracket plus 7.65% in payroll tax on the wage portion; state income tax may change the result. Example figures for illustration, not offers. Many agencies align stipend amounts with U.S. General Services Administration per-diem rates for the assignment locality. Whether any stipend is excluded from your taxable income depends on your own circumstances. General information only, not tax advice.
Highest-Paying Travel PT Jobs in Washington
The highest-paying current Washington PT jobs appear below. The highest rate may catch your attention, but the full job details will tell you whether the assignment fits.
What Affects a Travel Physical Therapist Salary in Washington
The same weekly rate can go further in one part of Washington than another. Around Puget Sound, short-term housing, parking, ferries and tolls can change your weekly costs. Eastern and southwest Washington may offer different housing options but could involve a larger service area or a longer drive between locations.
For home health, ask about territory size, mileage, paid drive time and how closely visits are scheduled. Weather and ferry delays can also affect the workday. Hospital, skilled nursing and outpatient roles may vary by weekend rotation, productivity expectations, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms. Experience may help you qualify for more roles, but it does not automatically increase a posted rate. Compare the entire contract before choosing an assignment.
Washington travel PT salary questions, answered
How much do physical therapists make in Washington?
What is the current travel physical therapist salary in Washington?
Why can two Washington travel PT jobs with similar titles pay differently?
Which Washington cities currently show the highest travel PT rates?
How does housing affect the value of a PT salary in Washington?
Can I use the calculator to compare travel and staff pay?
What do I need before starting a Washington travel PT assignment?
Open travel PT contracts are paying a median of $2,415 per week right now.
Explore current assignments by location, setting, shift and weekly pay, then let us know which opportunities interest you.
More Washington PT Jobs & Resources
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