Physical Therapist Salary in Chicago, IL 2026,
$105,720 Median | BLS + Market Data

Chicago physical therapists earn a BLS MSA median of $105,720/yr, or $50.83/hr, with a published metro range of $85,220 to $142,320. That is level with the Illinois statewide median. Where a therapist lands depends far more on setting than on years of experience — home health sits at the top, outpatient orthopaedics at the bottom.

It is level with the Illinois statewide median, which is unusual for a metro of this size. Illinois PT pay is fairly uniform statewide because reimbursement rates rather than local labour markets set what clinics can pay, and downstate home health work pays as well as Chicago's.

Home health and travel contracts, which reach the $142,320 top of the published band. Skilled nursing and inpatient rehabilitation follow around $123,720. Outpatient orthopaedic clinics — where most new graduates start — sit near the $98,120 lower quartile, roughly 45% below the top of the market.

An Illinois physical therapist licence from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation through the Board of Physical Therapy. You need a DPT from a CAPTE-accredited programme, a passing score on the National Physical Therapy Examination, and continuing education at renewal.

It has a deep employer base across every setting and a projected national growth rate of 10.9% for the occupation, giving roughly 390 local openings a year. The caution is that the metro pays no premium over the rest of Illinois, so the financial case for working here rests on the range of settings available rather than on the rate.

Physical therapy pay is largely determined by what the payer reimburses for the setting, not by the therapist's experience. Home health visits and skilled nursing reimburse at rates that support higher therapist pay; outpatient orthopaedic visits do not. A Chicago PT can therefore raise their income far more by changing setting than by accumulating a decade of outpatient experience, which is what produces this band's shape.

Home health and travel work at the top of the band typically carries no benefits and variable volume, so a $142,320 figure and a salaried $105,720 one are not directly comparable in total value. The published median also excludes productivity bonuses common in outpatient clinics and per-visit incentives in home health.

Illinois permits patients to see a physical therapist without a physician referral within defined limits on duration and scope. Commercially that matters most to outpatient clinics, which can generate their own caseload rather than depending entirely on referral relationships. It does not change the reimbursement per visit, which is why direct access has expanded access in this market without lifting outpatient pay toward home health levels.