SOC 29-1123 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · May 2025

How much do Physical Therapists make in Ames, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Physical Therapists in Ames, IA is $90,610. The 10th percentile is $67,530 and the 90th percentile is $119,890. Employment is 70.

Median annual wage

$90,610

10th percentile
$67,530
25th percentile
$75,190
Median
$90,610
75th percentile
$101,250
90th percentile
$119,890
Mean
$91,650

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Physical Therapists, the published 10th percentile is $67,530 and the 90th percentile is $119,890. The difference is $52,360, which is 57.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $75,190 to the 75th at $101,250, covers $26,060.

The mean annual wage is $91,650, which sits above the median of $90,610. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Ames, IA median is 11.8% lower than the national median of $102,760 for Physical Therapists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $102,004, which is 0.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 7.1% lower than the Iowa median of $97,560.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Ames, IA is 88.830, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $90,610 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Physical Therapists at $102,004 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

14 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Physical Therapists. Ames, IA ranks 15th of 15 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is 32 miles away, with a median of $97,790 and employment of 740. That median is 7.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $106,640, against $102,004 here.
  • Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 72 miles away, with a median of $97,180 and employment of 120. That median is 7.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $111,628, against $102,004 here.
  • Cedar Rapids, IA is 106 miles away, with a median of $94,520 and employment of 220. That median is 4.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $106,246, against $102,004 here.

Employment share

Physical Therapists accounts for 0.13% of wage-and-salary employment in Ames, IA (70 of 55,890). Nationally the occupation is 0.17% of employment (267,330 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.73 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Ames, IA · Physical Therapists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Physical Therapists make in Ames, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Physical Therapists in Ames, IA is $90,610. The 10th percentile is $67,530 and the 90th percentile is $119,890. Employment is 70.

How does that compare with the national median for Physical Therapists?

The local median is 11.8% lower than the national median of $102,760.

What is Physical Therapists pay in Ames, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Ames, IA is 88.830, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $90,610 is $102,004. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Ames, IA compare with nearby metros for Physical Therapists?

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 32 miles away, at $97,790. Ames, IA ranks 15th of 15 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.