Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse: $103K vs $98K Median Pay

Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse: what changes?

Consider Physical Therapist if you want to assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury. Consider Registered Nurse if you would rather assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing care plans, and maintain medical records. Entry credentials differ: Physical Therapist, doctoral or professional degree; Registered Nurse, associate degree or approved diploma; bachelor's route also available.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Physical Therapist and Registered Nurse. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Physical Therapist

National median pay (2025): $102,760
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,400

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Physical Therapist brief

Registered Nurse

National median pay (2025): $97,550
Route into the job: Bachelor's, associate-degree, and approved diploma routes exist, followed by licensure. A BSN typically takes four years; compare prerequisites and clinical placements for the full timeline. Some employers require a BSN.
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Physical work: Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.
Schedule and hours: Hospital work may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call coverage. Office and school roles more often have regular hours.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 180,800

Know before you choose

A shortage does not guarantee a well-staffed unit. Ask about patient assignments, orientation, turnover, and shift expectations.

BLS: entry routes, workplace, and schedules · Reviewed September 6, 2026. BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections.

What the workforce research adds

The retention warning is serious: 39.9%. Share of RNs reporting intent to leave the nursing workforce or retire within five years.

NCSBN National Nursing Workforce Study · 2024. Survey measures differ across careers; their percentages are not directly comparable. A national survey does not establish local hiring odds or the quality of a particular employer.

See the full Registered Nurse brief

How the national numbers differ

Registered Nurse has the edge on annual openings

Registered Nurse is at 180,800 annual openings, compared with 13,400 annual openings for Physical Therapist.

Physical Therapist has the edge on projected growth

Physical Therapist is at 11.9% projected growth, compared with 5.6% projected growth for Registered Nurse.

Typical preparation differs.

Physical Therapist: Doctoral or professional degree Registered Nurse: Bachelor's, associate-degree, and approved diploma routes exist, followed by licensure. A BSN typically takes four years; compare prerequisites and clinical placements for the full timeline. Some employers require a BSN. Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Physical Therapist has the edge on median pay

Physical Therapist is at $102,760, compared with $97,550 for Registered Nurse.

71.5/ 100

Physical Therapist

76.5/ 100

Registered Nurse

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse

Dimension	Physical Therapist	Registered Nurse
Median pay (2025)	$102,760	$97,550
Pay percentile	84.7 percentile	80.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	11.9%	5.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	13,400	180,800
2025 employment	283,700	3,465,400
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree	Bachelor's, associate-degree, and approved diploma routes exist, followed by licensure. A BSN typically takes four years; compare prerequisites and clinical placements for the full timeline. Some employers require a BSN.
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Schedules	Varies by employer and setting; ask about shifts, overtime, on-call work, and predictable hours.	Hospital work may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call coverage. Office and school roles more often have regular hours.
Physical work	Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.	Standing, walking, bending, and patient handling; demands depend on the care setting.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Physical Therapist brief Read Registered Nurse brief

Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Physical Therapist

Registered Nurse

How the national numbers differ

Registered Nurse has the edge on annual openings

Physical Therapist has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Physical Therapist has the edge on median pay

Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse

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