Physical Therapist.
Des Moines.
$87,000
median salary, 14% below the national average
$71,000 to $101,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Des Moines is 14% cheaper than the national average. For Physical Therapists, that shakes out to a median of $87,000, with the full range spanning $71,000 to $101,000. Setting drives the biggest pay differences, with home health and travel PT positions paying 15 to 25% above outpatient clinics. Know the range before you walk in. 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 Des Moines, 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 $97,790 for Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, based on 740 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$75,510
25th percentile
$78,810
Median
$97,790
75th percentile
$106,070
90th percentile
$120,730
Workers surveyed
740
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 Des Moinesrange 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 $78,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$57,000
to $70,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$74,000
to $91,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$96,000
to $113,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$109,000
to $135,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $22,000 to the total package.
Base
$87,000
Equity
$12,000
Bonus
$8,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $109,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$87,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$101,000
Des Moines is $14,000 below
Physical Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
Here is what the Physical Therapist market actually looks like in Des Moines. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. The metro's extremely low cost of living and strong job market make it one of the best value cities for finance professionals. Tech employment is growing as insurtech companies expand. 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 Des Moines, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 14% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
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: iowa has a flat 3.8% state income tax. Des Moines has no city income tax. The low tax rate and affordable housing create strong purchasing power. When someone quotes you $87,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Benchmark against national insurance industry pay scales. Des Moines insurance employers must compete with remote offers from larger metros and will often match. The range for Physical Therapists in Des Moines runs from $71,000 to $101,000. 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?
- A Mechanical Engineer in Des Moines earns $88,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Des Moines is CTO at $263,000
Common questions.
Physical Therapist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Des Moines.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Physical Therapists in Des Moines.
Related tools.
Do you work as a physical therapist in Des Moines?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools