Physical Therapist.
Portland.
$102,000
median salary, 1% above the national average
$84,000 to $118,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Physical Therapist in Portland earns a median of $102,000 in 2026. That is 1% above the national average. The range runs from $84,000 to $118,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Setting drives the biggest pay differences, with home health and travel PT positions paying 15 to 25% above outpatient clinics. 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 Portland, 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 $102,820 for Physical Therapists (SOC 29-1123) in the Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan area, based on 880 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$80,750
25th percentile
$87,130
Median
$102,820
75th percentile
$105,000
90th percentile
$122,770
Workers surveyed
880
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 Portlandrange 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 $92,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$66,000
to $82,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$87,000
to $107,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$112,000
to $133,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$128,000
to $158,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $25,000 to the total package.
Base
$102,000
Equity
$14,000
Bonus
$9,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $127,000
How Portland compares.
Portland, ME
$102,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$101,000
Portland is $1,000 above
Physical Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in Portland.
What you should know.
The Physical Therapist landscape in Portland is not what most salary sites will tell you. Portland, Maine is a small but growing tech and creative economy hub. The city attracts remote workers and small companies seeking quality of life on the New England coast. Healthcare, marine industries, and a craft food and beverage sector round out the local economy. 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 Portland, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
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: maine's top income tax rate is 7.15%. Portland has no city income tax. The state rate is above average but offset by quality of life and access to rural New England. When someone quotes you $102,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate remote work flexibility. Portland employers know they compete with Boston and New York for talent and may offer location flexibility to attract top candidates. The range for Physical Therapists in Portland runs from $84,000 to $118,000. 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 Systems Administrator in Portland earns $101,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Portland is CTO at $312,000
Common questions.
Physical Therapist salary in other cities.
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