Quick overview — all PT settings
Ranges reflect typical full-package pay for PTs with 2+ years experience on 40-hour contracts. High-demand desperate contracts routinely exceed the top of each range; well-staffed easy-to-fill contracts cluster at the bottom.
Acute care hospital
Typical pay: $2,100 – $2,800 per week. The highest-paying travel PT setting on average, and the reasons are structural: hospitals need 7-day coverage, census drives demand spikes, and the work is genuinely harder than most other settings. When an acute hospital loses PT coverage, the cost is immediate — discharges back up, bed turnover slows, admissions get diverted.
Why pay runs higher
- High replacement urgency. An acute PT vacancy hits operations within days. Facility escalation is fast.
- Thinner supply. Many travel PTs avoid acute care (intensity, documentation burden, ICU exposure). Smaller applicant pool = higher rates.
- Weekend & on-call coverage. 7-day staffing requirements push overall weekly hours and pay upward.
Desperation premium range
Rural critical-access hospitals and smaller community hospitals routinely pay $400-600/week above the metro average for the same setting. If you see a rural acute posting that's been open 6+ weeks, that's often where $2,800-$3,200/week contracts appear.
Acute rehab (IRF)
Typical pay: $2,000 – $2,600 per week. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities — freestanding or hospital-based — pay well because therapy intensity is real. CMS 3-hour rule drives heavy PT scheduling, and the patients are complex (stroke, TBI, SCI, complex ortho).
Why pay runs higher
- Specialty skills narrow supply. Neuro-experienced PTs are the primary target; the pool is smaller than general PT.
- FIM/GG code documentation expertise required. Documentation errors are expensive for IRFs — they'll pay to avoid inexperienced PTs.
- Weekend coverage is standard.
Desperation premium range
New-opening IRFs and specialty stroke/brain injury centers pay premiums during ramp-up. Freestanding IRFs generally pay better than hospital-based rehab units.
Skilled nursing (SNF)
Typical pay: $1,700 – $2,200 per week. SNF is the highest-volume travel PT setting — most new travelers start here because there are always contracts. That volume is also why SNF pays less on average: supply is broader.
Why pay runs lower (on average)
- Higher supply. Easier to enter than acute. More willing travelers.
- Productivity pressure reduces applicant demand, but doesn't reduce supply enough to offset.
- Less weekend requirement. Many SNF roles are weekday-only.
Where SNF pays premium
Rural SNFs and SNFs owned by national chains (Genesis, Ensign, Encompass) with chronic staffing difficulty routinely post at $2,300-$2,600/week. Crisis-rate SNF contracts at $2,800+ exist but come with serious caveats (usually 90%+ productivity standards or documented staff turnover).
Outpatient orthopedic
Typical pay: $1,700 – $2,100 per week. Lowest-stress travel PT setting, most predictable hours (8-to-5, no weekends or on-call typically). That lifestyle premium is also why supply is high and pay is comparable to SNF without the productivity pressure.
Why pay stays in a tight band
- Highest supply. Most travelers happy to do outpatient.
- Low urgency if role goes vacant. Existing staff absorbs extra patients temporarily.
- Chain clinics (ATI, Athletico, Select, Ivy Rehab) pay consistently in the middle of the range.
Where outpatient pays premium
Rural outpatient clinics and hospital-owned outpatient departments in underserved areas. Industrial/work-comp clinics sometimes pay premiums for comp-familiar PTs. Cash-based clinics have smaller stipends but higher base rates — net pay similar.
Home health
Typical pay: $1,900 – $2,500 per week. Most variable setting to price because pay is often per-visit rather than hourly. Experienced home health PTs can exceed the range significantly; new-to-home-health PTs routinely fall below it.
The per-visit structure
Typical rates: $70-$100 per routine visit, $100-$140 per evaluation or recert, plus mileage reimbursement. 30 visits/week (6/day × 5 days) with a mix of routine and evals = $2,400+/week. 20 visits/week = $1,600.
Why supply is tight
- OASIS certification and home health documentation have a real learning curve.
- Per-visit pace management requires experience.
- Medicare compliance requirements deter inexperienced travelers.
Schools
Typical pay: $1,600 – $2,000 per week. School-based travel PT follows the academic calendar. Evaluate and treat students on IEPs, attend team meetings, document heavily in district systems. Lowest-pressure clinical environment, but seasonal.
Why pay is structurally lower
- Academic calendar limits contract length. Summers unpaid unless you pick up ESY (Extended School Year) work.
- Schools with district HR processes move slowly — harder to push rates up quickly.
Where schools pay premium
Rural and hard-to-fill districts, especially in states with chronic school PT shortages (California, Texas, Arizona, Florida). Premiums of $300-500/week above the range are common for underserved districts. Contract PT through specialized staffing companies pays better than direct district hires.
Pediatric outpatient (clinic-based)
Typical pay: $1,700 – $2,100 per week. Not the same as school-based PT. Pediatric outpatient clinics treat kids in clinic settings — early intervention, post-surgical, developmental, sports. Pay tracks outpatient ortho with specialty premium in markets where peds PTs are hard to find.
Pediatric experience matters. Without it, agencies will still offer you contracts because peds-comfortable travelers are in short supply — but the first two weeks will be hard.
Three practical takeaways
- Know your setting range before talking to recruiters. If a recruiter offers you SNF at $2,400/week in Texas, that's above-market and worth pursuing. If they offer $1,800/week for acute in San Francisco, that's below-market and worth pushing back on.
- Apply the desperation signals to whatever setting you're targeting. A desperate outpatient contract can pay more than a well-staffed acute contract. Setting is a starting point, not the final answer. See the signals.
- Ask setting-specific questions. Weekend coverage (acute). Productivity standard (SNF). Per-visit capacity (home health). Caseload and IEP meeting frequency (schools). These matter more than the headline pay number.