Physical Therapist Salary in Kentucky (2026)
The average Physical Therapist in Kentucky earns around $98,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $73,984/year ($6,165/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $73,984 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,165 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,846 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $36/hr |
Federal Tax | $12,730 |
State Tax | $3,789 |
FICA Taxes | $7,497 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 24.51% |
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Physical Therapist Salary Ranges in Kentucky
Not all Physical Therapists earn the same — not even close
Kentucky's physical therapist market is anchored by UK HealthCare rehabilitation services Lexington (academic medical center rehab), UofL Health rehabilitation Louisville (academic), Norton Healthcare rehab (largest KY health system rehab network), Baptist Health KY rehab, Bluegrass Orthopedic Group + Sports Medicine, Frazier Rehab Institute Louisville (the country's leading SCI + neuro rehab center, post-2007 University of Louisville + Christopher Reeve Foundation collaboration), ATI Physical Therapy (large national chain with substantial KY presence), plus UofL DPT + Spalding DPT academic training.
Senior PT (Sports Medicine)
$92,000–$130,000
Bluegrass Sports Medicine + UK Sports Medicine + UofL Sports Medicine · post-op + return-to-sport
Senior PT (Orthopedic / Spine)
$88,000–$120,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist ortho rehab · spine + joint replacement post-op specialty
Senior PT (Neurologic / SCI / TBI)
$92,000–$135,000
Frazier Rehab Institute · UK Neuro Rehab · SCI + TBI + stroke specialty · top-5 US SCI rehab
Senior PT (Pediatric)
$85,000–$115,000
Norton Children's · UK Kentucky Children's · pediatric developmental specialty
Senior PT (Cardiac / Pulmonary Rehab)
$85,000–$115,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist · post-MI + heart failure + COPD rehab
Senior PT (Acute Care / ICU)
$88,000–$118,000
UK + UofL + Norton + Baptist acute care PT · early mobility + ICU PT specialty
Senior PT (Geriatric / Home Health)
$80,000–$108,000
Home health + SNF PT · LHC Group KY · senior staff band
Mid-Career PT (3-7 yrs)
$72,000–$95,000
Functional staff PT at KY health system · transitioning to senior band
New Grad DPT (0-2 yrs)
$62,000–$82,000
UofL DPT + Spalding DPT + Eastern KY DPT + Bellarmine DPT pipeline · entry band
PT Director / Clinic Manager
$108,000–$155,000
Clinic + outpatient PT operations leadership · KY health systems + ATI + private chains
Worth knowing: Frazier Rehab Institute Louisville is among the country's leading spinal cord injury + neuro rehabilitation centers and a feature most national PT-career surveys understate for KY. Frazier Rehab Institute (part of UofL Health, founded 1995 + substantially expanded post-2007 University of Louisville + Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation collaboration creating the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, ~150 inpatient SCI + TBI + stroke + brain injury rehab beds + substantial outpatient rehab) operates one of the country's top-5 SCI rehabilitation programs — Frazier's SCI research + clinical translation work is among the most cited in the US SCI rehab literature. Senior Frazier neuro-rehab + SCI PTs clear $92-135K TC. UofL DPT Louisville (founded 2002, ~75 DPT students/yr at UofL Speed Scientific School) + Spalding University DPT Louisville (founded 1997, ~55 DPT students/yr) + Bellarmine DPT Louisville + Eastern Kentucky DPT Richmond combined anchor substantial KY DPT pipeline. UK College of Health Sciences offers MS-level rehabilitation programs but no DPT. Bluegrass Orthopedic Group + Sports Medicine (substantial Lexington-area sports medicine + orthopedic practice serving UK Athletics + central KY) anchors KY sports PT. ATI Physical Therapy (Illinois-HQ'd national PT chain with substantial KY presence) anchors outpatient PT. KY's flat 4% rate has limited impact on PT comp (most senior PT comp lands $85-130K range). KY is RTW since 2017.
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More on Kentucky
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Kentucky in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Kentucky in 2026.
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