Data released recently from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were more than 229,700 physical therapists (PTs) at work in the United States as of May 2022.  Nearly 24,000 of those working as physical therapists in the U.S. lived in the four-state Southwest region.  The Southwest region was a relatively good one for physical therapist pay, with the two largest states in the region, Arizona and Texas, both recording PT annual mean wage levels that ranked among the top 10 states nationally for the profession.  A deeper dive into BLS data from May 2022 reveals the following about PT employment and physical therapist pay in the U.S. Southwest:

Physical Therapist Pay in the U.S. Southwest

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	4,280	$99,980	10th
NM	1,310	$92,050	31st
OK	2,080	$91,100	38th
TX	16,280	$102,300	7th
U.S.	229,740	$97,960	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on December 10, 2023