Average Salary

• Although the BLS does not indicate how many physical therapists in Illinois held the DPT degree and how many only had a master's degree, the probability is high that salary statistics reflect a majority of those physical therapists having the DPT. The bureau indicates that most states are moving towards requiring the doctorate and the master's degree is quickly becoming obsolete. The average salary of physical therapists in Illinois was $79,070 per year in 2010, according to the BLS. By comparison, physical therapists nationwide earned $77,990.
  
  

Pay Scale

• According to the BLS, the median salary for physical therapists in Illinois was $78,570 per year in 2010. The middle 50 percent of those working in this field earned salaries ranging from $64,170 to $93,300, with the highest-paid physical therapists in the state earning $113,710 or more per year. At the bottom end of the pay scale were those physical therapists who earned $50,380 per year or less.
  
  

Location

• The highest average salary for physical therapists was earned by those working in Decatur, according to the BLS. These therapists earned an average of $88,140 per year in 2010. Those in the Champaign-Urbana area were second in terms of average salary, making $82,480 annually. Chicago physical therapists earned $80,710 on average. The West-Central Illinois non-metropolitan area of the state reported the highest average salary in terms of regions within the state. Physical therapists there made an average salary of $81,960 in 2010.
  
  

Job Outlook

• The field of physical therapy is one of the faster-growing fields in the health-care industry. According to the BLS, the number of jobs in this field will grow by about 30 percent from 2008 to 2018. The bureau indicates that the increased number of people entering the ranks of the elderly population will be a major reason for the growth in this field. Other reasons include the advances in the medical field that allow people to survive accidents and injuries that would not have previously been possible. Physical therapists will be needed in the recovery process.