MONEY Magazine's Best Jobs: Physical therapist

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MONEY Magazine and Salary.com rate careers on salary and job prospects.

Physical therapist

Rank: 12 of 50
Top job in field: Physical Therapist - Home Care

GRADES:

Stress: C / Flexibility: B / Creativity: B / Difficulty: B

Average pay: $54,883
	Salary	Total compensation (includes bonus)
75% in this career make more than:	$50,803	$50,896
50% in this career make more than:	$54,681	$54,768
25% in this career make more than:	$58,772	$58,859
Top potential compensation (5% make more):		$74,802

10-year job growth: 36.74%
Total jobs 2004:	154,541
Forecast 2014:	211,316
Average annual growth (including new jobs and net replacement):	7,199

Career description

Assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and decrease or prevent deformity of patients suffering from disease or injury.

Top 10: Highest-paying careers
	Average salary
Chief Executives	$254,643
Physician/Surgeon	$247,536
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons	$211,766
Lawyer	$153,923
Sales manager	$135,903
Financial services sales agents	$130,385
Financial managers	$128,910
Dentist	$122,883
Financial advisor	$122,462
Natural sciences managers	$116,504

Top 10: Fastest-growing fields
	Job growth
Physician assistant	49.65%
Software engineer	46.07%
Physical therapist assistants	44.20%
Dental hygienists	43.32%
Physical therapist	36.74%
Forensic science technicians	36.40%
Computer/IT analyst	36.10%
Veterinary technologists and technicians	35.32%
Occupational therapist assistants	34.10%
Medical scientist	34.06%

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