Physical Therapists salary in Lafayette, LA
Median pay for physical therapists in Lafayette, LA: $82,650/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $55,450 – $128,190 · about 280 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($98,205) by −$15,555 (-16%).
What it's really worth in Lafayette
With Lafayette's cost of living at 88 (US=100), that $82,650 has the buying power of about $94,400 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $58,150 · median home $202,312 · median rent $1,371/mo.
How Lafayette ranks for this job
On raw pay, Lafayette, LA is 184th of the 186 metros we hold physical therapists wages for. Once Lafayette's cost of living is applied, it ranks 156th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Lafayette is one of the places where physical therapists gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Lafayette
A median home in Lafayette, LA costs $202,312 — about 2.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,371/mo works out at 20% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where physical therapists earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Lafayette.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lafayette | Rent vs Lafayette |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa, CA | $132,870 | +61% | 1.9× |
| San Jose, CA | $131,930 | +60% | 2.6× |
| Sacramento, CA | $131,760 | +59% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $131,050 | +59% | 2.4× |
Same job elsewhere in LA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Lafayette | Rent vs Lafayette |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shreveport, LA | $104,110 | +26% | 1× |
| New Orleans, LA | $100,260 | +21% | 1.2× |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $98,690 | +19% | 1× |
Staying in LA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Lafayette
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.