Chiropractor vs Physical Therapist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Chiropractor vs Physical Therapist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1011 and 29-1123). The national median annual wage is $79,200 for chiropractors and $102,760 for physical therapists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +8.7% for chiropractors and +11.9% for physical therapists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree vs Doctoral or professional degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | ChiropractorSOC 29-1011 | Physical TherapistSOC 29-1123 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $79,200 | $102,760 | Physical Therapist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 39,630 | 267,330 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +8.7% | +11.9% | Physical Therapist |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +5,300 jobs | +33,800 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 2,600 a year | 13,400 a year | Physical Therapist |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Doctoral or professional degree | Doctoral or professional degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.28 | 3.74 | Chiropractor |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.25 | 4.76 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.76 | 4.75 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cooperation | Empathy, Cooperation, Attention to Detail | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.28 vs 3.74)
- higher median pay matters most ($102,760 vs $79,200)
- faster projected national growth matters (+11.9% vs +8.7%)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 72% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Science (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Active Learning (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Complex Problem Solving (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Reading Comprehension (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Troubleshooting (+1.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+1.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Chiropractor
- Perform a series of manual adjustments to the spine or other articulations of the body to correct the musculoskeletal system.
- Obtain and record patients' medical histories.
- Diagnose health problems by reviewing patients' health and medical histories, questioning, observing, and examining patients and interpreting x-rays.
- Evaluate the functioning of the neuromuscularskeletal system and the spine using systems of chiropractic diagnosis.
Physical Therapist
- Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Chiropractor
- Ambulatory healthcare services (62.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (0.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Administrative and support services (0.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
Physical Therapist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (56.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (26.1% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (5.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Chiropractor → Physical Therapist: skills to build: Troubleshooting, Operations Analysis, Equipment Selection. Careers after Chiropractor
- Physical Therapist → Chiropractor: skills to build: Science, Active Learning. Careers after Physical Therapist
Go deeper
Chiropractor career hub · Chiropractor salary · Chiropractor how to become · Chiropractor career change · Physical Therapist career hub · Physical Therapist salary · Physical Therapist how to become · Physical Therapist career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Chiropractor or Physical Therapist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1011 and 29-1123). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “chiropractor vs physical therapist salary”, “physical therapist vs chiropractor salary” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).