New Study Finds the Demand for Physical Therapists Will Only Grow Amid Shortage

March 18, 2025

The shortage of physical therapists in the U.S. will not be letting up any time soon, according to a new study published in the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Journal looking at retirement rates, rates of graduates entering the workforce, and workforce attrition nationwide.

The researchers predict there will be 273,070 full-time equivalent (FTE) physical therapists in the workforce by 2037. Yet, demand will grow even more, increasing to 282,230, resulting in a projected shortfall of 9,120 (3.3%) FTE physical therapists. The study’s forecast is based on the growing demand for physical therapy, since the population of Americans aged 65+ is expected to grow 28.7% by 2037. Consequently, the prevalence of conditions that benefit from physical therapy will continue to rise, requiring more care.

“Unless measures are implemented to boost the number of physical therapists entering or re-entering the workforce, or policies are enacted to improve retention, the national shortfall is likely to persist, further exacerbating access to care challenges,” the researchers wrote.

Other key findings include:

  • Retention efforts alone to close this gap may not be sufficient, especially in the short and medium term. For example, delaying workforce departure by a few years can be helpful, but would require significant changes in retirement decisions.
  • As the number of physical therapists declines, limited access to care can exacerbate existing inequalities and individuals in underserved or marginalized communities may struggle to receive timely care.

Without adequate access to physical therapists, America’s aging population—those most at risk for falls—will not receive the assessments and care that they need. To solve the shortage, the authors suggest strategic interventions, including increasing the number of physical therapist graduates or implementing policies to improve retention. They also note the need for more individual-level data on physical therapists to understand how to address this issue.

To read the study, CLICK HERE.