Physical Therapist vs Registered Nurse
Physical Therapist has 1.8 times as many registry records as Registered Nurse: 264,021 against 148,485. Each count is the NPPES records whose primary taxonomy is the specialty, so it measures how providers describe their main practice, not everyone trained in it.
Physical Therapist: 264,021 records in 56 states
Registered Nurse: 148,485 records in 56 states
By state, with records per 100,000 residents
| State | Physical Therapist | Registered Nurse | Per 100,000 (first) | Per 100,000 (second) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 21,756 | 25,740 | 111.2 | 131.5 |
| California | 22,531 | 13,506 | 57.8 | 34.7 |
| Texas | 15,190 | 8,921 | 49.8 | 29.2 |
| Florida | 14,419 | 4,722 | 63.8 | 20.9 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,783 | 5,372 | 98.6 | 41.4 |
| Ohio | 7,378 | 9,656 | 62.6 | 81.9 |
| Michigan | 9,592 | 5,589 | 95.6 | 55.7 |
| Illinois | 12,045 | 2,628 | 96.0 | 20.9 |
| Washington | 7,493 | 5,708 | 95.9 | 73.1 |
| Massachusetts | 7,100 | 4,985 | 101.4 | 71.2 |
| New Jersey | 9,733 | 1,613 | 104.8 | 17.4 |
| Wisconsin | 6,585 | 4,628 | 111.4 | 78.3 |
| Colorado | 6,354 | 4,610 | 108.1 | 78.4 |
| North Carolina | 8,640 | 2,100 | 79.7 | 19.4 |
| Georgia | 6,579 | 3,284 | 59.7 | 29.8 |
| Minnesota | 5,500 | 3,418 | 95.9 | 59.6 |
| Tennessee | 5,363 | 3,269 | 75.3 | 45.9 |
| Maryland | 6,177 | 2,453 | 99.9 | 39.7 |
| Arizona | 5,351 | 3,124 | 72.0 | 42.0 |
| Virginia | 6,893 | 1,282 | 79.8 | 14.8 |
| Oregon | 4,123 | 2,449 | 97.4 | 57.9 |
| Indiana | 4,894 | 1,480 | 71.3 | 21.6 |
| Missouri | 4,540 | 1,586 | 73.3 | 25.6 |
| South Carolina | 3,905 | 1,761 | 72.7 | 32.8 |
| Alabama | 2,896 | 1,486 | 56.7 | 29.1 |
| Connecticut | 3,569 | 751 | 98.7 | 20.8 |
| Kentucky | 3,233 | 864 | 71.4 | 19.1 |
| Oklahoma | 2,320 | 1,456 | 57.2 | 35.9 |
| Kansas | 2,693 | 997 | 91.6 | 33.9 |
| Utah | 2,655 | 990 | 77.7 | 29.0 |
| Iowa | 2,671 | 833 | 83.3 | 26.0 |
| Arkansas | 2,255 | 1,216 | 73.5 | 39.6 |
| Louisiana | 2,529 | 869 | 55.3 | 19.0 |
| Nevada | 1,891 | 1,458 | 59.2 | 45.6 |
| Nebraska | 2,093 | 909 | 105.8 | 45.9 |
| New Mexico | 1,418 | 1,554 | 67.1 | 73.5 |
| Mississippi | 1,699 | 596 | 57.8 | 20.3 |
| Maine | 1,682 | 612 | 120.5 | 43.8 |
| West Virginia | 1,244 | 1,003 | 70.3 | 56.7 |
| Idaho | 1,768 | 395 | 90.0 | 20.1 |
| Hawaii | 1,215 | 891 | 84.7 | 62.1 |
| Delaware | 1,131 | 967 | 109.6 | 93.7 |
| Rhode Island | 1,237 | 813 | 112.9 | 74.2 |
| Alaska | 845 | 1,201 | 115.2 | 163.8 |
| New Hampshire | 1,663 | 377 | 118.6 | 26.9 |
| Montana | 1,429 | 524 | 126.1 | 46.3 |
| North Dakota | 1,058 | 856 | 135.0 | 109.2 |
| South Dakota | 992 | 799 | 107.9 | 86.9 |
| District of Columbia | 703 | 812 | 103.5 | 119.6 |
| Vermont | 853 | 201 | 131.7 | 31.0 |
| Wyoming | 661 | 367 | 113.2 | 62.8 |
Source: CMS NPPES (NPPES files on CMS.gov), primary NUCC taxonomy by practice state; 2023 population estimates (census.gov).
Common questions
How many Physical Therapist providers are there vs Registered Nurse?
There are 264,021 Physical Therapist and 148,485 Registered Nurse records in the CMS NPPES registry, counted by primary taxonomy.
Which specialty is spread across more states?
Both have records in 56 states and territories.
Where is the data from?
Provider counts are from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Per-capita rates use 2023 Census population estimates.
Figures on PlainDoctor are read from the federal files each page names (CMS NPPES, Medicare Part D, MIPS, Open Payments; the HHS-OIG exclusion list only as counts) and from Census population estimates, with the file date shown beside them. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of the NPPES file of Aug 9, 2026.