Average Primary Therapist Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Primary Therapist salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Primary Therapist Make in Washington D.C.?

A Primary Therapist working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 111,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 54,100 USD to the highest average salary of 172,300 USD.

Average Annual Salary111,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary9,308 USD
Average Lowest Salary54,100 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary4,508 USD
Average Highest Salary172,300 USD
Highest Monthly Salary14,358 USD

These are average salaries for a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Primary Therapist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Primary Therapist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Primary Therapist Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries a Primary Therapist will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Primary Therapist can earn between 54,100 USD and 172,300 USD on average in Washington D.C.. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. is 111,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 111,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 111,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Primary Therapist salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 75,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 75,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 140,200 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 140,200 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Primary Therapist Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Primary Therapist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 66,100 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Primary Therapist salary would increase to 89,800 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Primary Therapist, the average salary would be 117,100 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 142,100 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Primary Therapist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 153,800 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Primary Therapist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 164,100 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
66,100 USD
2-5 Years+32%
89,800 USD
5-10 Years+34%
117,100 USD
10-15 Years+19%
142,100 USD
15-20 Years+8%
153,800 USD
20+ Years+7%
164,100 USD

Primary Therapist Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 85,500 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 118,900 USD.
  • PhD. A Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. with a phd education can earn an average salary of 157,600 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
85,500 USD
Master's Degree+38%
118,900 USD
PhD+31%
157,600 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Primary Therapist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Washington D.C., a male primary therapist will earn an average of 105,200 USD, while a female primary therapist will earn around 108,200 USD.

This means that a male primary therapist earns approximately 3% less than a female primary therapist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
105,200 USD
Female+3%
108,200 USD

Primary Therapist Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Primary Therapist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Primary Therapist is a moderate bonus based job, with 56% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

44% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus-
56%
No Bonus-
44%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Primary Therapist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Primary Therapist in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
Activity AssistantCare Giving and Child Care31,800 USD
Advice WorkerCare Giving and Child Care36,700 USD
Care ManagerCare Giving and Child Care112,700 USD
Care WorkerCare Giving and Child Care33,000 USD
Child Care Assistant DirectorCare Giving and Child Care80,500 USD
Child Care SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care128,400 USD
Child Care TeacherCare Giving and Child Care41,900 USD
Child Development Center AssistantCare Giving and Child Care52,300 USD
Child Development SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care134,100 USD
Child Life SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care139,100 USD
Child Protection OfficerCare Giving and Child Care44,500 USD
Child PsychotherapistCare Giving and Child Care148,300 USD
Child Support OfficerCare Giving and Child Care39,800 USD
Clinical Care CoordinatorCare Giving and Child Care46,400 USD
Clinical OfficerCare Giving and Child Care42,400 USD
CustodianCare Giving and Child Care59,100 USD
Day Care DirectorCare Giving and Child Care152,700 USD
Elderly Care GiverCare Giving and Child Care34,000 USD
Group Home ManagerCare Giving and Child Care160,700 USD
Kids Activity AssistantCare Giving and Child Care31,800 USD
Live In CarerCare Giving and Child Care36,400 USD
NannyCare Giving and Child Care39,000 USD
Nursery NurseCare Giving and Child Care43,400 USD
Nursery TeacherCare Giving and Child Care35,100 USD
Nursing Home AdministratorCare Giving and Child Care55,100 USD
Personal AssistantCare Giving and Child Care32,900 USD
Physical Health and Wellness SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care139,100 USD
Preschool Education CoordinatorCare Giving and Child Care62,500 USD
Psychiatric AideCare Giving and Child Care43,800 USD
Rehabilitation CounselorCare Giving and Child Care128,400 USD
Support WorkerCare Giving and Child Care30,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta100,700 USD
Austin112,700 USD
Baltimore109,000 USD
Boston114,600 USD
Bristol87,400 USD
Chicago124,500 USD
Cincinnati93,100 USD
Cleveland92,100 USD
Dallas119,700 USD
Denver114,600 USD
Detroit107,300 USD
Honolulu86,300 USD
Houston125,400 USD
Indianapolis114,300 USD
Iowa City86,600 USD
Jacksonville111,700 USD
Kansas City105,200 USD
Kent92,000 USD
Las Vegas103,600 USD
Long Beach94,500 USD
Los Angeles130,500 USD
Memphis109,700 USD
Miami99,700 USD
Minneapolis98,700 USD
New Orleans93,600 USD
New York125,400 USD
Oakland97,400 USD
Oklahoma City102,700 USD
Orlando87,600 USD
Philadelphia114,300 USD
Phoenix115,600 USD
Sacramento103,600 USD
San Antonio114,300 USD
San Diego115,600 USD
San Francisco114,600 USD
San Jose123,000 USD
Seattle107,300 USD
Tampa88,700 USD
Vancouver91,000 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama105,800 USD
Alaska96,000 USD
Arizona108,200 USD
Arkansas107,700 USD
California115,600 USD
Colorado111,700 USD
Connecticut102,700 USD
Delaware100,700 USD
District of Columbia93,100 USD
Florida112,700 USD
Georgia115,600 USD
Hawaii94,200 USD
Idaho99,700 USD
Illinois114,600 USD
Indiana114,900 USD
Iowa100,700 USD
Kansas107,300 USD
Kentucky105,800 USD
Louisiana108,200 USD
Maine95,600 USD
Maryland114,300 USD
Massachusetts111,700 USD
Michigan108,200 USD
Minnesota109,700 USD
Mississippi98,700 USD
Missouri111,700 USD
Montana93,900 USD
Nebraska103,600 USD
Nevada100,900 USD
New Hampshire100,700 USD
New Jersey112,700 USD
New Mexico105,800 USD
New York115,600 USD
North Carolina109,700 USD
North Dakota95,000 USD
Ohio111,700 USD
Oklahoma107,300 USD
Oregon103,600 USD
Pennsylvania118,900 USD
Rhode Island91,700 USD
South Carolina108,200 USD
South Dakota95,000 USD
Tennessee116,400 USD
Texas117,100 USD
Utah105,800 USD
Vermont93,300 USD
Virginia109,000 USD
Washington114,600 USD
West Virginia97,200 USD
Wisconsin111,700 USD
Wyoming88,300 USD

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