California Medicaid therapy rates
California Medicaid pays $12.22 per 15 min ($48.88 an hour) for physical therapy delivered by a physical therapist, effective October 1, 2026, the 25th highest of 25 states with comparable rates. Below: 5 more therapy rates compared with every state we track, the wages of the staff who deliver them, and recent rate changes.
- Physical therapy
- $12.22per 15 min · $48.88/hr
- Rank among states
- 25 of 25-45.4% vs median
- Physical therapist median wage
- $59.71BLS May 2025
- California minimum wage
- $16.90$17.40 from January 1, 2027
California therapy rates vs other states
Fee-for-service, like-for-like by provider level. Click a rate to open California's official fee schedule.
| Service | Provider level | Code | CA rate | Unit | Per hour | Rank | Median across states | Lowest | Highest | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical therapy | Physical therapist | 97112 | $12.22 | 15 min | $48.88 | 25 of 25 | $89.52/hr | $48.88 | $14,040.00 | 25 |
| Occupational therapy | Occupational therapist | 97530 | $14.13 | 15 min | $56.52 | 23 of 24 | $109.02/hr | $52.00 | $14,040.00 | 24 |
| Speech-language therapy | Speech-language pathologist | 92507 | $37.69 | — | — | 16 of 20 | $58.56 | $8.67 | $142.14 | 20 |
| Physical therapy evaluation | Physical therapist | 97164 | $94.14 | — | — | 4 of 22 | $72.48 | $10.27 | $116.19 | 22 |
| Occupational therapy evaluation | Occupational therapist | 97168 | $87.32 | — | — | 5 of 21 | $71.98 | $19.63 | $116.19 | 21 |
| Speech-language evaluation | Speech-language pathologist | 92522 | $64.11 | — | — | 21 of 21 | $88.31 | $64.11 | $3,510.00 | 21 |
Physical therapy: where California ranks
States whose published unit can't be converted are left out of the ranking.
| # | State | Rate | Unit | Per hour | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $3,510.00 | 15 min | $14,040.00 | 2025-12-01 |
| 2 | Texas | $33.75 | 15 min | $135.00 | 2017-09-01 |
| 3 | Georgia | $30.23 | 15 min | $120.92 | 2025-04-01 |
| 4 | Virginia | $28.36 | 15 min | $113.44 | 2026-07-01 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $28.25 | 15 min | $113.00 | 2025-07-01 |
| 6 | Maryland | $27.85 | 15 min | $111.40 | 2026-01-01 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $27.42 | 15 min | $109.68 | 2026-07-01 |
| 8 | Missouri | $25.56 | 15 min | $102.24 | 2026-07-01 |
| 9 | Colorado | $24.65 | 15 min | $98.60 | 2026-07-01 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $23.37 | 15 min | $93.48 | 2022-04-01 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $23.00 | 15 min | $92.00 | 2025-11-18 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $22.67 | 15 min | $90.68 | 2025-06-06 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $22.38 | 15 min | $89.52 | 2026-02-01 |
| 14 | Illinois | $21.63 | 15 min | $86.52 | 2024-04-01 |
| 15 | Michigan | $20.87 | 15 min | $83.48 | 2026-01-01 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $20.29 | 15 min | $81.16 | 2022-01-01 |
| 17 | Washington | $19.87 | 15 min | $79.48 | 2026-10-01 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $19.74 | 15 min | $78.96 | 2026-01-01 |
| 19 | Ohio | $18.50 | 15 min | $74.00 | 2020-06-12 |
| 20 | Indiana | $18.12 | 15 min | $72.48 | 2014-01-01 |
| 21 | New York | $18.05 | 15 min | $72.20 | 2023-10-01 |
| 22 | Florida | $17.96 | 15 min | $71.84 | 2026-07-01 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $17.82 | 15 min | $71.28 | 2017-07-01 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $16.75 | 15 min | $67.00 | 2021-09-01 |
| 25 | California | $12.22 | 15 min | $48.88 | 2026-10-01 |
What it costs to deliver in California
Median hourly wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).
| Role | CA median | US median | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical therapist | $59.71 | $49.40 | +20.9% |
| Occupational therapist | $59.86 | $48.24 | +24.1% |
| Speech-language pathologist | $57.20 | $47.05 | +21.6% |
| Physical therapist assistant | $39.96 | $32.88 | +21.5% |
| Occupational therapy assistant | $39.31 | $34.76 | +13.1% |
Recent California therapy rate changes
The workspace adds every modifier, region and provider variant, full rate history, proposed changes, coverage and prior-authorization rules, managed-care plans and a unit-economics calculator. All of it is available through the API.
Rates are taken from California's official Medicaid publications, and each one links to its source. Confirm with the payer before billing. Managed-care plans may pay differently from fee-for-service.