"APTA’s model shows that projected increases in the national supply of physical therapists is outpacing expected growth in demand for services based on an increase in the U.S. population who have health insurance," according to the American of Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Physical Therapy Workforce Analysis from its December 2020 report.

"Based on current graduation, licensing, and attrition trends, the model predicts an estimated surplus of 25,235 physical therapists by 2030.

This projected imbalance provides opportunities for the profession to correct existing imbalances in the geographic distribution of physical therapists, meet increases in demand due to changing population characteristics, and continue expanding in emerging areas of practice."

The APTA workforce report is consistent with the ACAPT board statement from March 2020, which noted that the actual rise in physical therapy employment is not likely to match Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections, and continued expansion of PT educational programs will likely be detrimental to all stakeholders.