Best Paying Jobs for Physical Therapists are found in Hidalgo County, Texas

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Statistical Area is home to the best paying Physical Therapist jobs in the United States

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in May 2010 there were 180,280 physical therapists in the United States. The mean hourly wage for these medical and health professionals was $37.50, with a mean annual wage of $77,790. Any physical therapist wanting to maximize their salary should seriously consider moving to Texas. Five of the seven metropolitan areas in the United States with the highest salaries for physical therapists are in Texas. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission ranks Number 1 with a median hourly wage of $58.02 and median annual $120,690. Madera, California is second ($52.08/$108,320) and Fairbanks, Alaska is third ($48.97/$101,860). Now for the Texas rankings. Midland is fourth ($48.46/ $100,790), Sherman-Denison is fifth ($46.75/$97,250), El Paso is sixth ($46.74/$97,210) and Beaumont-Port Arthur is seventh ($46.01/$95,700)

Top Paying Texas Metropolitan Areas for Physical Therapists

Hidalgo County, Texas Population, Income and Housing Data

Sometimes companies in a particular area pay well, because it's expensive to live there. This is not the case in Hidalgo County. In 2010, the US Bureau of the Census reported that Hidalgo County per capita income was only $13,480 (compared to $24,780 for the entire state of Texas). Median Household Income also lagged the state of Texas - $31,879 to $49,646. Hidalgo County is a poor area with 34.4% (2006-2010) of their population living below the poverty level. More than double the 16.8% statewide.

Not surprising, housing costs are also quite low. The median value of owner-occupied housing units (2006-2010) was only $73,000 ($123,500 for Texas). But 85.4% of the population lived in the same housing unit for one year or more compared to 81.5% for the rest of Texas.

The lack of education is in part to blame for these numbers. Only 60% of the population graduates from High School, compared to 80% statewide. For residents over 25, only 15.1% have at least a Bachelor's Degree. Throughout the state this is 25.8%

Hispanic residents dominate the county. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin comprise 90.1% of the population. Statewide they represent 37.6%. Over 85% speak a language other than English at home. Foreign-born persons comprise almost 30% of the population

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area Residents Fattest in the US

A recent Gallup survey concluded that 38.8% of McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Area residents are obese. This is the highest obesity rate found in the United States. These findings are based on phone interviews with 353,492 adults in 190 metropolitan statistical areas. At least 300 surveys were completed in each metropolitan area. Across the United States 26.6% of adults were obese.

Obesity is calculated as as a Body-Mass index of 30 or above. One of the goals of the Gallup Survey was to compare obesity rates to life threatening conditions such as diabetes. As a whole 11.3% of US residents reported having been diagnosed at least once in their life with diabetes. In the 9 US states with the lowest rates of obesity, 9.9% of residents are diabetic. In the 11 US states with the highest obesity rates 13.7% of residents are diabetic.

Public Health officials in Hidalgo County cite poverty and lack of education as the reasons for the high obesity rates. The County WIC program which provides nutritional support for women, infants, and children has had success in teaching mothers how important weight reduction is to manage health issues. The county wants to make this into a pilot program for county employees. Eventually it will become available to all residents.

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Area

6. McAllen 7. Mission 8. Edinburg 9. Pharr

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area is located entirely in Hidalgo county. It is centered on four cities McAllen, Edinburg, Mission and Pharr. It is part of the transnational metropolitan area called Rynosa-McAllen. It is often referred to as Borderplex. The combined Mexican and US population is about 1.7 million persons. It is often the fast growing urban area in the United States.

Healthcare Employment in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metropolitan Area

According to the BLS 13,949 persons are employed as Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations.

Registered Nurses (4,400) make up the largest segment with an annual mean income of $71,500.
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses (2,560) are the second largest group of healthcare professionals posting an annual mean income of $45,400.
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics (830) post an annual mean income of $27,100.
Nutritionists (80), which could play an important role in providing solutions to the metropolitan area's obesity crisis, are few and far between they receive an annual mean income of $51,890.

Family Care and General Practitioners (160) who have an annual mean income of $202,590. The General Internists (100) have higher annual median incomes at $246,260. They are the highest paid medical professionals in the area.

Mission Regional Medical Center Top Pulmonary Care Hospital

The Mission Regional Medical Center is located in Mission, Texas and is considered to be one of the best in the country - consistently rated in the top 5% of all hospitals nationwide. It has received numerous awards and high rates.

Date	Award
December 27, 2011	Gastrointestinal Labratory Recognized for Quality and Excellence
November 15, 2011	Orthopedic Services Receive a 5-Star Rating
September 20, 2011	Maternity Care Receives a 5-Star Rating
November 17, 2010	Joint Replacement Program Rated as in the Top 10% Nationwide

More Hildago County Hospitals

Cornerstone Hospital, Edinburg
Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Edinberg
Rio Grande Regional Hospital, McAllen
Knapp Medical Center, Weslaco
South Texas Health System, Edinburg

Physical Therapy Services in Hildago County, Texas

Some Places to Contact for Jobs

Advantage Therapy
5401 N. 10th Street, Ste. 125
McAllen, TX 78504
Phone: (956) 827-5222
Accupoint Therapy Management
2405 Buddy Owens
McAllen, TX 78504
Phone: (956) 994-1185
Affectionate Home Care
315 N. Shary Rd.
Mission, TX
Phone: (956) 583-3692
FirstSteps Pediatric Rehab
1301 E. Fern, Ste. D
McAllen, TX 78501
Phone: (956) 683-9339
Kidiatric Therapy Services
3611 N. Ware Rd.
McAllen, TX 78501
Salamanca's Therapy, PC
1022 East Griffin Parkway, Suite. 104
Mission, TX 78572
Phone: (956) 580-7579

Costly Healthcare in McAllen, TX

While the residents of McAllen are generally poorer than the rest of the country, this does not mean that they are not getting high quality healthcare. In 2006, Medicare reported spending $15,000 per enrollee. That's twice the national average. In this poor metropolitan area where remember the per capita income is only $13,480, that's a staggering amount. Yes the obesity epidemic has a great deal to do with it. But if you look at cardiovascular disease rates for Hidalgo County, it's lower than the rest of the country. Residents don't smoke much. HIV rates are low, as is infant mortality. So as you can see the impact of having a premier medical center such as Mission Regional Medical Center.

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