Top-rated centers for physical therapy by US state: A data-based national guide

The search for top-rated centers for physical therapy by US state often leads to hospital-based rehabilitation rankings rather than ordinary outpatient clinic directories. The available 2025 Newsweek data covers inpatient rehabilitation facilities, while other sources provide tools for locating licensed therapists, checking quality information, and reviewing accreditation or regulatory status.

How the national rehabilitation ranking is defined

Newsweek and Statista’s 2025 ranking recognized 320 inpatient physical rehabilitation facilities in the United States. The facilities were defined according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services category of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, which includes freestanding rehabilitation hospitals and rehabilitation units within acute-care hospitals. Outpatient-only physical therapy practices were excluded from this ranking. 1

The ranking used four pillars: CMS quality metrics, an online survey of physicians, physiotherapists, doctors, clinic managers, and other healthcare professionals, facility accreditations, and Google reviews. Survey participants recommended leading centers in their states, and recommendations for their own employers were not allowed. The 25 states with the most qualifying facilities were ranked separately, while other states were grouped into four regions. 2

What the state tables show

The published state pages identify facilities, cities, state ranks, and selected standout programs. They should not be interpreted as a complete list of every physical therapy provider in a state, because the methodology excludes outpatient-only centers and focuses on inpatient rehabilitation. The following examples represent the state-level results supplied in the research data. 3

California’s leading listed centers

California has 24 facilities in the supplied Newsweek table. Sutter Health’s California Pacific Regional Rehabilitation Center at CPMC ranked first in San Francisco and listed cancer rehabilitation as a standout program. California Rehabilitation Institute ranked second in Los Angeles, with programs for brain injury, cancer rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ranked third, also in Los Angeles, with brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke programs. 4

Other California entries include Loma Linda University Medical Center, Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Vallejo, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital in Santa Barbara, and Sharp Allison deRose Rehabilitation Center in San Diego. The table also includes rehabilitation hospitals in Bakersfield, San Jose, Berkeley, Roseville, Orange, Escondido, and other communities, showing that the state results extend beyond the largest metropolitan areas. 4

Results from Tennessee, Alabama, and Missouri

Tennessee’s supplied ranking contains eight facilities. Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital ranked first in Germantown, followed by Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Franklin, Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital in Nashville, Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital in Johnson City, and Ascension Saint Thomas Rehabilitation Hospital in Nashville. TriStar Skyline Medical Center, Knoxville Rehabilitation Hospital, and Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Memphis completed the table. 5

Alabama’s list contains five facilities, led by Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital in Birmingham, followed by Springhill Medical Center in Mobile, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Gadsden, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama in Huntsville, and Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham. Missouri’s eight listed facilities are led by Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis, followed by Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital Springfield, The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South, RUSK Rehabilitation Hospital, Saint Francis Inpatient Rehabilitation, Saint Luke’s North Hospital - Smithville, and Boone Hospital Center. 6

Additional nationally recognized rehabilitation examples

State rankings are not the only reference point. WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital was identified by WakeMed as the top facility in North Carolina in Newsweek’s 2025 ranking for the second consecutive year. Its described services address adults and children recovering from stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, orthopedic issues, trauma, and limb loss, with CARF-accredited programs. 7

Other research references identify Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab as prominent organizations associated with complex rehabilitation or specialized physical therapy. The research also notes that Shirley Ryan AbilityLab consistently holds a leading national rehabilitation position, while Kessler is widely recognized in the New Jersey and New York region. These references do not create a uniform 50-state ranking. 8

How to evaluate a center beyond its rank

A ranking does not establish that a facility is appropriate for every diagnosis, insurance arrangement, age group, or stage of recovery. The American Physical Therapy Association’s ChoosePT directory is identified as a resource for locating licensed providers across all 50 states, while Medicare’s Care Compare tool includes provider information and quality measures for services accepting federal insurance. These resources address broader provider discovery than an inpatient-only ranking. 9

Licensure and accreditation require separate checks. State physical therapy boards are the primary regulatory bodies for verifying practitioner licensure and disciplinary history, with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy providing state licensing-authority information. CARF accreditation is a quality benchmark for rehabilitation facilities, but it does not replace reviewing diagnosis-specific expertise, admission criteria, staffing, expected therapy intensity, transportation, coverage rules, or the difference between inpatient and outpatient care. 10

Clinical fit, outcomes, and practical limitations

Highly rated rehabilitation centers commonly report specialized services in areas such as sports medicine, geriatric care, and postsurgical rehabilitation, while the supplied facility tables identify programs for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, cancer rehabilitation, and pediatric rehabilitation. Patient-reported outcome measures are increasingly used to track functional improvement beyond routine clinical assessments, making outcome measurement a relevant question when comparing programs. 11

Practical barriers can affect access even when a center has a strong ranking. Inpatient facilities may have admission requirements, referral processes, coverage limitations, geographic constraints, and discharge planning requirements. U.S. News states that rehabilitation rankings consider patient outcomes, patient safety, clinical resources, and expert opinion, but rankings remain a starting point rather than a substitute for advice from a treating physician or licensed physical therapist. 12

Sources

1. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: California, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/california
2. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: Tennessee methodology, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/tennessee
3. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: Alabama methodology, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/alabama
4. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: California facility table, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/california
5. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: Tennessee, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/tennessee
6. Newsweek, America’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers 2025: Alabama and Missouri, https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/alabama and https://rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-2025/missouri
7. WakeMed, WakeMed Named Among Nation’s Best Physical Rehabilitation Centers, https://www.wakemed.org/news/wakemed-named-among-nations-best-physical-rehabilitation-centers-0
8. Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Kessler Institute, and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab rehabilitation information
9. ChoosePT and Medicare Care Compare, https://www.choosept.com/find-a-pt and https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
10. Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and CARF, https://www.fsbpt.org/Free-Resources/Licensing-Authorities-Contact-Information and https://www.carf.org/home/
11. Research information on specialized programs and patient-reported outcome measures
12. U.S. News & World Report, Rehabilitation rankings, https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/rehabilitation