How much domassage therapists make?
Massage therapists earned a median of $58,450 a year in May 2025 — more than the median for all occupations. Where they work changes pay a lot. Here is the full range, pay by workplace and pay in every state.
Updated October 28, 2026 · SOC 31-9011 (Massage Therapists)
Pay at a glance
SOC 31-9011 (Massage Therapists)
- $58,450median annual pay for massage therapists, or $28.10 an hour.
May 2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook; BLS, OEWS May 2025[1][2]
- $100,200or more for the highest-paid 10% (90th percentile).
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
- $63,830mean (average) annual pay, or $30.69 an hour.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
- $134,930median annual pay in Alaska, the highest of any state.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: highest of the state medians BLS released[2]
What massage therapists earn, from lowest to highest
Massage therapy is the best paid of the five personal care jobs on these pages, and the range is wide.
$58,450 median annual pay: half of massage therapists earned more, half less. The 10th percentile was $33,640, the 25th $43,480, the 75th $78,320 and the 90th $100,200.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
$28.10 median hourly pay. The 10th percentile was $16.17 an hour, the 25th $20.91, the 75th $37.66 and the 90th $48.17.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
$63,830 mean annual pay, $5,380 above the median of $58,450: the highest earners pull the average above the middle.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: mean minus median[2]
114.7% of the median for all occupations: $58,450 compared with $50,980.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: $58,450 ÷ $50,980, rounded to one decimal[2]
98,790 massage therapists on payrolls — the workers these pay figures describe.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
OEWS pay covers 98,790 massage therapists on payrolls. It leaves out self-employed workers.
Chiropractors pay most, hotels least
Therapists in health practices earn clearly more than those in spas, salons and hotels.
$72,800 median annual pay in offices of chiropractors, $65,350 in offices of all other health practitioners, $56,230 in personal care services and $43,840 in accommodation.
May 2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
36% of massage therapists are self-employed; their earnings are not part of the pay numbers.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
Where massage therapists earn the most
One state stands far above the rest for massage therapist pay; the largest states have the most therapists on payrolls.
$134,930 in Alaska, the highest state median. The top five: Alaska ($134,930), Washington ($87,360), Oregon ($86,970), Hawaii ($81,280), New Hampshire ($80,360).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state medians sorted from highest; states without a released estimate left out[2]
$36,480 in Louisiana, the lowest state median. The lowest three: Louisiana ($36,480), Oklahoma ($36,630), New Mexico ($37,840).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state medians sorted from lowest[2]
14,600 massage therapists on payrolls in California, the most of any state. The top five: California (14,600), Florida (9,280), Texas (8,630), Illinois (4,950), New York (4,500).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state employment sorted from highest[2]
State medians are not adjusted for living costs. “—” in the table below means BLS did not release the estimate.
Massage therapists pay by state
Median annual pay and the number of massage therapists on payrolls, for every state.
| State | Median annual payMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] | Massage therapists on payrollsMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,930 | 600 |
| Alaska | $134,930 | 570 |
| Arizona | $62,400 | 2,530 |
| Arkansas | $39,990 | 430 |
| California | $45,970 | 14,600 |
| Colorado | $61,060 | 3,950 |
| Connecticut | $62,260 | 700 |
| Delaware | $58,870 | 230 |
| District of Columbia | $64,110 | 120 |
| Florida | $49,680 | 9,280 |
| Georgia | $50,820 | 1,700 |
| Hawaii | $81,280 | 1,330 |
| Idaho | $60,420 | 170 |
| Illinois | $60,490 | 4,950 |
| Indiana | $55,590 | 1,480 |
| Iowa | $57,710 | 540 |
| Kansas | $49,990 | 780 |
| Kentucky | $59,790 | 780 |
| Louisiana | $36,480 | 890 |
| Maine | $73,290 | 370 |
| Maryland | $62,270 | 1,350 |
| Massachusetts | $63,390 | 2,830 |
| Michigan | $70,960 | 2,410 |
| Minnesota | $63,070 | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $40,490 | 230 |
| Missouri | $62,050 | 1,500 |
| Montana | $53,540 | 200 |
| Nebraska | $53,950 | 270 |
| Nevada | $53,540 | 1,620 |
| New Hampshire | $80,360 | 270 |
| New Jersey | $50,150 | 2,890 |
| New Mexico | $37,840 | 360 |
| New York | $62,630 | 4,500 |
| North Carolina | $60,650 | 2,460 |
| North Dakota | $74,140 | 100 |
| Ohio | $55,990 | 1,760 |
| Oklahoma | $36,630 | 520 |
| Oregon | $86,970 | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,300 | 2,990 |
| Rhode Island | $74,960 | 290 |
| South Carolina | $58,000 | 1,840 |
| South Dakota | $52,000 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $50,070 | 1,230 |
| Texas | $59,370 | 8,630 |
| Utah | $62,130 | 1,840 |
| Vermont | — | — |
| Virginia | $62,220 | 2,730 |
| Washington | $87,360 | 3,740 |
| West Virginia | $46,600 | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $58,070 | 1,520 |
| Wyoming | $61,980 | 150 |
“—” means BLS did not release the estimate for that state. Self-employed workers are not included.
Related numbers
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Luvira, “How Much Do Massage Therapists Make? By State”, October 28, 2026, https://luvira.io/statistics/how-much-do-massage-therapists-make. Based on U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
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<a href="https://luvira.io/statistics/how-much-do-massage-therapists-make">How Much Do Massage Therapists Make? By State</a> (Luvira, based on Census Bureau and BLS data)
Sources and method
All sources accessed October 28, 2026. Each number above links to its source by number.
- [1]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Massage TherapistsNumber of jobs includes self-employed workers; projections cover 2025 to 2035. Pay is the May 2025 OEWS estimate for wage and salary workers.
- [2]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: national and state estimatesRead through the BLS Public Data API (series OEUN… for the nation, OEUS… for states). OEWS counts wage and salary jobs only, so self-employed workers are not included. Estimates BLS does not release are shown as “—”.
How we built this page
- Only official sources: the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No paid market research, no trade-group surveys, no job-board salaries.
- Numbers are written exactly as the agency published them. Numbers we worked out, such as shares, changes and averages per business, are labeled “Calculation” and show how they were calculated.
- Pay figures cover workers on a payroll. The self-employed are counted in the number of jobs but not in the pay data.
Left out on purpose
- Earnings of self-employed therapists, because no official source publishes them by occupation.
- Per-session rates and tips, because there is no official source for them.
Common questions
About massage therapist pay
The median annual pay was $58,450 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), and the mean $63,830. The highest-paid 10% earned $100,200 or more.
The median was $28.10 an hour in May 2025, from $16.17 at the 10th percentile to $48.17 at the 90th.
Alaska had the highest state median in May 2025, at $134,930, followed by Washington at $87,360.
At a chiropractor: the median was $72,800 in offices of chiropractors against $56,230 in personal care services in May 2025.
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