Massage therapyindustry statistics
How many massage therapists work in the US, how many run their own practice, where the others work, and how fast the field is growing. Official numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each with its source and year.
Updated October 28, 2026 · SOC 31-9011 (Massage Therapists)
The industry at a glance
SOC 31-9011 (Massage Therapists)
- 155,400jobs as massage therapists, including self-employed.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
- 15%projected job growth, much faster than average.
2025–2035BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
- 20,400openings projected each year, on average.
2025–2035BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
- 36%of massage therapists are self-employed.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
Massage therapists in numbers
The Occupational Outlook Handbook counts the self-employed; OEWS counts only payroll jobs.
155,400 jobs as massage therapists, including self-employed workers.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
98,790 massage therapists on payrolls (wage and salary jobs only).
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
$58,450 median annual pay, or $28.10 an hour.
May 2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook; BLS, OEWS May 2025[1][2]
Where massage therapists work
The largest single group works for itself. The rest are split between personal care services, health practitioner offices, chiropractors and hotels — and pay differs a lot between them.
36% are self-employed; 33% work in personal care services, 12% in offices of all other health practitioners, 7% in offices of chiropractors and 6% in accommodation.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
$72,800 median annual pay in offices of chiropractors, compared with $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]
Job outlook for massage therapists
BLS projects massage therapist jobs to grow much faster than the average for all occupations.
15% projected growth, from 155,400 jobs to 179,100 (+23,700).
2025–2035BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
20,400 openings for massage therapists projected each year, on average, over the decade.
2025–2035BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
Most states regulate massage therapy and require a license or certification, according to BLS; requirements differ by state.
Massage therapists by state
Massage therapists on payrolls in every state, with the state’s median annual pay.
| State | Massage therapists on payrollsMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] | Median annual payMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 600 | $48,930 |
| Alaska | 570 | $134,930 |
| Arizona | 2,530 | $62,400 |
| Arkansas | 430 | $39,990 |
| California | 14,600 | $45,970 |
| Colorado | 3,950 | $61,060 |
| Connecticut | 700 | $62,260 |
| Delaware | 230 | $58,870 |
| District of Columbia | 120 | $64,110 |
| Florida | 9,280 | $49,680 |
| Georgia | 1,700 | $50,820 |
| Hawaii | 1,330 | $81,280 |
| Idaho | 170 | $60,420 |
| Illinois | 4,950 | $60,490 |
| Indiana | 1,480 | $55,590 |
| Iowa | 540 | $57,710 |
| Kansas | 780 | $49,990 |
| Kentucky | 780 | $59,790 |
| Louisiana | 890 | $36,480 |
| Maine | 370 | $73,290 |
| Maryland | 1,350 | $62,270 |
| Massachusetts | 2,830 | $63,390 |
| Michigan | 2,410 | $70,960 |
| Minnesota | 1,690 | $63,070 |
| Mississippi | 230 | $40,490 |
| Missouri | 1,500 | $62,050 |
| Montana | 200 | $53,540 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $53,950 |
| Nevada | 1,620 | $53,540 |
| New Hampshire | 270 | $80,360 |
| New Jersey | 2,890 | $50,150 |
| New Mexico | 360 | $37,840 |
| New York | 4,500 | $62,630 |
| North Carolina | 2,460 | $60,650 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $74,140 |
| Ohio | 1,760 | $55,990 |
| Oklahoma | 520 | $36,630 |
| Oregon | 2,250 | $86,970 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,990 | $58,300 |
| Rhode Island | 290 | $74,960 |
| South Carolina | 1,840 | $58,000 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $52,000 |
| Tennessee | 1,230 | $50,070 |
| Texas | 8,630 | $59,370 |
| Utah | 1,840 | $62,130 |
| Vermont | — | — |
| Virginia | 2,730 | $62,220 |
| Washington | 3,740 | $87,360 |
| West Virginia | 250 | $46,600 |
| Wisconsin | 1,520 | $58,070 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $61,980 |
“—” means BLS did not release the estimate. Self-employed therapists are not included in state counts.
Pay in this field
How to cite this page
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As text
Luvira, “Massage Therapy Industry Statistics 2026 (US)”, October 28, 2026, https://luvira.io/statistics/massage-industry. Based on U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
As a link (HTML)
<a href="https://luvira.io/statistics/massage-industry">Massage Therapy Industry Statistics 2026 (US)</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
- A count of massage businesses, because the Census Bureau has no business class for massage alone.
- Industry revenue and consumer survey figures from trade associations, because they are not official statistics.
Common questions
About massage industry
BLS counts 155,400 jobs as massage therapists in 2025, including self-employed therapists. OEWS counted 98,790 on payrolls in May 2025.
Yes. BLS projects 15% growth from 2025 to 2035, from 155,400 to 179,100 jobs, much faster than the average for all occupations.
36% of massage therapists are self-employed, the largest single group in the BLS breakdown; 33% work in personal care services.
There is no official count. The Census Bureau has no business class for massage alone, so we do not show a business count on this page.
Still have questions?
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