Massage industry statistics describe several different parts of the U.S. field, including consumer use, perceptions, therapists, employers, practice settings and clinical evidence. The measures below are not a single revenue series, and their survey, forecast and evidence-review limitations matter.
Key Massage Industry Statistics
The most useful headline figures span participation, consumer behavior, labor data and evidence reviews:
- In 2022, 10.9% of U.S. adults used massage therapy.
- In 2002, 4.8% of U.S. adults used massage therapy.
- In 2022, 53.4% of U.S. adult massage-therapy users reported using it for pain.
- In the 12 months ending June 2025, U.S. massage consumers reported an average of 2.7 massages.
- In the 2025 survey, 63% of surveyed U.S. consumers reported receiving a massage from a professional massage therapist in the past year.
- In the 12 months ending June 2025, 71% of U.S. massage consumers used massage for a health or medical reason.
- In the 12 months ending June 2025, 29% of U.S. massage consumers used massage for pain relief or pain management.
- In the 2025 survey, 91% of surveyed U.S. individuals viewed massage as beneficial to overall health and wellness.
- In the 2025 survey, 94% of surveyed U.S. individuals believed massage can be effective in reducing pain.
- In 2025, BLS counted about 155,400 U.S. massage-therapist jobs.
- From 2025 to 2035, BLS projects massage-therapist employment to grow 15%.
- From 2025 through 2035, BLS projects about 20,400 massage-therapist openings per year on average.
- In May 2025, the median annual wage for U.S. massage therapists was $58,450.
- In May 2023, BLS estimated 92,650 U.S. massage therapists in its employer survey.
- In May 2023, California had 15,070 massage therapists, the largest state employment level shown in the BLS table.
- In the 2025 benchmark surveys, 40% of AMTA-surveyed massage therapists worked in their own office setting.
- In the 2025 benchmark surveys, 74% of AMTA-surveyed massage therapists received referrals from other massage therapists.
- An AHRQ 2016 evaluation examined 20 studies of massage for chronic low-back pain and judged the evidence low strength.
- A 2015 review found short-term pain improvements in 25 studies involving 3,096 participants, but study quality was low.
- According to NCCIH’s summary, massage therapy was regulated by licensure or certification in 45 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia on the source page accessed in October 2026.
Contents
- Key Massage Industry Statistics
- Massage Therapy Participation and Market Reach
- Consumer Reasons, Perceptions and Care-Seeking Patterns
- Massage Therapy Workforce, Pay and Outlook
- Massage Employment, Wages and Geographic Concentration
- Massage Practice Settings, Referrals and Service Delivery
- Massage Outcomes, Evidence Strength, Safety and Regulation
Massage Therapy Participation and Market Reach
The National Health Interview Survey estimates that massage therapy use among U.S. adults was 4.8% in 2002 and 10.9% in 2022. The figures use the source’s consistent broad complementary-health definition and are survey estimates, not appointment or revenue totals.
NCCIH, “Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know”
| Measure | 2002 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults using massage therapy | 4.8% | 10.9% |
| Massage-therapy users reporting use for pain | 39.2% | 53.4% |
Among U.S. adult massage-therapy users, 39.2% reported using massage for pain in 2002, compared with 53.4% in 2022. These are reported reasons for use, not measured clinical outcomes.
NCCIH, “Graph titled Use of Complementary Health Approaches for Pain: 20-Year Trends”
The AMTA 2025 consumer survey found an average of 2.7 massages among U.S. consumers who had a massage during the 12 months ending June 2025. It also found that 63% reported receiving a massage from a professional massage therapist in the past year, while 71% used massage for a health or medical reason and 29% used it for pain relief or pain management.
AMTA, “Consumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy”
These measures cover different populations and periods: a 2022 national adult estimate, a 2025 consumer survey average, and self-reported purposes among massage consumers.
Consumer Reasons, Perceptions and Care-Seeking Patterns
For their last massage in the 12 months ending June 2025, 49% of U.S. consumers identified health or wellness as the primary reason and 30% identified a stress-related reason. The categories are separate in the survey, so they should not be treated as a complete combined demand split.
AMTA, “Consumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy”
Surveyed perceptions were also broad: 91% viewed massage as beneficial to overall health and wellness, 94% believed it can be effective in reducing pain, and 29% believed massage therapy is only a form of pampering. These are attitude measures, not clinical-effect estimates.
AMTA, “Consumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy”
Among AMTA-surveyed massage consumers who discussed massage with a doctor, the reported discussion topics included:
- 51% discussed acute or chronic pain relief or management.
- 36% discussed injury recovery or rehabilitation.
- 49% discussed soreness, stiffness or spasms.
In the same conditional group, 22% said they were referred to a massage therapist, 24% said the doctor strongly recommended receiving a massage, 19% said the doctor encouraged them to receive a massage, and 23% said they were told massage might benefit them. These percentages are self-reported and conditional on having discussed massage with a doctor.
AMTA, “Consumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy”
Massage Therapy Workforce, Pay and Outlook
BLS counted about 155,400 U.S. massage-therapist jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035. The projection rises from 155,400 jobs in 2025 to 179,100 in 2035, a projected numeric increase of 23,700 jobs, with about 20,400 openings per year on average; these are employment projections rather than revenue forecasts.
BLS, “Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook”
| BLS May 2025 measure | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| Overall median | $58,450 |
| Lowest-paid 10% threshold | Below $33,640 |
| Highest-paid 10% threshold | Above $100,200 |
| Offices of chiropractors median | $72,800 |
| Personal care services median | $56,230 |
The May 2025 median annual wage was $58,450; the lowest-paid 10% earned below $33,640, while the highest-paid 10% earned above $100,200. The industry-specific medians were $72,800 in offices of chiropractors and $56,230 in personal care services.
Part-time work is common, and these wage measures do not equal take-home income or self-employment revenue.
BLS, “Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook”
Massage Employment, Wages and Geographic Concentration
The May 2023 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics employer survey estimated 92,650 U.S. massage therapists. It reported a national mean hourly wage of $30.08, mean annual wage of $62,560, median hourly wage of $26.59, and median annualized wage of $55,310; OEWS excludes self-employed workers.
BLS, “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 31-9011 Massage Therapists”
| May 2023 employer-survey category | Employment | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Personal care services | 47,170 | $61,940 |
| Offices of other health practitioners | 27,340 | $65,410 |
| Traveler accommodation | 8,920 | $53,630 |
California had 15,070 massage therapists in May 2023, the largest state employment level shown in the BLS table. Colorado’s location quotient was 2.53, indicating occupational concentration above the national average, while Alaska’s mean annual wage was $100,670; a location quotient is not market share, and state estimates exclude self-employed workers.
BLS, “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 31-9011 Massage Therapists”
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area had 6,500 massage therapists in May 2023.
BLS, “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 31-9011 Massage Therapists”
Massage Practice Settings, Referrals and Service Delivery
AMTA’s 2026 fact sheet summarizes four 2025 benchmark surveys. Respondents could practice in multiple settings, so the percentages are not mutually exclusive.
AMTA, “State of the Massage Therapy Profession: 2026 Fact Sheet”
| Practice setting | Share of surveyed massage therapists |
|---|---|
| Own office | 40% |
| Clients’ homes | 37% |
| Therapist’s home | 25% |
| Spa or salon | 20% |
| Massage-therapy franchise | 13% |
The largest reported setting was the therapist’s own office at 40%, followed by clients’ homes at 37%, the therapist’s home at 25%, a spa or salon at 20%, and a massage-therapy franchise at 13%.
AMTA, “State of the Massage Therapy Profession: 2026 Fact Sheet”
74% of AMTA-surveyed massage therapists received referrals from other massage therapists. Referral percentages are self-reported, and respondents could identify multiple referral sources.
AMTA, “State of the Massage Therapy Profession: 2026 Fact Sheet”
Massage Outcomes, Evidence Strength, Safety and Regulation
The evidence is condition-specific and often short-term. An AHRQ 2016 evaluation examined 20 studies of massage for chronic low-back pain and judged the evidence that it helped to be low strength, while a 2015 review of 25 studies involving 3,096 participants found short-term pain improvements for acute and chronic low-back pain but very little confidence because study quality was low.
NCCIH, “Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know”
For neck and shoulder pain, a 2013 review of 12 studies with 757 participants found massage more helpful than inactive therapies but not more effective than other active therapies. A 2016 review of four U.S. studies involving 519 participants found that massage could provide short-term neck-pain relief when sessions were long enough and frequent enough.
NCCIH, “Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know”
Other reviewed populations also show qualified findings:
- Five of six studies of massage for knee osteoarthritis found short-term pain relief, with 408 participants across the six studies.
- A 2017 review of 34 premature-infant massage studies found that 20 studies covering 1,250 infants evaluated weight gain, and most showed improvement.
- A 2013 review of 34 studies of healthy full-term infants found no clear evidence of beneficial effects.
The knee-osteoarthritis evidence was small and did not establish long-term outcomes. For premature infants, the source says evidence for benefits beyond weight gain was too small for conclusions, while the full-term-infant finding applies to low-risk healthy infants rather than all massage users.
NCCIH, “Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know”
According to NCCIH’s summary, massage therapy was regulated by licensure or certification in 45 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia on the source page accessed in October 2026. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and can change; the figure covers states and D.C., not territories.
NCCIH, “Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know”
The supplied evidence does not provide a direct official national revenue series for the entire U.S. massage industry. These statistics therefore describe participation, perceptions, workforce and wages, settings, referrals and selected evidence reviews without implying an unsupported market-size estimate.