Massage therapist statistics show a U.S. occupation with about 155,400 jobs in 2025, a projected 15% employment increase through 2035, and consumer use shaped by wellness, health and pain-related goals. The measures below distinguish workforce estimates, forecasts, professional surveys and consumer opinions by date and population.
Key Massage Therapist Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2025, about 155,400 massage therapist jobs existed in the United States.
- From 2025 to 2035, U.S. massage therapist employment is projected to grow 15%.
- During 2025–2035, about 20,400 massage therapist openings per year are projected in the United States, including replacement demand.
- From 2025 to 2035, the occupation is projected to add 23,700 U.S. jobs.
- In May 2025, the U.S. median annual wage for massage therapists was $58,450.
- In 2025, self-employed workers represented 36% of U.S. massage therapist jobs.
- In 2025, personal care services accounted for 33% of U.S. massage therapist jobs.
- In May 2023, OEWS estimated 92,650 U.S. wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs.
- In May 2023, the OEWS mean annual wage was $62,560 for U.S. massage therapists.
- In May 2023, the OEWS 90th-percentile annual wage was $95,700.
- In 2017, deep-tissue massage was used by 84% of FSMTB survey respondents across U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
- In 2017, Swedish massage was used by 81% of FSMTB survey respondents across U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
- In 2017, a 60-minute session was typical for 61% of FSMTB respondents.
- In 2017, four to six clients per day was reported by 47% of FSMTB respondents.
- In July 2025, 91% of surveyed U.S. adults viewed massage as beneficial to overall health and wellness.
- In July 2025, 94% of surveyed U.S. adults believed massage can reduce pain effectively.
- In the 12 months before July 11–13, 2025, surveyed U.S. adults reported an average of 2.7 massages.
- In the 12 months ending June 2025, 71% of massage consumers used massage for a health or medical reason.
Contents
- Key Massage Therapist Statistics
- Massage Therapist Workforce Scale and Outlook
- Where Massage Therapists Work
- Massage Therapist Pay and Geographic Variation
- Massage Therapist Demographics and Service Mix
- Massage Therapist Education, Licensing and Daily Practice
- Massage Therapy Participation and Health-Related Adoption
Massage Therapist Workforce Scale and Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook counted about 155,400 massage therapist jobs in 2025. Its coverage differs from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program because many massage therapists are self-employed.
BLS projects faster-than-static employment conditions for the occupation, but these are forecasts rather than observed changes:
- Employment is projected to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035.
- The projection adds 23,700 jobs over 2025–2035.
- The average annual total is 20,400 openings during 2025–2035, including replacement demand as well as growth.
The same BLS profile reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $58,450 and a median hourly wage of $28.10. These are covered-worker wage measures, not customer session prices or take-home income, and exclude self-employed owners, partners and household workers.
BLS lists zero years of prior work experience as typical for entry to massage therapist jobs in its 2025 occupation profile. This describes a typical-entry profile, not a universal requirement imposed by every employer.
Source: Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Where Massage Therapists Work
The 2025 BLS occupation profile shows a mixed employment structure, with self-employment and several employer industries forming the main settings:
| 2025 setting | Share of U.S. massage therapist jobs | Definition or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 36% | Rounded occupation-profile share |
| Personal care services | 33% | Employer industry grouping |
| Offices of all other health practitioners | 12% | Broader than massage-only clinics |
| Offices of chiropractors | 7% | Employer-industry share |
| Accommodation businesses | 6% | Hotels and similar lodging employers |
These categories are not all the same kind of measure: self-employment describes work status, while the other entries describe employer industries. The industry shares also do not describe referral shares.
OEWS provides a separate industry snapshot for May 2023. It estimated 47,170 massage therapists in personal care services and 27,340 in offices of other health practitioners in the United States.
OEWS excludes self-employed workers, so these industry counts should not be added to the broader 2025 OOH job count. The source also uses modeled and weighted estimates based on six semiannual panels collected over three years.
Source: Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 31-9011 Massage Therapists.
Massage Therapist Pay and Geographic Variation
The May 2023 OEWS national estimate covered 92,650 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs. Its mean wage was $30.08 per hour, or $62,560 per year, while the median annual wage was $55,310.
| May 2023 OEWS annual wage measure | U.S. estimate | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $32,240 | Wage-and-salary workers |
| Median | $55,310 | Wage-and-salary workers |
| Mean | $62,560 | Wage-and-salary workers |
| 90th percentile | $95,700 | Wage-and-salary workers |
The annual figures are estimates for wage-and-salary workers; annual wages use BLS full-time, year-round conventions where applicable. They are not directly comparable with the OOH count or its May 2025 median because the programs differ in coverage and reference period.
Selected state and metropolitan estimates illustrate geographic variation:
- Alaska had 420 jobs and a $100,670 annual mean wage in May 2023.
- Vermont had 120 jobs and an $86,740 annual mean wage in May 2023.
- Washington had 3,510 jobs and an $80,960 annual mean wage in May 2023.
- Anchorage had 300 jobs and a $101,850 annual mean wage in May 2023.
- Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro had 1,730 jobs and a $77,070 annual mean wage in May 2023.
- The Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim metropolitan area had 6,500 jobs in May 2023.
- The New York–Newark–Jersey City metropolitan area had 5,130 jobs in May 2023.
All state and metropolitan figures are OEWS estimates excluding self-employed workers. The metropolitan estimates cover their named areas, while the state figures cover their respective states.
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 31-9011 Massage Therapists.
Massage Therapist Demographics and Service Mix
The FSMTB 2017 Job Task Analysis surveyed professional respondents across all U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It was a voluntary professional survey rather than a probability sample, so its demographic percentages describe respondents rather than the full U.S. occupation.
Among respondents, 82% were female and 17% were male. Caucasian respondents represented 73%, Hispanic respondents 5%, and people ages 35–54 represented 51% of respondents.
Professional identity and location were also measured:
- Massage therapist or practitioner was the primary self-description for 77% of respondents.
- Bodywork therapist or practitioner was the primary self-description for 16%.
- Urban or city locations were the practice setting for 45%.
- Suburban locations were the practice setting for 41%.
- Rural or countryside locations were the practice setting for 14%.
The service mix allowed multiple modalities to be selected. Deep-tissue massage appeared among 84% of respondents, and Swedish massage among 81%, so these percentages should not be interpreted as mutually exclusive shares.
Source: 2017 Job Task Analysis Report.
Massage Therapist Education, Licensing and Daily Practice
The FSMTB survey separates general educational attainment from the main massage education reported by respondents. At least some college education was reported by 77%, while a bachelor’s degree or higher was reported by 41%; the latter is not presented as a licensing requirement.
For the main massage education, 88% reported a certificate or diploma program, and 8% reported an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program. These are respondent-reported categories and do not standardize program length.
Professional attitudes and workload measures included the following:
- 86% said continuing education is effective for continued competence.
- 93% said they would take continuing education even if it were not required for license renewal.
- 92% supported requiring massage-therapy licensing nationwide.
- A 60-minute massage session was typical for 61% of respondents.
- Four to six clients per day was reported by 47% of respondents.
The continuing-education figures measure opinions and stated intentions, not causal evidence or verified enrollment. The licensing result is also an opinion measure and does not describe the law in every jurisdiction.
Source: 2017 Job Task Analysis Report.
Massage Therapy Participation and Health-Related Adoption
AMTA’s July 11–13, 2025 online survey covered 1,000 U.S. adults age 18 and older in a demographically representative sample. It found that 91% viewed massage as beneficial to overall health and wellness, while 94% believed massage can be effective in reducing pain; both are consumer beliefs, not clinical outcome measures.
Surveyed adults reported an average of 2.7 massages in the 12 months before the survey. Among massage consumers in the 12 months ending June 2025, 71% used massage for a health or medical reason, including 29% who used it for pain relief or pain management.
Among consumers’ most recent massages during that period, the primary reasons were distributed as follows:
| Primary reason for most recent massage | Share of surveyed massage consumers | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Health or wellness | 49% | 12 months ending June 2025 |
| Stress-related reasons | 30% | 12 months ending June 2025 |
These are reported reasons, not measured changes in health or stress. The 71% and 29% figures use massage consumers as the denominator rather than all adults.
Among consumers who discussed massage with a doctor or medical provider, 22% said they were referred to a massage therapist in AMTA’s 2025 annual consumer survey. This is a subgroup measure based on self-reported referral.
AMTA also reports that 63% of consumers received a massage from a professional massage therapist in the past year, but identifies this statistic as coming from a separately reported February 2023 nationwide Zogby Analytics survey of 1,418 adults. It should not be treated as part of the July 2025 omnibus sample.
Source: Consumer Views & Use of Massage Therapy.