Massage chair statistics are difficult to measure directly because the available official data does not track ownership, sales, or use of mechanical massage chairs. The broader evidence base does, however, describe the musculoskeletal burden that may motivate massage-related interest, U.S. chronic-pain patterns, and the size and economics of the human massage-therapy workforce.
Key Massage Chair Statistics
The most useful context-setting figures are:
- In GBD 2019, approximately 1.71 billion people worldwide had musculoskeletal conditions.
- In GBD 2019, musculoskeletal conditions caused approximately 149 million years lived with disability worldwide.
- In GBD 2019, 17% of all worldwide years lived with disability came from musculoskeletal conditions.
- In GBD 2019, low back pain affected 570 million people worldwide.
- In 2023, 24.3% of U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults had chronic pain in the prior three months.
- In 2023, 8.5% of U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized adults had high-impact chronic pain.
- In 2023, 36.0% of U.S. adults age 65 and older had chronic pain.
- In 2023, 12.3% of U.S. adults ages 18–29 had chronic pain.
- In 2023, 30.7% of non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native U.S. adults had chronic pain.
- In 2023, 31.4% of U.S. adults in nonmetropolitan areas had chronic pain.
- In 2025, the United States had about 155,400 massage-therapist jobs.
- In 2025, 36% of massage-therapist employment was self-employed.
- In May 2025, the median annual wage for U.S. massage therapists was $58,450.
- From 2025 to 2035, BLS projects 15% growth in U.S. massage-therapist employment.
- From 2025 to 2035, BLS projects about 20,400 massage-therapist openings per year.
Contents
- Key Massage Chair Statistics
- Global Musculoskeletal and Massage Chair Context
- U.S. Chronic Pain Statistics by Age and Sex
- Chronic Pain Data by Race and Urbanization
- Massage Therapy Workforce and Wage Statistics
- Massage-Related Rehabilitation and Disability Measures
Global Musculoskeletal and Massage Chair Context
The World Health Organization describes musculoskeletal conditions as more than 150 diseases and conditions affecting muscles, bones, joints, and adjacent connective tissues. That definition is broader than massage-chair use and includes conditions that differ substantially in cause, severity, and treatment.
In the WHO summary of GBD 2019 evidence, approximately 1.71 billion people worldwide lived with musculoskeletal conditions. High-income countries accounted for 441 million people, while the WHO Western Pacific Region accounted for 427 million and the WHO South-East Asia Region for 369 million.
| GBD 2019 measure | Estimate | Geography or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Musculoskeletal conditions | 1.71 billion people | Worldwide |
| Years lived with disability | 149 million YLDs | Worldwide |
| Share of all YLDs | 17% | Worldwide |
| Low back pain | 570 million people | Worldwide |
| Fractures | 440 million people; 26 million YLDs | Worldwide |
| Osteoarthritis | 528 million people; 19 million YLDs | Worldwide |
| Neck pain | 222 million people; 22 million YLDs | Worldwide |
The same WHO source estimates that musculoskeletal conditions represented 17% of all worldwide years lived with disability, while low back pain accounted for 7.4% of global YLDs. Fractures affected 440 million people and caused 26 million YLDs; osteoarthritis affected 528 million and caused 19 million YLDs; neck pain affected 222 million and caused 22 million YLDs.
These modeled GBD 2019 figures measure population burden, not massage-chair outcomes or treatment utilization. The WHO also states that low back pain is the leading cause of disability in 160 countries, but that ranking is not evidence that massage chairs treat low back pain.
Source: WHO, “Musculoskeletal health”. The WHO figures are modeled estimates and combine multiple diagnoses; YLDs measure disability burden rather than prevalence alone.
U.S. Chronic Pain Statistics by Age and Sex
The CDC’s 2023 estimates cover the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population age 18 and older. In this survey, chronic pain means pain on most days or every day during the prior three months, while high-impact chronic pain additionally limited life or work on most days or every day.
Overall, 24.3% of U.S. adults had chronic pain in 2023, and 8.5% had high-impact chronic pain. The sex pattern was modestly higher among women: 25.4% of women reported chronic pain compared with 23.2% of men, while high-impact chronic pain affected 9.6% of women and 7.3% of men.
| U.S. adult group, 2023 | Chronic pain | High-impact chronic pain |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 18–29 | 12.3% | 3.0% |
| Ages 30–44 | 18.3% | 4.9% |
| Ages 45–64 | 28.7% | 11.3% |
| Age 65+ | 36.0% | 13.5% |
| Women | 25.4% | 9.6% |
| Men | 23.2% | 7.3% |
Age differences were pronounced. Chronic pain rose from 12.3% among adults ages 18–29 to 18.3% among those ages 30–44, 28.7% among those ages 45–64, and 36.0% among adults age 65 and older; high-impact chronic pain rose from 3.0% to 4.9%, 11.3%, and 13.5% across the same groups.
These survey percentages describe pain prevalence, not massage-chair ownership, frequency of use, clinical effectiveness, or a recommendation for any device. They provide population context for why comfort and pain-management products may attract interest, but they cannot establish that a chair changes pain outcomes.
Source: CDC/NCHS, “Chronic Pain and High-impact Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults, 2023”. Estimates come from the National Health Interview Survey and are self-reported.
Chronic Pain Data by Race and Urbanization
The CDC’s 2023 estimates also show variation by race and Hispanic origin. The categories are survey classifications, and the Hispanic category may include people of any race; the American Indian and Alaska Native estimate has a wide confidence interval.
| U.S. adult group, 2023 | Chronic pain | High-impact chronic pain |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native | 30.7% | 12.7% |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 11.8% | 2.6% |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 21.7% | 8.7% |
| Non-Hispanic White | 28.0% | 9.5% |
| Hispanic | 17.1% | 6.5% |
Among these groups, chronic pain ranged from 11.8% among non-Hispanic Asian adults to 30.7% among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native adults. High-impact chronic pain ranged from 2.6% among non-Hispanic Asian adults to 12.7% among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native adults.
Urbanization differences were also visible in the 2023 survey. Chronic pain affected 20.5% of adults in large central metropolitan areas, 22.5% in large fringe metropolitan areas, 26.4% in medium and small metropolitan areas, and 31.4% in nonmetropolitan areas.
High-impact chronic pain followed the same ordering: 7.3% in large central metropolitan areas, 7.7% in large fringe metropolitan areas, 9.0% in medium and small metropolitan areas, and 11.5% in nonmetropolitan areas. The classification is geographic, not a measure of access to massage chairs or massage therapy.
Source: CDC/NCHS, “Chronic Pain and High-impact Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults, 2023”. Race, Hispanic-origin, and urbanization figures are subgroup survey estimates.
Massage Therapy Workforce and Wage Statistics
Massage-therapy labor data is a useful adjacent indicator of the broader massage economy, but it should not be treated as mechanical-chair market data. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated about 155,400 massage-therapist jobs in 2025, including therapists working in several industries and self-employed workers.
| Employment or wage measure | 2025 estimate | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Massage-therapist jobs | 155,400 | United States |
| Self-employed share | 36% | Massage-therapist employment |
| Personal-care services share | 33% | Massage-therapist employment |
| Other health-practitioner offices share | 12% | Massage-therapist employment |
| Chiropractors’ offices share | 7% | Massage-therapist employment |
| Accommodation share | 6% | Massage-therapist employment |
In May 2025, the median annual wage for massage therapists was $58,450. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,640, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $100,200; these wage figures do not detail self-employment income, and tips may vary.
Industry medians differed considerably. Massage therapists in chiropractors’ offices had a $72,800 median annual wage, compared with $65,350 in offices of other health practitioners, $56,230 in personal-care services, and $43,840 in accommodation.
| Industry, May 2025 | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Chiropractors’ offices | $72,800 |
| Offices of other health practitioners | $65,350 |
| Personal-care services | $56,230 |
| Accommodation | $43,840 |
Source: BLS, “Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook”. BLS employment and wage figures describe massage therapists, not massage chairs.
Massage-Related Rehabilitation and Disability Measures
Disability statistics help distinguish the scale of need from evidence about any particular intervention. In the WHO’s GBD 2019 summary, low back pain was responsible for 7.4% of global years lived with disability, and musculoskeletal conditions collectively caused approximately 149 million YLDs worldwide.
The WHO’s statement that low back pain is the leading cause of disability in 160 countries is a global ranking claim, not a measure of massage-related rehabilitation. Likewise, the 150-plus-condition definition of musculoskeletal health includes many diagnoses for which a massage chair may be irrelevant or clinically inappropriate.
The CDC provides a limited cross-year comparison for U.S. adults. Chronic-pain prevalence was 20.4% in 2019 and 24.3% in 2023; high-impact chronic-pain prevalence was 7.4% in 2019 and 8.5% in 2023.
| U.S. measure | 2019 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic pain prevalence | 20.4% | 24.3% |
| High-impact chronic pain prevalence | 7.4% | 8.5% |
This comparison uses the same broad NHIS concepts, but it is not a causal trend analysis. Survey conditions and definitions should be checked before interpreting the difference as a change caused by any product, therapy, or health-care intervention.
The BLS outlook supplies a separate forward-looking workforce measure: massage-therapist employment is projected to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035, from 155,400 jobs in 2025 to 179,100 in 2035, a projected numeric increase of 23,700. BLS also projects about 20,400 openings per year on average over that period, including replacement openings; these are forecasts, not guarantees and not forecasts for massage-chair sales.
Source: WHO, “Musculoskeletal health”, and CDC/NCHS, “Chronic Pain and High-impact Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults, 2023”. Workforce projections are from BLS, “Massage Therapists: Occupational Outlook Handbook”.