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The national median salary for Massage Therapists is $58,448 per year ($28.10/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $43,493 and $78,333 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $100,194 per year. There are approximately 98,790 massage therapists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+15.4%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
25K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
168K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
10% from new growth90% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Personal Care Services
NAICS 812100
50K
$56,230
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
31K
$67,140
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
9K
$43,710
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
NAICS 713900
3K
$51,010
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
760
$48,850
Wage range across top 5 industries: $43,710 to $67,140 (54% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.17
$33,634
P25
$20.91
$43,493
P50MEDIAN
$28.10
$58,448
P75
$37.66
$78,333
P90
$48.17
$100,194
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average massage therapists salary?
The national median salary for Massage Therapists is $58,448 per year ($28.10/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $43,493 and $78,333 annually.
How much do top-earning massage therapists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Massage Therapists is $100,194 per year ($48.17/hr). The 75th percentile is $78,333 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for massage therapists?
Entry-level Massage Therapists (10th percentile) earn approximately $33,634 per year ($16.17/hr). The 25th percentile is $43,493 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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