Massage therapists

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

137k

Average Age

41.5

Estimated Job Growth

20.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$27,107

Average Male Salary

$30,031

Average Female Salary

$26,335

About

Massage therapists are most often employed by the Nail salons & other personal care services industry. The average yearly wage for Massage therapists was $27,107 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Massage therapists by wage are Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists, Janitors & building cleaners, and Bartenders.

Massage therapists are part of the Healthcare Support Occupations, along with Home health aides, Personal care aides, Nursing assistants, Orderlies and psychiatric aides, Occupational therapy assistants & aides, and 9 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Massage therapists are Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA, Eagle, Summit, Grand & Jackson Counties PUMA, CO, and Mukilteo & Everett (Southwest) Cities PUMA, WA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Massage therapists are Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA, Eagle, Summit, Grand & Jackson Counties PUMA, CO, and Mukilteo & Everett (Southwest) Cities PUMA, WA.

Photo by Ahmed Rabea

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Massage therapists and on wages and locations for those in the field. Nail salons & other personal care services is the industry that employs the most Massage therapists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Massage therapists, by average wage, is Other health care services. Massage therapists are paid most in Dubuque City PUMA, IA but are relatively concentrated in Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA.

Yearly Wage

$27,107

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,667

In 2020, Massage therapists earned an average of $27,107, $28,847 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Bartenders make somewhat more than Massage therapists while Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Massage therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.365

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Massage therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.365, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Massage therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Massage therapists.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Massage therapists

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Massage therapists.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Massage therapists, by number of employees, are Nail salons & other personal care services, Amusement & Recreation, Offices of chiropractors, Traveler accommodation, Beauty salons, Outpatient care centers, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Offices of other health practitioners, Offices of physicians, Other health care services, and Home health care services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Massage therapists, by average wage, are Other health care services, Other personal services, and Traveler accommodation.

Industries by Share

137k

2020 Workforce

± 9,072

1.46%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.29%

The number of people employed as Massage therapists has been growing at a rate of 1.46%, from 134,695 people in 2019 to 136,665 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Massage therapists employed by various industries. Nail salons & other personal care services employs the largest share of Massage therapists at 60.8%, followed by Amusement & Recreation with 15.3% and Offices of chiropractors with 6.62%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Massage therapists in the US. The average age of male Massage therapists in the workforce is 41.8 and of female Massage therapists is 41.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Massage therapists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

28.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,148

108k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 8,070

79.1% of Massage therapists are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Massage therapists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Massage therapists

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

63.6% of Massage therapists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.5% of Massage therapists, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Massage therapists.

Age by Sex

41.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.88

41.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.953

The median age of Massage therapists is 41.5, and Male employees are generally 0.481 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Massage therapists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Massage therapists is Business but a relatively high number of Massage therapists hold a major in Language & Linguistics.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Massage therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Massage therapists need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, and Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Massage therapists need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, and Speaking.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Massage Therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Massage Therapists are expected to see a growth of 20.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

20.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Massage Therapists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.