Average Massage Therapist Salary

How Much Does a Massage Therapist Make?

On average, a Massage Therapist make $49,260 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $24,450, while the top-paid 10 percent made $77,600.

Annually National Average Salary: $49,260

$24K

$34K

$49K

$60K

$77K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS.

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$17,050	$17,750	$30,750	$38,280	$48,730
Alaska	$30,330	$60,940	$100,080	$126,610	$154,310
Arizona	$29,160	$36,800	$46,110	$49,420	$61,890
Arkansas	$23,440	$24,050	$39,570	$49,630	$60,400
California	$29,270	$30,440	$53,950	$67,790	$92,590
Colorado	$29,670	$38,500	$49,170	$58,360	$62,600
Connecticut	$26,100	$38,530	$62,200	$76,370	$113,830
Delaware	$24,040	$29,670	$44,600	$49,080	$78,690
District of Columbia	$31,340	$45,150	$52,020	$60,020	$61,250
Florida	$23,360	$29,980	$44,690	$49,580	$73,190
Georgia	$18,050	$22,680	$40,080	$49,460	$62,650
Hawaii	$23,260	$46,910	$58,910	$74,740	$96,520
Idaho	$24,470	$36,750	$56,770	$60,550	$128,110
Illinois	$23,670	$46,910	$55,460	$60,940	$79,010
Indiana	$22,680	$35,070	$52,410	$61,670	$80,880
Iowa	$24,580	$30,690	$44,990	$49,330	$60,490
Kansas	$16,860	$30,180	$43,660	$59,560	$66,060
Kentucky	$28,810	$36,750	$51,980	$64,440	$78,560
Louisiana	$17,440	$19,070	$36,090	$47,610	$78,990
Maine	$30,150	$30,350	$47,130	$58,070	$77,450
Maryland	$24,440	$35,610	$62,030	$76,970	$122,960
Massachusetts	$37,070	$47,260	$60,910	$65,630	$97,240
Michigan	$26,040	$46,910	$60,090	$75,940	$97,410
Minnesota	$29,130	$38,520	$49,530	$60,940	$73,290
Mississippi	$28,310	$29,550	$41,500	$48,450	$51,520
Missouri	$21,420	$23,930	$39,680	$47,020	$60,450
Montana	$22,680	$24,240	$52,930	$62,140	$82,970
Nebraska	$23,110	$23,840	$51,740	$75,410	$79,010
Nevada	$17,720	$23,210	$36,120	$46,640	$59,380
New Hampshire	$23,250	$37,470	$50,540	$61,340	$77,440
New Jersey	$29,110	$36,580	$45,650	$47,820	$61,670
New Mexico	$28,190	$29,010	$46,130	$49,530	$79,010
New York	$31,930	$37,620	$52,660	$61,760	$75,940
North Carolina	$22,740	$33,690	$46,810	$60,400	$68,920
North Dakota	$30,380	$50,240	$61,280	$71,960	$87,620
Ohio	$29,380	$36,100	$47,140	$59,380	$76,190
Oklahoma	$26,160	$31,220	$44,000	$48,470	$59,380
Oregon	$30,350	$56,870	$65,580	$76,910	$94,020
Pennsylvania	$25,890	$36,840	$47,860	$59,410	$71,500
Rhode Island	$24,540	$24,830	$29,210	$30,350	$30,350
South Carolina	$17,440	$18,810	$35,030	$46,680	$55,800
South Dakota	$23,340	$24,220	$37,620	$47,570	$49,300
Tennessee	$18,850	$34,760	$43,080	$48,400	$60,400
Texas	$22,330	$35,150	$43,970	$47,860	$62,680
Utah	$18,020	$22,730	$43,480	$47,980	$65,640
Vermont	$29,650	$47,820	$51,200	$60,960	$61,340
Virginia	$21,190	$30,460	$48,190	$61,160	$76,250
Washington	$31,150	$49,010	$66,040	$77,660	$88,610
West Virginia	$23,340	$37,020	$45,730	$48,310	$75,450
Wisconsin	$17,470	$23,380	$40,090	$49,080	$61,450
Wyoming	$29,010	$38,070	$46,630	$48,700	$61,690
Guam	$18,360	$18,370	$19,640	$19,520	$23,170
Puerto Rico	$16,800	$17,190	$19,890	$22,200	$28,360

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $100,080.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $100,080

Washington - $66,040

Oregon - $65,580

Connecticut - $62,200

Maryland - $62,030

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$1,417	$1,417	$2,500	$3,167	$4,000
Alaska	$2,500	$5,000	$8,333	$10,500	$12,833
Arizona	$2,417	$3,000	$3,833	$4,083	$5,083
Arkansas	$1,917	$2,000	$3,250	$4,083	$5,000
California	$2,417	$2,500	$4,417	$5,583	$7,667
Colorado	$2,417	$3,167	$4,083	$4,833	$5,167
Connecticut	$2,167	$3,167	$5,167	$6,333	$9,417
Delaware	$2,000	$2,417	$3,667	$4,083	$6,500
District of Columbia	$2,583	$3,750	$4,333	$5,000	$5,083
Florida	$1,917	$2,417	$3,667	$4,083	$6,083
Georgia	$1,500	$1,833	$3,333	$4,083	$5,167
Hawaii	$1,917	$3,833	$4,833	$6,167	$8,000
Idaho	$2,000	$3,000	$4,667	$5,000	$10,667
Illinois	$1,917	$3,833	$4,583	$5,000	$6,583
Indiana	$1,833	$2,917	$4,333	$5,083	$6,667
Iowa	$2,000	$2,500	$3,667	$4,083	$5,000
Kansas	$1,333	$2,500	$3,583	$4,917	$5,500
Kentucky	$2,333	$3,000	$4,250	$5,333	$6,500
Louisiana	$1,417	$1,583	$3,000	$3,917	$6,500
Maine	$2,500	$2,500	$3,917	$4,833	$6,417
Maryland	$2,000	$2,917	$5,167	$6,333	$10,167
Massachusetts	$3,083	$3,917	$5,000	$5,417	$8,083
Michigan	$2,167	$3,833	$5,000	$6,250	$8,083
Minnesota	$2,417	$3,167	$4,083	$5,000	$6,083
Mississippi	$2,333	$2,417	$3,417	$4,000	$4,250
Missouri	$1,750	$1,917	$3,250	$3,917	$5,000
Montana	$1,833	$2,000	$4,333	$5,167	$6,833
Nebraska	$1,917	$1,917	$4,250	$6,250	$6,583
Nevada	$1,417	$1,917	$3,000	$3,833	$4,917
New Hampshire	$1,917	$3,083	$4,167	$5,083	$6,417
New Jersey	$2,417	$3,000	$3,750	$3,917	$5,083
New Mexico	$2,333	$2,417	$3,833	$4,083	$6,583
New York	$2,583	$3,083	$4,333	$5,083	$6,250
North Carolina	$1,833	$2,750	$3,833	$5,000	$5,667
North Dakota	$2,500	$4,167	$5,083	$5,917	$7,250
Ohio	$2,417	$3,000	$3,917	$4,917	$6,333
Oklahoma	$2,167	$2,583	$3,667	$4,000	$4,917
Oregon	$2,500	$4,667	$5,417	$6,333	$7,833
Pennsylvania	$2,083	$3,000	$3,917	$4,917	$5,917
Rhode Island	$2,000	$2,000	$2,417	$2,500	$2,500
South Carolina	$1,417	$1,500	$2,917	$3,833	$4,583
South Dakota	$1,917	$2,000	$3,083	$3,917	$4,083
Tennessee	$1,500	$2,833	$3,583	$4,000	$5,000
Texas	$1,833	$2,917	$3,583	$3,917	$5,167
Utah	$1,500	$1,833	$3,583	$3,917	$5,417
Vermont	$2,417	$3,917	$4,250	$5,000	$5,083
Virginia	$1,750	$2,500	$4,000	$5,083	$6,333
Washington	$2,583	$4,083	$5,500	$6,417	$7,333
West Virginia	$1,917	$3,083	$3,750	$4,000	$6,250
Wisconsin	$1,417	$1,917	$3,333	$4,083	$5,083
Wyoming	$2,417	$3,167	$3,833	$4,000	$5,083
Guam	$1,500	$1,500	$1,583	$1,583	$1,917
Puerto Rico	$1,333	$1,417	$1,583	$1,833	$2,333

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $8,333.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $8,333

Washington - $5,500

Oregon - $5,417

Connecticut - $5,167

Maryland - $5,167

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$8.20	$8.53	$14.78	$18.41	$23.43
Alaska	$14.58	$29.30	$48.11	$60.87	$74.19
Arizona	$14.02	$17.69	$22.17	$23.76	$29.75
Arkansas	$11.27	$11.56	$19.02	$23.86	$29.04
California	$14.07	$14.64	$25.94	$32.59	$44.52
Colorado	$14.26	$18.51	$23.64	$28.06	$30.10
Connecticut	$12.55	$18.52	$29.90	$36.72	$54.73
Delaware	$11.56	$14.26	$21.44	$23.59	$37.83
District of Columbia	$15.07	$21.71	$25.01	$28.86	$29.45
Florida	$11.23	$14.41	$21.49	$23.84	$35.19
Georgia	$8.68	$10.91	$19.27	$23.78	$30.12
Hawaii	$11.18	$22.55	$28.32	$35.93	$46.40
Idaho	$11.76	$17.67	$27.29	$29.11	$61.59
Illinois	$11.38	$22.55	$26.66	$29.30	$37.99
Indiana	$10.91	$16.86	$25.20	$29.65	$38.88
Iowa	$11.82	$14.75	$21.63	$23.72	$29.08
Kansas	$8.11	$14.51	$20.99	$28.63	$31.76
Kentucky	$13.85	$17.67	$24.99	$30.98	$37.77
Louisiana	$8.38	$9.17	$17.35	$22.89	$37.98
Maine	$14.50	$14.59	$22.66	$27.92	$37.24
Maryland	$11.75	$17.12	$29.82	$37.00	$59.12
Massachusetts	$17.82	$22.72	$29.28	$31.56	$46.75
Michigan	$12.52	$22.55	$28.89	$36.51	$46.83
Minnesota	$14.01	$18.52	$23.81	$29.30	$35.24
Mississippi	$13.61	$14.21	$19.95	$23.30	$24.77
Missouri	$10.30	$11.50	$19.08	$22.61	$29.06
Montana	$10.91	$11.65	$25.45	$29.87	$39.89
Nebraska	$11.11	$11.46	$24.87	$36.25	$37.99
Nevada	$8.52	$11.16	$17.37	$22.42	$28.55
New Hampshire	$11.18	$18.02	$24.30	$29.49	$37.23
New Jersey	$14.00	$17.59	$21.95	$22.99	$29.65
New Mexico	$13.56	$13.95	$22.18	$23.81	$37.98
New York	$15.35	$18.09	$25.32	$29.69	$36.51
North Carolina	$10.93	$16.20	$22.51	$29.04	$33.13
North Dakota	$14.61	$24.15	$29.46	$34.60	$42.12
Ohio	$14.12	$17.36	$22.66	$28.55	$36.63
Oklahoma	$12.58	$15.01	$21.15	$23.30	$28.55
Oregon	$14.59	$27.34	$31.53	$36.97	$45.20
Pennsylvania	$12.45	$17.71	$23.01	$28.56	$34.38
Rhode Island	$11.80	$11.94	$14.04	$14.59	$14.59
South Carolina	$8.38	$9.05	$16.84	$22.44	$26.83
South Dakota	$11.22	$11.65	$18.09	$22.87	$23.70
Tennessee	$9.06	$16.71	$20.71	$23.27	$29.04
Texas	$10.73	$16.90	$21.14	$23.01	$30.14
Utah	$8.66	$10.93	$20.90	$23.07	$31.56
Vermont	$14.26	$22.99	$24.62	$29.31	$29.49
Virginia	$10.19	$14.64	$23.17	$29.41	$36.66
Washington	$14.97	$23.56	$31.75	$37.34	$42.60
West Virginia	$11.22	$17.80	$21.99	$23.22	$36.27
Wisconsin	$8.40	$11.24	$19.27	$23.59	$29.54
Wyoming	$13.95	$18.30	$22.42	$23.42	$29.66
Guam	$8.83	$8.83	$9.44	$9.39	$11.14
Puerto Rico	$8.08	$8.26	$9.56	$10.67	$13.64

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $48.11.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $48.11

Washington - $31.75

Oregon - $31.53

Connecticut - $29.90

Maryland - $29.82

Massage Therapists: Salary Overview

Massage therapists relieve pain, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and help heal injuries using touch.

Their job description usually includes talking with clients about their medical history and symptoms, locating the painful or tense areas in their clients’ bodies, manipulating muscles and other soft tissue using touch, educating clients on stretching and relaxation methods, and documenting their clients’ progress.

Massage therapists typically specialize in one or several massage techniques, such as Swedish massage, deep-tissue massage, or sports massage.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for massage therapists was $42,820 in May 2019, which means that half of them earned less than this amount while half earned more.

Salaries vary depending on a wide range of factors, including the therapist’s level of experience, education, the region, and their skills.

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Massage Therapist Salary by Industry

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, massage therapists held about 159,800 jobs in the United States in 2018, most of them working in the field of personal care services or as self-employed workers.

BLS report shows that the average annual wage reported by massage therapists in personal care services was $45,060 while those who were employed in offices of other health practitioners earned, on average, $50,700 a year.

The average annual wage was $47,050 for massage therapists in the travel accommodation industry and $44,860 for those in other amusement and recreation industries.

Massage therapists who worked in offices of physicians reportedly earned $47,340 a year as of May 2019.

The highest average annual salary was reported by massage therapists who worked for specialty hospitals (except psychiatric and substance abuse).

In this sector, the reported average annual wage was $67,560.

Salaries were also higher for massage therapists who were employed in the field of individual and family services.

In this sector massage therapists reportedly earned $62,210 on average.

The region of employment is another factor that may influence a massage therapist’s salary.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top-paying states for this profession were Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.

The average annual wage reported by massage therapists in Alaska was $77,080 as of May 2019, significantly higher than the national average.

Massage therapists in Washington reportedly earned $65,770 on average, while those in Oregon reported an average annual wage of $62,130.

Massage therapists in Mississippi, Lousiana, South Dakota, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina, Iowa, and Nevada, on the other hand, reported average annual salaries that were below the $40,000 mark.

Earning the National Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) certification can qualify you for licensure in any state.

There are many other factors that can influence your earnings as a massage therapist.

Having a few years of experience and completing your continuing education classes will help you improve your skills and learn new techniques.

If you’re able to practice multiple massage techniques you may have more clients and thus you will earn more.

Joining a professional organization is another way to find new clients and to build a reputation.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for massage therapists are looking good in the future.

As more people start to accept massage therapy as a way to treat illnesses and alleviate pain, the demand for massage therapists is projected to grow.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment for massage therapists is projected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Massage Therapists. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.