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Massage Therapists: Job Description

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.

What Do Massage Therapists Perform?

The core tasks performed by massage therapists cover:

• Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
• Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
• Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
• Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
• Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
• Maintain treatment records.
• Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
• Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful massage therapists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Top Knowledge Areas

Related Job Titles

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Bodywork Therapist
• Certified Massage Therapist (CMT)
• Clinical Massage Therapist
• Deep Tissue Massage Therapist
• Integrated Deep Tissue Massage Therapist
• Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP)
• Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
• Massage Operator

Job Outlook

There are about 832,253 massage therapists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +7.4% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Massage Therapists

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$44,831
Hourly median	$21.55
10th percentile	$32,519
25th percentile	$38,675
75th percentile	$50,988
90th percentile	$57,144

Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Massage Therapists Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
Alaska	$135,200
Vermont	$105,490
Oregon	$82,860
Washington	$82,820
Hawaii	$80,590
Minnesota	$75,500
North Dakota	$70,720
Idaho	$70,470
Maine	$67,420
Missouri	$66,870
New Hampshire	$62,830
South Carolina	$62,830
Iowa	$62,400
District of Columbia	$62,220
North Carolina	$61,670
Utah	$61,010
Illinois	$60,640
Colorado	$59,560
Arizona	$59,550
Massachusetts	$59,470
Connecticut	$59,270
New York	$58,730
Maryland	$58,390
Louisiana	$58,010
Pennsylvania	$57,660
Wisconsin	$57,530
Virginia	$56,850
New Jersey	$56,760
Georgia	$56,740
Texas	$56,540
Nebraska	$55,080
Kentucky	$54,890
Michigan	$54,510
Delaware	$53,920
Indiana	$52,740
Nevada	$52,000
Montana	$52,000
Ohio	$50,430
Florida	$49,880
Tennessee	$49,670
Alabama	$48,960
California	$48,430
Oklahoma	$48,140
Kansas	$47,940
New Mexico	$47,660
West Virginia	$42,730
Mississippi	$42,510
South Dakota	$40,780
Wyoming	$32,430
Arkansas	$31,280
Guam	$23,060
Puerto Rico	$22,410

Pay by U.S. Region

Earnings for massage therapists differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Plains States	$64,581	5.0%	0.72
New England	$61,132	4.4%	1.04
Far Western US	$60,533	26.4%	1.67
Rocky Mountains	$59,632	7.0%	1.98
Middle Atlantic	$58,001	11.7%	0.80
Southwest	$56,634	12.0%	1.00
Great Lakes	$56,240	12.6%	0.93
Southeast	$53,829	20.8%	0.95

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Bend, OR	OR	$93,160	190
Albany, OR	OR	$92,310	40
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$88,390	2,090
Bellingham, WA	WA	$87,980	150
Salem, OR	OR	$87,880	140
Chico, CA	CA	$84,840	60
Medford, OR	OR	$83,510	130
State College, PA	PA	$83,200	40

Which Industries Hire Massage Therapists

The bulk of massage therapists are found across these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Other Services (except Public Administration)	50,170	$55,640
Health Care and Social Assistance	31,590	$62,990
Accommodation and Food Services	9,470	$44,870
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	3,400	$58,560
Educational Services	520	$61,850
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	180	n/a

Massage Therapists work in the following industries:

Tools and Technology

• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)

Work Environment

The on-the-job environment of massage therapists is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Contact With Others
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
• Freedom to Make Decisions

Education and Training

Typical massage therapists positions require some college, no degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Chiropractors (Supplemental)
• Occupational Therapists (Supplemental)
• Physical Therapists (Supplemental)
• Radiation Therapists (Primary-Long)
• Recreational Therapists (Primary-Short)
• Respiratory Therapists (Primary-Long)
• Registered Nurses (Primary-Long)
• Nurse Practitioners (Supplemental)

Degree Programs

Future massage therapists commonly pursue programs in:

Health Professions and Related Programs

4 programs across 1 majors

• Bodywork & Therapeutic Services

References

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 31-9011.00 (Massage Therapists).