Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$66,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$6,500
10.1% of base
Total target cash
$72,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$4,00050th$6,50075th$10,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
ShareLink copied
About this role
Massage Therapist is a professional role within the function in the Healthcare Support job family.
Typical entry preparation: Post-Secondary Certificate and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
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.
Top skills:SpeakingActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationJudgment and Decision MakingWriting
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Massage Therapist pay by experience level
Entry level$35,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$45,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$60,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$81,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$103,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+15.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
24,700
projected openings per year
Growing faster than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Massage Therapist salary by industry
Personal and Laundry Services
50,480 workers
$62,000
Personal Care Services
49,750 workers
$62,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
32,460 workers
$73,000
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
30,840 workers
$73,500
Accommodation
9,400 workers
$61,500
Traveler Accommodation
9,390 workers
$61,500
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
3,460 workers
$68,500
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
3,420 workers
$69,000
Offices of Physicians
760 workers
$58,000
Hospitals
720 workers
$74,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 183,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
76.5%
White
72.6%
Black or African American
6.7%
Asian
16.5%
Hispanic or Latino
11.7%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $43,620 to $58,450.
+34.0% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$35,000
Early career25th percentile
$45,000
Median50th percentile
$60,500
Experienced75th percentile
$81,000
Top earners90th percentile
$103,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
SpeakingActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationJudgment and Decision MakingWriting
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
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.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$66,000
2027$68,500
2028$70,500
2029$73,000
2030$75,500
2031$78,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
Get your Personal Pay Report for Massage Therapist
Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
One-time purchase. Review the final total, including any applicable tax, in Stripe before you pay. Report available immediately after successful payment. Full refund on request within 7 days of purchase. Refund terms. Prefer to explore first? Run a free market check.
Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
Your free market check includes an estimated percentile and pay gap when you enter your salary. The paid report adds a PDF, negotiation targets and script, and a five-year market-pay illustration. See a full sample report
The median market pay for a Massage Therapist in the United States is about $66,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Massage Therapist?
Most Massage Therapist pay falls between about $45,000 (25th percentile) and $81,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $103,500.
What does a Massage Therapist do?
Core responsibilities include: confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful; and massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
Is pay for Massage Therapist roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $43,620 in 2020 to $58,450 in 2025, a change of +34% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Massage Therapist pays 32% above the average across 19 roles in the Healthcare Support job family (family average $50,000).
Need Massage Therapist pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
