Massage therapists

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Total Workforce

130k

Average Age

40.8

Estimated Job Growth

26.3%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$25,527

Average Male Salary

$29,086

Average Female Salary

$24,639

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Massage therapists are most often employed by the Nail salons & other personal care services industry. The average yearly wage for Massage therapists was $25,527 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Massage therapists by wage are Helpersinstallation, maintenance, & repair workers , Helpers, construction trades, and Transportation attendants, except flight attendants.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Massage therapists are Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA, Greater North Las Vegas City PUMA, NV, and Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Massage therapists are Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA, Colorado Springs City (West) PUMA, CO, and Mukilteo & Everett (Southwest) Cities PUMA, WA.

Photo by Ahmed Rabea

Healthcare Support OccupationsService Occupations

Employment

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 Traveler accommodation. Massage therapists are paid most in Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV but are relatively concentrated in Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$25,527

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,656

In 2017, Massage therapists earned an average of $25,527, $26,538 less than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Helpersinstallation, maintenance, & repair workers make somewhat more than Massage therapists while Helpers, construction trades make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Massage therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.344

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Massage therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.344, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Massage therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV

  2. Cathedral City, Palm Springs & Rancho Mirage Cities PUMA, CA

  3. Henderson City (West) PUMA, NV

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

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Massage therapists

  1. Lake & Mendocino Counties PUMA, CA

  2. Monterey Park & Rosemead Cities PUMA, CA

  3. Santa Fe County PUMA, NM

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

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Massage therapists, by number of employees, are Nail salons & other personal care services, Amusement & Recreation, and Offices of chiropractors.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Massage therapists, by average wage, are Traveler accommodation, Hospitals, and Amusement & Recreation.

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Industries by Share

130k

2017 Workforce

± 8,858

-4.97%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.99%

The number of people employed as Massage therapists has been declining at a rate of -4.97%, from 137,108 people in 2016 to 130,291 people in 2017.

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  60.7%, followed by Amusement & Recreation with 18.1% and Offices of chiropractors with 6.32%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Massage therapists in the US. The average age of male Massage therapists in the workforce is 42.1 and of female Massage therapists is 40.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Massage therapists is White.

Gender Composition

26k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,960

104k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,925

80% of Massage therapists are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Massage therapists.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Massage therapists

  1. White

  2. Asian

  3. Black

72.5% of Massage therapists are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.7% of Massage therapists, Asian is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Massage therapists.

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Age by Gender

42.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.97

40.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.949

The median age of Massage therapists is 40.8, and Male employees are generally 1.63 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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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 Psychology but a relatively high number of Massage therapists hold a major in Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.

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

  1. Psychology

  2. Business

  3. Health

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. Parks, Recreation, & Leisure

  2. Psychology

  3. Visual & Performing Arts

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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

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Bar Chart

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Massage therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Massage therapists are expected to see a growth of 26.3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

26.3%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Massage therapists. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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