Massage therapists

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Total Workforce

143k

Average Age

40.9

Average Salary

$25,836

Average Male Salary

$30,350

Average Female Salary

$24,692

About

Massage therapists are most often employed by the Nail salons & other personal care services industry. The average yearly wage for Massage therapists was $25,836 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Massage therapists by wage are Transportation service attendants, Other personal appearance workers, and Helpersinstallation, maintenance, & repair workers .

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 Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV, Greeley, Windsor & Evans Cities PUMA, CO, and San Diego City (Southwest/Central Coastal) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Massage therapists are Colorado Springs City (West) PUMA, CO, Greeley, Windsor & Evans Cities PUMA, CO, and Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV.

Photo by Ahmed Rabea

Healthcare Support Occupations Healthcare Support Occupations Service Occupations

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 personal services. Massage therapists are paid most in Spring Valley & Summerlin South PUMA, NV but are relatively concentrated in Colorado Springs City (West) PUMA, CO.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$25,836

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,251

In 2018, Massage therapists earned an average of $25,836, $28,053 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Transportation service attendants make somewhat more than Massage therapists while Other personal appearance workers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Massage therapists as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.341

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Massage therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.341, 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).

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.

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.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Massage therapists, by average wage, are Other personal services, Traveler accommodation, Traveler accommodation, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Hospitals, and Amusement & Recreation.

Industries by Share

143k

2018 Workforce

± 9,276

9.67%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.57%

The number of people employed as Massage therapists has been growing at a rate of 9.67%, from 130,291 people in 2017 to 142,893 people in 2018.

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 57.3%, followed by Amusement & Recreation with 17.6% and Offices of chiropractors with 8.01%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Massage therapists in the US. The average age of male Massage therapists in the workforce is 41.1 and of female Massage therapists is 40.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Massage therapists is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

28.9k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 4,173

114k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 8,286

79.8% of Massage therapists are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Massage therapists.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Massage therapists

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

68.1% of Massage therapists are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 11.1% 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 Gender

41.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.95

40.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.932

The median age of Massage therapists is 40.9, and Male employees are generally 0.299 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 Human Sciences.

Majors

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