Professional Massage Therapists: Job, Salary, and School Information from The Riley Guide

Professional Massage Therapists

Career and Education Info

Job Numbers and Growth

Approximately 118,000 people work as professional massage therapists. For this occupation, the unemployment is considered to be very low.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Employees that work part-time represent 43% of the total in 2008. Professional massage therapists who work for themselves represent about 64% of the total.

Training and Education

A postsecondary vocational award is useful when pursuing this career. Among employees, 32% graduated from college with 4 year degrees. 49% of people working as professional massage therapists went to college but did not obtain a degree. 19% of workers completed high school but did not pursue a college education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which, if any, could help you with this career.

Area Job Conditions

Finding jobs for employees may be easier in Napa (California), Olympia (Washington), and Ithaca (New York), and the most challenging in Little Rock (Arkansas), Louisville (Kentucky), and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania).

The pay for these jobs is highest in Anchorage (Alaska), Bremerton (Washington), and Olympia (Washington) and lowest in Dayton (Ohio), New Orleans (Louisiana), and Reno (Nevada).

Career Overview Video About Professional Massage Therapists

Professional Massage Therapists: Job and Salary Data by Metropolitan Area

The table below shows data for Professional Massage Therapists, as of 2008. The Popularity in Area number tells you how common jobs for Professional Massage Therapists are in the area, compared to other US metro areas. A value of 1.0 means an average number of people in the position for area population. Lower numbers mean fewer of these positions in the metro area. The most popular areas for Professional Massage Therapists are starred .

State	Area	Positions	Typical Pay	Popularity in Area
Alaska	Anchorage	190	$85,070	3.5
Arizona	Phoenix	1,070	$40,630	1.6
Arizona	Tucson	440	$35,770	3.4
Arkansas	Hot Springs	50	$20,470	4.5
Arkansas	Little Rock	30	$37,410	0.3
California	Fresno	90	$40,870	0.8
California	Napa	240	$43,320	11.9
California	Oakland	220		0.6
California	Oxnard	190	$36,140	1.8
California	Redding	50	$39,070	2.4
California	Riverside	710	$46,760	1.6
California	Sacramento	460	$38,430	1.5
California	Salinas	180	$46,030	3.5
California	San Diego	970	$43,880	2
California	San Francisco	1,220	$49,760	3.4
California	San Jose	480	$55,590	1.5
California	Santa Ana	780	$35,240	1.4
California	Santa Barbara	80	$41,290	1.4
California	Santa Cruz	50	$28,620	1.8
California	Santa Rosa	240	$42,930	3.8
California	Stockton	80	$37,170	1.1
California	Vallejo	110	$27,730	2.7
Colorado	Boulder	190	$34,970	3.5
Colorado	Denver	980	$39,230	2.2
Connecticut	Bridgeport	260		1.7
Connecticut	Hartford	180	$44,680	0.9
Connecticut	New Haven	90	$43,060	0.9
Connecticut	Norwich	40	$49,130	1
Delaware	Wilmington	90	$55,140	0.8
District of Columbia	Washington	560	$48,990	0.7
Florida	Cape Coral	170	$36,480	2.4
Florida	Deltona	110	$38,540	2.1
Florida	Fort Lauderdale	500	$35,180	1.9
Florida	Jacksonville	180	$44,560	0.8
Florida	Lakeland	30	$45,930	0.5
Florida	Miami	370	$46,430	1.1
Florida	Naples	140	$48,420	3.5
Florida	Orlando	740	$40,280	2
Florida	Palm Bay	40	$51,400	0.6
Florida	Pensacola	30	$24,290	0.6
Florida	Sarasota	240	$44,110	2.6
Florida	Tampa	490	$30,600	1.1
Florida	West Palm Beach	500	$37,190	2.6
Georgia	Atlanta	1,610	$37,380	1.9
Georgia	Savannah	50	$24,460	1
Hawaii	Honolulu	430	$43,370	2.8
Idaho	Boise	90	$32,940	1
Illinois	Chicago	2,050	$43,050	1.5
Indiana	Fort Wayne	80	$26,620	1.1
Indiana	Gary	120	$28,620	1.2
Indiana	Indianapolis	380	$35,390	1.2
Iowa	Davenport	110	$28,030	1.8
Iowa	Sioux City	30	$28,250	1.3
Kansas	Wichita	120	$34,300	1.1
Kentucky	Louisville	40	$43,090	0.2
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	50	$27,960	0.4
Louisiana	Lafayette	30	$29,330	0.6
Louisiana	New Orleans	150	$22,970	0.8
Louisiana	Shreveport	40	$42,950	0.7
Maine	Portland	70	$49,370	1
Maryland	Baltimore	480	$33,840	1
Maryland	Bethesda	290	$38,450	1.4
Maryland	Hagerstown	50	$34,010	1.5
Massachusetts	Boston	520	$44,950	0.8
Massachusetts	Haverhill	40	$41,950	1.6
Massachusetts	Pittsfield	40	$28,470	4.1
Michigan	Ann Arbor	60	$38,360	1.1
Michigan	Detroit	210	$31,930	0.8
Michigan	Grand Rapids	140	$28,530	1.1
Michigan	Lansing	80	$39,820	1.2
Minnesota	Minneapolis	740	$38,950	1.2
Minnesota	Rochester	40	$43,420	1.3
Mississippi	Gulfport	30	$22,430	0.8
Missouri	Columbia	60		2.3
Missouri	Kansas City	470	$37,620	1.3
Missouri	Springfield	40	$43,770	0.6
Missouri	St Louis	550	$38,060	1.1
Nebraska	Lincoln	130		2.4
Nebraska	Omaha	230	$36,520	1.4
Nevada	Las Vegas	1,330	$23,630	4.1
Nevada	Reno	50	$15,720	0.7
New Jersey	Atlantic City	160	$49,280	3.2
New Jersey	Camden	170	$62,020	0.9
New Jersey	Edison	640	$40,910	1.7
New Jersey	Newark	390	$35,570	1.1
New Mexico	Santa Fe	50	$22,390	2.5
New York	Albany	60	$44,910	0.4
New York	Buffalo	140	$25,730	0.7
New York	Ithaca	60	$49,440	4.7
New York	Nassau	290	$45,300	0.7
New York	New York	1,600	$56,910	0.9
New York	Rochester	80	$28,430	0.5
New York	Syracuse	80		0.7
North Carolina	Asheville	120	$33,670	2
North Carolina	Charlotte	240	$29,130	0.8
North Carolina	Durham	50	$38,040	0.5
North Carolina	Greensboro	100	$53,510	0.8
North Carolina	Raleigh	250	$47,010	1.4
North Carolina	Winston Salem	40	$32,690	0.5
Ohio	Akron	90	$32,280	0.8
Ohio	Canton	50	$29,360	0.8
Ohio	Cincinnati	260	$28,360	0.7
Ohio	Cleveland	540	$34,390	1.4
Ohio	Columbus	230	$33,760	0.7
Ohio	Dayton	70	$25,970	0.5
Ohio	Toledo	130	$33,780	1.2
Oklahoma	Tulsa	110	$30,800	0.7
Oregon	Bend	50	$55,570	2.3
Oregon	Eugene	40	$68,250	0.8
Oregon	Portland	750	$54,870	2
Oregon	Salem	30	$33,320	0.6
Pennsylvania	Allentown	50	$48,990	0.4
Pennsylvania	Lancaster	40	$38,750	0.5
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	420	$37,600	0.6
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	60	$25,460	0.1
Pennsylvania	Reading	60	$51,120	1.1
Pennsylvania	York	60	$51,170	1
Rhode Island	Providence	150	$29,670	0.8
South Carolina	Charleston	120	$52,870	1.2
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	60	$34,730	1.3
Tennessee	Clarksville	40	$26,750	1.7
Tennessee	Knoxville	120	$44,320	1
Tennessee	Memphis	320		1.5
Texas	Austin	300	$26,460	1.1
Texas	Dallas	930	$34,930	1.2
Texas	El Paso	50	$28,190	0.5
Texas	Fort Worth	110	$34,860	0.4
Texas	Houston	610	$34,190	0.7
Texas	San Antonio	470	$36,170	1.6
Utah	Provo	60		1.1
Utah	Salt Lake City	300	$32,020	1.4
Virginia	Charlottesville	50	$35,060	1.6
Virginia	Richmond	170	$35,670	0.8
Virginia	Virginia Beach	110	$23,040	0.4
Washington	Bellingham	50	$55,430	2
Washington	Bremerton	60	$63,670	2.2
Washington	Kennewick	60	$60,470	2.1
Washington	Olympia	160	$62,440	5.3
Washington	Seattle	950	$58,880	1.9
Washington	Spokane	90	$50,540	1.3
Washington	Wenatchee	50	$44,420	4.2
West Virginia	Charleston	40	$31,880	0.8
West Virginia	Huntington	60	$32,920	1.6
West Virginia	Morgantown	40	$33,300	2.8
Wisconsin	Janesville	30		1.5
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	300	$29,080	1
Wisconsin	Oshkosh	30		1.1

This Google Custom Search will search this site plus select others that we feel will be helpful to you in your search for job and career information.

Custom Search

The Riley Guide: Career Research Center

Professional Massage Therapists