Dental Assistants
Median $48,070
Occupation · SOC 31-9011
Massage Therapists: pay and where the jobs are
What massage therapists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,450 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $63,830
- Median hourly wage
- $28.10
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.69
- Employment
- 98,790
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9011.
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See where your pay falls among massage therapists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do massage therapists make?
The median annual wage for massage therapists was $58,450 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,640 and the highest-paid 10% more than $100,200. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.10. About 98,790 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($134,930), Washington ($87,360) and Oregon ($86,970). Alaska also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for massage therapists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,640 | $16.17 | $2,803 | $2,434 |
| 25th percentile | $43,480 | $20.91 | $3,623 | $3,093 |
| Median | $58,450 | $28.10 | $4,871 | $4,095 |
| 75th percentile | $78,320 | $37.66 | $6,527 | $5,327 |
| 90th percentile | $100,200 | $48.17 | $8,350 | $6,610 |
Massage Therapists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$100,841 take-home in national prices
2
$68,347 take-home in national prices
3
$64,549 take-home in national prices
Where a median massage therapist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 570 | $134,930 | $34,140 | $161,400 | $103,220 | $100,841 |
| Washington | 3,740 | $87,360 | $61,850 | $115,800 | $69,076 | $64,549 |
| Oregon | 2,250 | $86,970 | $47,270 | $103,630 | $63,484 | $61,420 |
| Hawaii | 1,330 | $81,280 | $36,660 | $166,730 | $61,247 | $55,704 |
| New Hampshire | 270 | $80,360 | $36,500 | $114,400 | $65,363 | $62,750 |
| Rhode Island | 290 | $74,960 | $43,480 | $126,150 | $58,546 | $57,241 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $74,140 | $34,120 | $110,870 | $60,801 | $68,347 |
| Maine | 370 | $73,290 | $32,450 | $119,580 | $56,754 | $58,479 |
| Michigan | 2,410 | $70,960 | $32,610 | $89,950 | $55,985 | $58,187 |
| District of Columbia | 120 | $64,110 | $44,130 | $134,110 | $50,972 | $46,380 |
| Massachusetts | 2,830 | $63,390 | $40,420 | $104,510 | $49,873 | $47,158 |
| Minnesota | 1,690 | $63,070 | $28,320 | $97,870 | $49,814 | $50,510 |
| New York | 4,500 | $62,630 | $33,280 | $110,210 | $49,416 | $45,789 |
| Arizona | 2,530 | $62,400 | $37,800 | $90,780 | $51,152 | $50,808 |
| Maryland | 1,350 | $62,270 | $35,360 | $96,440 | $49,622 | $47,278 |
| Connecticut | 700 | $62,260 | $34,010 | $97,870 | $49,220 | $47,505 |
| Virginia | 2,730 | $62,220 | $38,070 | $119,570 | $49,410 | $48,871 |
| Utah | 1,840 | $62,130 | $23,160 | $97,970 | $49,732 | $50,303 |
| Missouri | 1,500 | $62,050 | $43,680 | $101,900 | $50,058 | $55,120 |
| Wyoming | 150 | $61,980 | $18,570 | $98,090 | $51,981 | $56,080 |
| Colorado | 3,950 | $61,060 | $35,990 | $101,710 | $48,995 | $47,544 |
| North Carolina | 2,460 | $60,650 | $31,050 | $96,510 | $49,001 | $51,949 |
| Illinois | 4,950 | $60,490 | $33,770 | $82,910 | $47,934 | $47,954 |
| Guam | 50 | $60,420 | $23,760 | $62,400 | — | — |
| Idaho | 170 | $60,420 | $35,360 | $94,610 | $48,633 | $50,928 |
| Kentucky | 780 | $59,790 | $30,210 | $95,290 | $48,246 | $53,512 |
| Texas | 8,630 | $59,370 | $34,870 | $109,970 | $49,884 | $51,396 |
| Delaware | 230 | $58,870 | $46,250 | $98,220 | $46,656 | $46,746 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,990 | $58,300 | $31,000 | $110,770 | $47,193 | $48,368 |
| Wisconsin | 1,520 | $58,070 | $20,280 | $105,360 | $46,865 | $49,806 |
| South Carolina | 1,840 | $58,000 | $17,340 | $95,540 | $47,253 | $50,404 |
| Iowa | 540 | $57,710 | $37,560 | $91,570 | $47,009 | $53,564 |
| Ohio | 1,760 | $55,990 | $40,340 | $78,520 | $46,072 | $49,660 |
| Indiana | 1,480 | $55,590 | $38,140 | $83,140 | $45,236 | $48,470 |
| Nebraska | 270 | $53,950 | $47,360 | $93,390 | $43,954 | $48,782 |
| Montana | 200 | $53,540 | $25,020 | $96,740 | $43,440 | $45,898 |
| Nevada | 1,620 | $53,540 | $25,230 | $121,980 | $45,199 | $45,209 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $52,000 | $35,720 | $56,310 | $43,962 | $49,626 |
| Georgia | 1,700 | $50,820 | $19,010 | $83,130 | $41,226 | $42,814 |
| New Jersey | 2,890 | $50,150 | $33,280 | $81,930 | $40,851 | $37,546 |
| Tennessee | 1,230 | $50,070 | $36,960 | $95,260 | $42,411 | $46,164 |
| Kansas | 780 | $49,990 | $31,490 | $81,760 | $40,357 | $44,807 |
| Florida | 9,280 | $49,680 | $30,310 | $79,220 | $42,098 | $40,708 |
| Alabama | 600 | $48,930 | $22,250 | $91,260 | $39,473 | $44,440 |
| West Virginia | 250 | $46,600 | $22,450 | $82,950 | $38,322 | $42,820 |
| California | 14,600 | $45,970 | $34,320 | $89,880 | $37,698 | $34,048 |
| Mississippi | 230 | $40,490 | $28,820 | $103,020 | $33,826 | $38,902 |
| Arkansas | 430 | $39,990 | $24,180 | $74,530 | $33,320 | $38,327 |
| New Mexico | 360 | $37,840 | $29,430 | $91,730 | $31,925 | $34,621 |
| Oklahoma | 520 | $36,630 | $24,790 | $101,100 | $30,509 | $34,732 |
| Louisiana | 890 | $36,480 | $18,080 | $59,680 | $30,784 | $34,899 |
| Puerto Rico | 80 | $29,000 | $23,020 | $54,610 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-9011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.