How Much Do Massage Therapists Make?
The official massage therapist pay figure counts employees only. BLS says 36% of massage therapists are self-employed, and they are not in it. An hourly rate can also look high, but BLS says many therapists cannot perform massage services 8 hours per day, 5 days per week.
So this page sets three figures side by side: the official median for employees, the Census average for one-person businesses, and where the top-paid tenth of employees start. A ZIP code tool shows pay near you, and a calculator works out a year from your own numbers.
Which figure fits you depends on whether you work for an employer or for yourself.
Employed massage therapists in Seattle earn a median of $94,220, against $58,450 nationally
Every US ZIP code is matched. BLS publishes a massage therapist median for 290 of 528 areas, and the other 238 show the state figure, so many ZIP codes show their state's number. The tool tells you which one you are seeing.
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-9011, by area; Census ZIP-to-county file; USDA rural-urban codes. The Census 2022 NAICS index lists "Massage therapists' offices (e.g., centers, clinics)" under 621399, Offices of All Other Health Practitioners. That code is a catch-all that also holds other practitioners, and its 259,850 businesses outnumber all 155,400 massage therapist jobs, so it is the closest published figure, not a count of massage therapists. County figures are not shown for the same reason. One step is modeled: no agency publishes self-employed pay by area, so the calculator uses the employed pay level of your area. The lookup runs in your browser. It loads a small file for the first three digits of your ZIP code from this site and sends nothing else.
Washington pays employed massage therapists a median of $87,360; Louisiana pays $36,480
The table shows the national figure, the highest and lowest states and the states with the most jobs, in two columns: what BLS reports for employed massage therapists, and what Census reports for one-person health practitioner businesses. They count different people, so the two columns do not match.
| State | Employed massage therapists, median a year (BLS May 2025) | One-person health practitioner business, average gross (Census 2024) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $58,450 | $49,616 |
| Highest five | ||
| Alaska | $134,930 | $42,036 |
| Washington | $87,360 | $48,112 |
| Oregon | $86,970 | $45,068 |
| Hawaii | $81,280 | $44,879 |
| New Hampshire | $80,360 | $54,238 |
| Lowest five | ||
| Louisiana | $36,480 | $57,849 |
| Oklahoma | $36,630 | $51,502 |
| New Mexico | $37,840 | $44,091 |
| Arkansas | $39,990 | $50,070 |
| Mississippi | $40,490 | $48,699 |
| Most people employed in this job | ||
| California | $45,970 | $51,798 |
| Florida | $49,680 | $50,426 |
| Texas | $59,370 | $52,722 |
| Illinois | $60,490 | $46,212 |
| New York | $62,630 | $54,893 |
| Colorado | $61,060 | $42,551 |
First column: BLS May 2025 state medians for SOC 31-9011, employees only. Second column: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024, average gross receipts per one-person business in NAICS 621399, before expenses. That code is a catch-all that also holds other practitioners, so it is the closest published figure, not a count of massage therapists. Alaska's figure rests on a small count.
36% of massage therapists work for themselves, and BLS does not count their pay
The AMTA shares below come from a 2026 fact sheet where respondents could give more than one answer, so they add up to more than 100%.
The calculator below works out a year for your own practice, or for chain pay per massage hour.
Work out what you would take home before tax
Put in your own numbers to see a year before tax. Nothing here is a typical income, and every default is an example.
- Massages you do in a year$55,200
- Your share$55,200
- Tips+ $5,520
- Card fees− $1,822
Checked November 2026. Rent, insurance and table supplies are not deducted, so subtract yours. 12 massages a week is an example. With a ZIP code entered, the price follows that area's pay level.
Massage therapists are on the IRS list of tipped jobs, entry 602
Tipping is the most-asked massage therapist pay question on our chart, with 179 phrasings. No survey we could read gives tips as a share of massage therapists' pay, so the facts below are the IRS's and what therapists said.
Entry 602 reads "Massage therapists: Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints; may assist in assessment and therapy plans." Example titles: "Masseuse, deep tissue massage therapist, sports massage therapist." The list covers tips on or before Dec. 31, 2024.
Employees and the self-employed can both claim it. The deduction phases out above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint). For the self-employed it cannot exceed the net income of the business, and the tips must be voluntary. This is the IRS's rule, not tax advice.
The IRS says employees report cash tips of $20 or more in a month to the employer by the 10th of the next month.
AMTA's 2026 fact sheet gives no tips figure, and neither therapist in the witness section gave a tips total. This page does not rule on how much to tip.
What working massage therapists say they were paid, in their own words
We searched videos from 2021 to 2026 for US massage therapists who gave their own pay with the pay model stated. Two qualified. Neither published a full year's income, so each card shows what they said and when, and we quote only what each caption says.
"25 an hour" means $25 a massage hour, so 5 clients in an 8-hour shift on site paid $125 before tax. Sign-on bonuses were $1,000 to $3,000, paid over 3 to 6 months.
Monthly gross sales were $546 in January, $510 in March, $948 in April, $1,057 in May, $2,267 in June and $2,110 in July, in a new state with no clients at the start. Office rent is $800 a month. About 50% to 60% of the work is massage and the rest is facials, and the figures are before card fees.
The lowest-paid tenth of employed massage therapists earn under $33,640
BLS reports $33,640 a year at the 10th percentile and $43,480 at the 25th for employed massage therapists (May 2025, employees only). Nothing we could read is measured on new therapists alone, so the three points below are the nearest facts we could verify.
Heidi started a solo practice in Georgia in 2024 with no clients in a new state, paying $800 a month for an office. Gross sales were $546 in January and $2,110 in July, before card fees, with massage about 50% to 60% of the work. One therapist's numbers, not a survey.
FSMTB's 2026 regulated-states table lists minimum education of 500 to 1,000 hours. The MBLEx is the national exam; Hawaii and New York use a state exam. Check your state before you plan.
AMTA's 2026 Massage Industry Fact Sheet, from its 2026 Massage Profession Research Report, gives 82%. The page does not publish the sample size. It publishes no income, hours, price or tips figure.
Measured by us in November 2026. Massage school drew 190 phrasings, plus 192 that name a place; we measured it and left it off the chart.
Massage therapist pay questions
If you take massage clients on your own, let them book and pay online between sessions.
Set up your services and prices once, then share one booking link.
- A booking page that works as the link in your bio.
- Each service with its own length and price, like a 60-minute massage, a 90-minute deep tissue or a mobile home visit.
- A deposit at booking, or a card on file for later.
- Tap to Pay on iPhone, to take a card in person.
Sources
Where every number on this page comes from: the agency or person, the release and the link.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Massage Therapists (31-9011), national, state and area, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026-05-15 Employees only; the self-employed are not surveyed. 290 of 528 areas are matched to an area median; the other 238 use the state figure.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Massage Therapists, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Page modified August 2026. 36% of massage therapists are self-employed; 155,400 jobs in 2025 counting the self-employed; projected growth 15%, 2025 to 2035.
- Nonemployer Statistics 2024: Offices of All Other Health Practitioners (NAICS 621399), national and state, U.S. Census Bureau, 2026-09-29 Gross receipts of businesses with no paid employees, before costs and tax. A catch-all code that also holds other practitioners; the closest published figure, not a count of massage therapists.
- 2022 NAICS Index File: Massage therapists' offices (e.g., centers, clinics), listed under 621399, U.S. Census Bureau Lists massage therapists' offices under 621399, Offices of All Other Health Practitioners.
- 2026 Massage Industry Fact Sheet, from the 2026 Massage Profession Research Report, AMTA Sample size not published on the page; more than one answer allowed. It publishes no income, hours, price or tips figure.
- Regulated states, 2026, FSMTB Minimum education of 500 to 1,000 hours by state; the MBLEx is the national exam. Kansas, Minnesota and Wyoming are not in the table.
- Occupations that customarily and regularly received tips on or before Dec. 31, 2024, Internal Revenue Service, 2026-06-28 Entry 602: Massage therapists. Example titles: masseuse, deep tissue massage therapist, sports massage therapist.
- IRS rules on the deduction for qualified tips and on reporting cash tips, Internal Revenue Service Up to $25,000 of qualified tips, tax years 2025 through 2028. Employees report cash tips of $20 or more in a month to the employer by the 10th of the next month.
- Kelli, Massage Envy therapist, Georgia, 2021, YouTube From the video's captions. "25 an hour" means $25 a massage hour.
- Heidi, solo massage therapist and esthetician, Georgia, 2024, YouTube From the video's captions. Gross sales by month, massage and facials together.
- Stripe pricing, standard US card rate, Stripe, 2026-10-25 the card processor kiwilaunch uses; quoted for the 3% card fee in the calculator
Not tax, legal or financial advice. Prices, pay and what you keep vary by state and city, licensing rules differ by state, and the tax rules on tips have conditions. A tax professional who knows your situation can answer for you.