Massage Therapist Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 2,725 US job postings by 866 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for massage therapists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 2,725 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for massage therapists in US job postings is $30.00 an hour (516 postings from 150 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $18.91 to $47.50 an hour.
- The skills that most set massage therapist postings apart are massage techniques, reflexology, massage therapy.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 1.5 years of experience.
Massage Therapist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $30.00/hr
- Median advertised pay (516 postings)
- $18.91–$47.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- 2,725
- US job postings from 866 employers
- 1.5 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a massage therapist make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $30.00 an hour, from 516 US job postings by 150 employers that state pay. That is about $60,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 516 US massage therapist job postings: median $60,000 a year ($30.00 an hour), middle half $42,000 to $92,000.
- Median: $60,000 ($30.00/hr)
- 25th percentile: $42,000
- 75th percentile: $92,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.8% |
| $20K–$30K | 2.5% |
| $30K–$40K | 18.8% |
| $40K–$50K | 7.2% |
| $50K–$60K | 20.5% |
| $60K–$70K | 10.5% |
| $70K–$80K | 5.5% |
| $80K–$90K | 8.3% |
| $90K–$100K | 5.3% |
| $100K–$110K | 6.7% |
| $110K–$120K | 2.2% |
| $120K–$130K | 2.5% |
| $130K–$140K | 3.6% |
| $140K–$150K | 0.3% |
| $150K–$160K | 1.1% |
| $160K–$170K | 0.3% |
| $170K–$180K | 1.9% |
| $180K–$190K | 0.5% |
| $190K–$200K | 0.5% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $30.00 | $18.91–$47.50 | 298 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $60,000 | $42K–$92K | 516 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Massage Therapists (31-9011) at $58,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a massage therapist?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying massage therapist jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massage Therapist (general) | $28.85/hr | 500 | 146 |
Skills employers ask for in massage therapist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 37% |
| Customer service | 20% |
| Professionalism | 13% |
| Massage techniques | 11% |
| Interpersonal skills | 11% |
| Anatomy | 10% |
| Reflexology | 7% |
| Attention to detail | 7% |
| Physiology | 7% |
| Reliable | 7% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set massage therapists apart
- Massage techniques1130.7× as often as in all postings · 11%
- Reflexology1121× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Massage therapy917.2× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Anatomy73.9× as often as in all postings · 10%
- Physiology44.6× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Professionalism4× as often as in all postings · 13%
- Reliable4.4× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Professional6× as often as in all postings · 5%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a massage therapist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a massage therapist do?
Employers post these jobs as Licensed Massage Therapist, Spa Massage Therapist, Lead Massage Therapist, Hospice Massage Therapist, Certified Massage Therapist and other titles.
The closest official occupation is Massage Therapists (31-9011.00). Its most important tasks:
- Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
- Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
- Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
- Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
- Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a massage therapist?
Among 406 postings that state a minimum, the median is 1.5 years. Under 1% say 0 years and 50% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 406 US massage therapist job postings: median 1.5 years, and 50% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 2% |
| 1 yr | 48% |
| 2 yrs | 34% |
| 3-4 yrs | 7% |
| 5-7 yrs | 9% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Other names for a massage therapist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Massage Therapist | 428 (49.4%) |
| Licensed Massage Therapist | 371 (42.8%) |
| Spa Massage Therapist | 26 (3.0%) |
| Lead Massage Therapist | 14 (1.6%) |
| Hospice Massage Therapist | 13 (1.5%) |
| Certified Massage Therapist | 12 (1.4%) |
| Part-Time Massage Therapist | 11 (1.3%) |
| Massage Therapists | 10 (1.1%) |
| Spa Therapist | 7 (0.8%) |
| Licensed Massage Therapist LMT | 7 (0.8%) |
| On-Call Massage Therapist | 7 (0.8%) |
| Part Time Licensed Massage Therapist | 7 (0.8%) |
| Massage Therapist (Part-Time) | 6 (0.7%) |
| Licensed Massage Therapist Part Time | 6 (0.7%) |
| Massage Therapist LMT | 6 (0.7%) |
| Future Opening: Massage Therapist | 4 (0.5%) |
| Licensed Massage Therapist Full-time | 4 (0.5%) |
| Full Time Massage Therapist | 3 (0.4%) |
| message therapist | 3 (0.4%) |
| Massage Therapist (Contractor) | 3 (0.4%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Massage Therapist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage Therapist | $30.00/hr | 1.5 years | 2,725 | – |
| Personal Trainer | $25.00/hr | 1 year | 12,961 | 13 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $47.00/hr | 1 year | 4,989 | 11 |
| Esthetician | $21.50/hr | 2 years | 2,376 | 14 |
| Perfusionist | – | – | 202 | 6 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Trainer | 13 | $25.00/hr |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | 11 | $47.00/hr |
| Esthetician | 14 | $21.50/hr |
| Perfusionist | 6 | – |
| Recreation Attendant | 12 | $17.13/hr |
| Athletic Trainer | 13 | $31.28/hr |
Applying for massage therapist jobs?
- Massage therapist resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find massage therapist jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
What are other names for a massage therapist?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 18 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 18 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.