Massage Therapists
Also called: Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 15.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 52% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,930 | $28,010 to $79,170 | 600 |
| Alaska | $134,930 | $104,000 to $139,210 | 570 |
| Arizona | $62,400 | $51,620 to $72,800 | 2,530 |
| Arkansas | $39,990 | $28,720 to $49,620 | 430 |
| California | $45,970 | $35,170 to $64,130 | 14,600 |
| Colorado | $61,060 | $52,900 to $84,100 | 3,950 |
| Connecticut | $62,260 | $49,430 to $81,300 | 700 |
| Delaware | $58,870 | $47,730 to $68,670 | 230 |
| District of Columbia | $64,110 | $47,680 to $96,550 | 120 |
| Florida | $49,680 | $43,420 to $59,700 | 9,280 |
| Georgia | $50,820 | $34,690 to $76,260 | 1,700 |
| Guam | $60,420 | $23,760 to $62,400 | 50 |
| Hawaii | $81,280 | $57,390 to $129,770 | 1,330 |
| Idaho | $60,420 | $45,540 to $66,300 | 170 |
| Illinois | $60,490 | $45,800 to $77,550 | 4,950 |
| Indiana | $55,590 | $46,840 to $72,800 | 1,480 |
| Iowa | $57,710 | $47,040 to $76,090 | 540 |
| Kansas | $49,990 | $46,170 to $58,240 | 780 |
| Kentucky | $59,790 | $47,470 to $85,060 | 780 |
| Louisiana | $36,480 | $23,330 to $48,300 | 890 |
| Maine | $73,290 | $44,000 to $96,600 | 370 |
| Maryland | $62,270 | $43,840 to $82,210 | 1,350 |
| Massachusetts | $63,390 | $50,090 to $103,000 | 2,830 |
| Michigan | $70,960 | $50,040 to $77,550 | 2,410 |
| Minnesota | $63,070 | $56,440 to $81,000 | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $40,490 | $37,700 to $50,900 | 230 |
| Missouri | $62,050 | $47,750 to $83,190 | 1,500 |
| Montana | $53,540 | $34,840 to $85,040 | 200 |
| Nebraska | $53,950 | $50,630 to $83,440 | 270 |
| Nevada | $53,540 | $27,290 to $85,280 | 1,620 |
| New Hampshire | $80,360 | $65,220 to $100,550 | 270 |
| New Jersey | $50,150 | $33,640 to $58,240 | 2,890 |
| New Mexico | $37,840 | $36,440 to $49,050 | 360 |
| New York | $62,630 | $37,410 to $90,030 | 4,500 |
| North Carolina | $60,650 | $48,100 to $85,150 | 2,460 |
| North Dakota | $74,140 | $59,020 to $91,240 | 100 |
| Ohio | $55,990 | $47,120 to $60,880 | 1,760 |
| Oklahoma | $36,630 | $29,150 to $63,730 | 520 |
| Oregon | $86,970 | $66,130 to $96,870 | 2,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,300 | $45,540 to $77,590 | 2,990 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,000 | $24,070 to $30,720 | 80 |
| Rhode Island | $74,960 | $43,480 to $126,150 | 290 |
| South Carolina | $58,000 | $35,630 to $74,040 | 1,840 |
| South Dakota | $52,000 | $42,000 to $53,920 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $50,070 | $46,920 to $64,050 | 1,230 |
| Texas | $59,370 | $50,400 to $73,910 | 8,630 |
| Utah | $62,130 | $53,540 to $75,230 | 1,840 |
| Virginia | $62,220 | $51,460 to $93,600 | 2,730 |
| Washington | $87,360 | $75,570 to $97,550 | 3,740 |
| West Virginia | $46,600 | $27,390 to $58,520 | 250 |
| Wisconsin | $58,070 | $37,720 to $80,560 | 1,520 |
| Wyoming | $61,980 | $33,450 to $93,600 | 150 |
Nationally: $58,450. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body. | Not published |
| Not much | Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain treatment records. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises. | Not published |
| Not much | Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Consult with other health care professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians, and psychologists, to develop treatment plans for clients. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare and blend oils and apply the blends to clients' skin. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform other adjunctive therapies or treatment techniques in addition to massage. | Not published |
| Not much | Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administer therapeutic treatments | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care |
Show all 10 activities
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Maintain health or medical records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation39%
- An analysis or summary20%
- An explanation or answer19%
- A document or report6%
- An email or message2%
How they worked with Claude
14% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for massage therapists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 34,247 moves out
- 1 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Moderate +7.3% 6%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 3%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 31,653 moves in
- 1 Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Moderate +7.3% 6%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 19% high school
- 32% some college
- 20% associate's
- 20% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 2% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,979 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
4 programs, such as Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage, Asian Bodywork Therapy and Somatic Bodywork.
See all
- Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Asian Bodywork Therapy
- Somatic Bodywork
- Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 84.1% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 14.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 17.2% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Certified Massage Therapist (CMT); Licensed Massage Therapist). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Massage Therapists” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-9011.00