Massage Facts & Resources

Massage Therapy as a Career
  • In 2016, the average annual income for a massage therapist (including tips) was estimated to be $25,539.7
  • While massage therapists work in a variety of work environments, sole practitioners account for the largest percentage of practicing therapists (58 percent). Of all therapists, 63 percent work at least part of their time at a client’s home/business/corporate setting, 38 percent at their office, 32 percent at their home, 24 percent in a health care setting, and 26 percent in a spa setting.
  • Eighty-two percent of massage therapists started practicing massage therapy as a second career.
  • Forty-seven percent of massage therapists say they would like to work more hours of massage than they currently do.
  • Forty-nine percent of massage therapists also earn income working in another profession.
  • Of those massage therapists who earn income working in another profession, 12 percent practice other forms of bodywork, 8 percent work in other forms of health care, 7 percent teach/write/lecture about massage therapy, 7 percent work in personal care and 4 percent do movement therapy.

​Who Gets Massage, Where and Why?
  • According to a 2016 AMTA consumer survey, an average of 19 percent of adult Americans received at least one massage between July 2015 and July 2016, and an average of 32 percent of adult Americans received a massage in the previous five years.
  • A Zogby Analytics survey of consumers in January 2017 indicated 25 percent received a massage from a massage therapist in 2016. 
  • In July 2016, 22 percent of women and 16 percent of men reported having a massage in the past twelve months.
  • Twenty-two percent of massage consumers reported receiving their last massage at a spa in 2016.
 
  • The MASSAGE THERAPY PROFESSION - Facts 
    • Research estimates that massage therapy was a $12.1 billion industry in the country in 2015.
    • By comparison, in 2005, massage therapy was projected to be a $6 to $11 billion a year industry.
    • It is estimated that there are 325,000 to 375,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States.
    • From 2011 to 2015, revenue from alternative/complementary healthcare providers, which includes massage therapists, increased 14 percent, and employment increased 19 percent. Revenue growth is projected to continue at an average rate of 3.6 percent per year through 2020.
    • Between July 2015 and July 2016, surveys indicate that roughly 43.8 – 57.6 million adult Americans (19 - 25 percent) had a massage at least once.

Data From: ​https://www.amtamassage.org/infocenter/economic_industry-fact-sheet.html#Who