Healthcare Support · Holland code SRI
Massage Therapists
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.
Also called: Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), BCMT (Board Certified Massage Therapist), Bodywork Therapist, Clinical Massage Therapist, Medical Massage Practitioner.
O*NET 31-9011.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $58,450
- Middle half earn $43,480 to $78,320. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +15% · Much faster than average
- 168,000 jobs in 2024, projected 193,900. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Massage therapists".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
- Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
- Maintain treatment records.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Speaking3.5 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
- Monitoring2.9 / 5
- Writing2.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
- English Language3.1 / 5
- Biology3.1 / 5
- Medicine and Dentistry3.0 / 5
- Psychology2.9 / 5
- Education and Training2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic64
- Investigative47
- Artistic21
- Social79
- Enterprising18
- Conventional28
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- complementary therapist · DE Therapeut Komplementärmedizin/Therapeutin Komplementärmedizin · FR praticien de médecine alternative/praticienne de médecine alternative
- massage therapist · DE Heilmasseur/Heilmasseurin · FR masseur kinésithérapeute/masseuse kinésithérapeute
- shiatsu practitioner · DE Shiatsu-Praktiker/Shiatsu-Praktikerin · FR praticien en shiatsu/praticienne en shiatsu
- masseur/masseuse · DE Masseur/Masseurin · FR masseur/masseuse
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Beauticians and related occupations (6222)90,100 employed
- Complementary health associate professionals (3214)27,100 employed
- Therapy professionals n.e.c. (2229)51,800 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.41. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (31-9011).
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