Massage therapy is a broad field, and numbers can be easy to overstate. This page keeps the distinctions clear: national survey results describe reported use, while workforce figures describe the occupation. Neither predicts what any one person will experience in a session.
10.9%
of U.S. adults used massage therapy in 2022
That is more than double the 4.8% reported in 2002, according to national health survey data summarized by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, based on the 2022 National Health Interview Survey.53.4%
of 2022 massage users reported using it for pain
This figure describes why people who reported massage use in the national survey sought it. It does not measure treatment results or replace individual medical advice.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2024 pain guide, citing 2022 National Health Interview Survey data.155,400
massage therapist jobs were counted in 2025
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports this national employment estimate for the occupation, which includes employees and self-employed workers in its occupational outlook data.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 employment estimate.15%
projected job growth from 2025 to 2035
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 23,700 additional massage therapist jobs over the decade, with about 20,400 openings per year on average.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 to 2035 projection.How to read these figures
The use statistics come from nationally representative survey data. The employment and projection figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and refer to the massage therapist occupation nationwide. These sources are useful for understanding the field at a high level, not for making claims about a particular practitioner, treatment, or outcome.
Methodology and sources
- National use figures are drawn from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, as reported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The 53.4% pain-use figure is reported in its 2024 guide to complementary approaches for pain.
- Employment, projected growth, and annual openings are drawn from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed October 27, 2026.
- Kate Healy, LMT maintains this page as a public reference and links directly to original sources. It is refreshed when a key source releases new data, or at least once each month.
Cite this page
Writers and educators are welcome to link to a specific statistic using its heading above, or cite this reference page as a whole.
Kate Healy, LMT. “Massage Therapy Statistics in the U.S.” Updated October 27, 2026. katehealy.net/massage-therapy-statistics.