Clinical Massage Therapists

Median Salary: $35,200

Many clinical massage therapists across the country share a number of key professional traits. For example, integrity, cooperation, and self control can be crucial for success in the industry, especially when coupled with career training. Around 55,920 individuals were employed as clinical massage therapists nationwide in 2009. With that much workplace competition, it's vital to build on these characteristics and receive excellent training, particularly if you're preparing to move forward in the field.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual income for clinical massage therapists in the U.S. was $35,200 in 2009, which works out to a median hourly wage of $16.90. Of course, income can vary with training and by locale. Below, you'll find more data about clinical massage therapists, including wages and job density for metropolitan areas all over the country.

Clinical massage therapists should be skilled in:

Dynamic Strength
Trunk Strength
Problem Sensitivity
Speech Recognition
Static Strength

Different individuals go into different careers; clinical massage therapists are typically:

Realistic
Investigative
Conventional

Working as a clinical massage therapist requires knowledge in subjects like:

Customer and Personal Service
Therapy and Counseling
English Language
Psychology

Related Occupations

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Below, you'll see links to more information on the top cities for this occupation (based on the number of individuals employed as clinical massage therapists). Note: "Job density" refers to the proportion of clinical massage therapists in each city as compared to the national average.

Alabama
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Montgomery	NA	$48,800	$23.40	$52,300	$25.20	NA

Alaska
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Anchorage	260	$99,700	$47.90	$117,300	$56.40	262.6%

Arizona
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Phoenix	1,090	$40,800	$19.60	$55,000	$26.40	44.4%
Prescott	NA	$19,500	$9.40	$43,000	$20.70	NA
Tucson	470	$39,600	$19.00	$52,200	$25.10	200.2%

Arkansas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Fayetteville	80	$25,700	$12.40	$34,700	$16.70	-9.6%
Hot Springs	40	$20,100	$9.70	$23,700	$11.40	185%
Little Rock	50	$39,200	$18.90	$53,600	$25.80	-65.2%

California
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bakersfield	120	$33,400	$16.10	$39,100	$18.80	5.8%
Chico	NA	$91,200	$43.90	$100,000	$48.10	NA
Fresno	90	$40,200	$19.30	$54,900	$26.40	-34.1%
Los Angeles (Area)	1,940	$34,900	$16.80	$45,300	$21.80	-5.8%
Napa	290	$32,900	$15.80	$50,800	$24.40	990%
Oakland	410	$29,300	$14.10	$36,700	$17.70	-3%
Oxnard	130	$36,100	$17.40	$46,100	$22.20	0.7%
Redding	50	$35,400	$17.00	$40,200	$19.30	100.2%
Riverside	780	$36,800	$17.70	$69,800	$33.60	51.6%
Sacramento	620	$35,500	$17.10	$50,500	$24.30	69.6%
Salinas	230	$37,500	$18.00	$65,300	$31.40	242.1%
San Diego	1,130	$42,700	$20.50	$53,300	$25.60	107.2%
San Francisco (Area)	1,810	$28,700	$13.80	$43,600	$21.00	114.5%
San Francisco (City)	1,400	$28,100	$13.50	$50,600	$24.30	232%
San Jose	480	$40,400	$19.40	$66,600	$32.00	26.6%
Santa Barbara	80	$45,800	$22.00	$80,200	$38.60	7.2%
Santa Cruz	NA	$20,000	$9.60	$25,700	$12.40	NA
Santa Rosa	160	$52,300	$25.10	$69,000	$33.20	107.2%
Stockton	NA	$31,000	$14.90	$40,100	$19.30	NA
Vallejo	90	$29,300	$14.10	$31,400	$15.10	72.9%
Visalia	NA	$29,800	$14.30	$56,600	$27.20	NA

Colorado
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boulder	160	$43,200	$20.80	$54,200	$26.00	143.2%
Colorado Springs	200	$40,500	$19.50	$61,200	$29.40	85.5%
Denver	890	$40,700	$19.60	$53,100	$25.50	71%
Fort Collins	NA	$35,500	$17.10	$57,700	$27.70	NA
Grand Junction	NA	$38,800	$18.60	$58,800	$28.30	NA
Greeley	40	$38,700	$18.60	$44,800	$21.50	13.6%

Connecticut
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bridgeport	310	$48,300	$23.20	$107,300	$51.60	73.1%
Hartford	420	$27,300	$13.10	$39,600	$19.00	75.7%
New Haven	80	$40,000	$19.20	$59,700	$28.70	-32.5%
Norwich	110	$63,800	$30.70	$70,300	$33.80	87.1%

District of Columbia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Washington (Area)	890	$39,300	$18.90	$49,200	$23.60	-4.2%

Florida
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bradenton	210	$39,100	$18.80	$47,500	$22.80	101.2%
Cape Coral	140	$28,600	$13.80	$33,300	$16.00	61.2%
Deltona	70	$29,000	$14.00	$39,700	$19.10	2.3%
Gainesville	60	$44,300	$21.30	$51,500	$24.80	9.8%
Jacksonville	170	$32,700	$15.70	$52,600	$25.30	-31.3%
Lakeland	40	$36,300	$17.50	$47,500	$22.80	-54.7%
Miami (Area)	1,430	$34,200	$16.50	$45,700	$22.00	60.5%
Naples	110	$40,200	$19.30	$71,200	$34.20	114.7%
Orlando	760	$40,400	$19.40	$49,800	$24.00	78.5%
Palm Bay	40	$29,000	$13.90	$53,600	$25.80	-50%
Pensacola	50	$29,800	$14.30	$36,600	$17.60	-29.4%
Port St. Lucie	NA	$52,500	$25.20	$56,300	$27.10	NA
Punta Gorda	NA	$40,100	$19.30	$44,100	$21.20	NA
Tallahassee	NA	$62,700	$30.10	$88,700	$42.60	NA
Tampa	650	$29,400	$14.10	$39,100	$18.80	34.6%

Georgia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Atlanta	1,570	$32,200	$15.50	$46,500	$22.40	59.8%
Savannah	80	$21,900	$10.50	$36,200	$17.40	25.9%

Hawaii
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Honolulu	290	$37,100	$17.80	$58,200	$28.00	59.6%

Idaho
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Boise City	NA	$30,000	$14.40	$33,000	$15.90	NA

Illinois
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bloomington	NA	$24,500	$11.80	$33,000	$15.80	NA
Champaign	NA	$70,600	$34.00	$82,600	$39.70	NA
Chicago (Area)	2,320	$41,100	$19.80	$53,300	$25.60	11.9%
Rockford	NA	$28,400	$13.70	$31,500	$15.20	NA

Indiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Fort Wayne	80	$24,600	$11.80	$27,400	$13.20	-11.9%
Indianapolis	410	$33,800	$16.20	$39,700	$19.10	10%
South Bend	60	$32,800	$15.80	$43,600	$21.00	13.1%

Iowa
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Davenport	120	$25,700	$12.40	$41,800	$20.10	47%
Sioux City	40	$25,600	$12.30	$35,200	$16.90	13.8%
Waterloo	30	$35,600	$17.10	$39,300	$18.90	-11%

Kansas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Wichita	110	$26,900	$13.00	$47,800	$23.00	-14.3%

Kentucky
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Lexington	50	$29,000	$14.00	$32,400	$15.60	-49.8%
Louisville	50	$34,900	$16.80	$55,600	$26.70	-78.5%

Louisiana
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baton Rouge	60	$24,200	$11.60	$34,700	$16.70	-63.8%
Lake Charles	40	$16,700	$8.00	$25,000	$12.00	3.3%
New Orleans	200	$29,300	$14.10	$34,700	$16.70	-10.5%
Shreveport	40	$27,800	$13.40	$62,700	$30.10	-42.8%

Maine
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Portland	110	$32,300	$15.50	$53,500	$25.70	25.2%

Maryland
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Baltimore	670	$40,600	$19.50	$66,800	$32.10	25.2%
Hagerstown	60	$24,100	$11.60	$32,300	$15.50	33.6%

Massachusetts
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Barnstable Town	50	$30,700	$14.70	$42,700	$20.50	11.7%
Boston (Area)	890	$40,100	$19.30	$49,800	$23.90	16.8%
Springfield	NA	$50,400	$24.20	$55,300	$26.60	NA
Worcester	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Michigan
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Ann Arbor	50	$34,800	$16.70	$43,100	$20.70	-41.1%
Detroit (Area)	720	$28,100	$13.50	$40,500	$19.50	-3.7%
Grand Rapids	100	$19,800	$9.50	$45,200	$21.80	-34.1%
Holland	50	$29,100	$14.00	$36,200	$17.40	14.3%
Kalamazoo	110	NA	NA	NA	NA	89%
Lansing	120	$35,700	$17.20	$54,600	$26.20	44.6%
Niles	70	$35,700	$17.20	$40,800	$19.60	191.8%

Minnesota
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Minneapolis	980	$43,200	$20.80	$60,600	$29.10	32.2%
Rochester	50	$48,200	$23.20	$53,200	$25.60	3%
St. Cloud	40	$30,300	$14.60	$47,000	$22.60	-13.8%

Mississippi
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Gulfport	30	$21,400	$10.30	$25,900	$12.50	-25.7%

Missouri
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Columbia	70	$19,100	$9.20	$27,000	$13.00	90.4%
Kansas City	470	$42,100	$20.20	$57,200	$27.50	10.7%
Springfield	80	$51,100	$24.60	$56,800	$27.30	-4.9%
St. Louis	520	$28,700	$13.80	$40,700	$19.50	-7.5%

Nebraska
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Lincoln	160	NA	NA	NA	NA	131.5%
Omaha	230	$32,000	$15.40	$37,900	$18.20	19.9%

Nevada
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Las Vegas	1,440	$18,000	$8.70	$27,000	$13.00	290.7%
Reno	60	$16,800	$8.10	$18,800	$9.00	-26.9%

New Hampshire
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Manchester	30	$38,900	$18.70	$51,800	$24.90	-26.6%

New Jersey
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Atlantic City	120	NA	NA	NA	NA	104.9%

New Mexico
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Albuquerque	NA	$52,700	$25.30	$59,000	$28.40	NA
Santa Fe	60	$29,900	$14.40	$39,100	$18.80	114%

New York
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Albany	90	$37,100	$17.90	$57,400	$27.60	-50.5%
Buffalo	130	$29,100	$14.00	$32,200	$15.50	-41.1%
Ithaca	40	$40,300	$19.40	$58,600	$28.20	99.3%
New York (Area)	NA	$36,700	$17.70	$54,100	$26.00	NA
Poughkeepsie	NA	$30,000	$14.40	$32,400	$15.60	NA
Rochester	50	$34,100	$16.40	$43,200	$20.80	-75.5%
Syracuse	60	$35,900	$17.30	$54,100	$26.00	-50.5%

North Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Asheville	190	NA	NA	NA	NA	160.5%
Charlotte	450	$43,400	$20.90	$64,200	$30.80	24.5%
Durham	120	$42,800	$20.60	$46,200	$22.20	0.7%
Greensboro	100	$57,900	$27.80	$63,000	$30.30	-35.7%
Jacksonville	30	$19,200	$9.20	$26,700	$12.80	68.7%
Raleigh	270	$48,300	$23.20	$58,900	$28.30	25.9%
Wilmington	NA	$42,900	$20.60	$48,000	$23.10	NA
Winston-Salem	30	$37,100	$17.80	$42,200	$20.30	-63.1%

Ohio
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Akron	90	$26,400	$12.70	$30,900	$14.80	-32.7%
Cincinnati	280	$22,900	$11.00	$32,900	$15.80	-33.6%
Cleveland	480	$30,000	$14.40	$47,700	$22.90	12.6%
Columbus	320	$34,500	$16.60	$41,600	$20.00	-17.8%
Dayton	80	$28,200	$13.60	$41,800	$20.10	-48.4%
Springfield	NA	$17,800	$8.60	$19,300	$9.30	NA
Toledo	NA	$25,700	$12.40	$35,200	$16.90	NA
Youngstown	60	$25,800	$12.40	$30,600	$14.70	-40.7%

Oklahoma
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Oklahoma City	NA	$19,200	$9.20	$20,800	$10.00	NA
Tulsa	NA	$39,800	$19.10	$44,500	$21.40	NA

Oregon
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bend	50	$35,400	$17.00	$95,600	$46.00	104.7%
Eugene	100	$65,700	$31.60	$85,800	$41.20	62.9%
Medford	40	$31,100	$15.00	$38,300	$18.40	17.3%
Portland	990	$46,700	$22.40	$59,700	$28.70	131.8%
Salem	30	$25,600	$12.30	$55,800	$26.80	-44.9%

Pennsylvania
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Allentown	40	$34,500	$16.60	$48,600	$23.40	-74.5%
Lancaster	NA	$39,100	$18.80	$59,200	$28.40	NA
Philadelphia (Area)	610	$40,800	$19.60	$65,900	$31.70	-39.5%
Pittsburgh	NA	$33,700	$16.20	$36,400	$17.50	NA
Reading	50	$48,900	$23.50	$56,400	$27.10	-22.9%
Scranton	NA	$53,200	$25.60	$60,100	$28.90	NA
State College	30	$45,200	$21.70	$72,800	$35.00	8.6%
York	50	$44,800	$21.50	$64,900	$31.20	-31.1%

Rhode Island
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Providence	NA	$29,400	$14.20	$35,700	$17.20	NA

South Carolina
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Charleston	160	$23,700	$11.40	$89,500	$43.10	35.3%
Columbia	60	$34,200	$16.50	$71,100	$34.20	-57.5%
Greenville	130	$37,500	$18.00	$46,200	$22.20	2.3%
Myrtle Beach	40	$15,900	$7.70	$27,800	$13.40	-19.2%

South Dakota
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Sioux Falls	80	$32,600	$15.70	$36,300	$17.50	33.6%

Tennessee
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Chattanooga	NA	$23,000	$11.00	$27,900	$13.40	NA
Knoxville	110	$40,300	$19.40	$58,600	$28.20	-22.7%
Memphis	200	$35,400	$17.00	$52,900	$25.40	-23.1%
Nashville	NA	$47,600	$22.90	$56,800	$27.30	NA

Texas
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Austin	NA	$29,600	$14.20	$59,100	$28.40	NA
Corpus Christi	100	$40,000	$19.20	$48,900	$23.50	25.5%
Dallas (Area)	1,160	$34,700	$16.70	$43,200	$20.80	-13.1%
El Paso	NA	$21,200	$10.20	$26,400	$12.70	NA
Houston	950	$30,700	$14.80	$44,400	$21.30	-13.1%
McAllen	NA	$46,900	$22.60	$52,000	$25.00	NA
Midland	NA	$40,000	$19.20	$53,900	$25.90	NA
San Antonio	700	$32,900	$15.80	$48,400	$23.30	94.9%
Tyler	60	NA	NA	NA	NA	39.5%

Utah
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Ogden	NA	$20,300	$9.80	$28,600	$13.70	NA
Provo	60	NA	NA	NA	NA	-25.7%
Salt Lake City	200	$41,900	$20.10	$49,600	$23.80	-22.4%
St. George	60	$38,600	$18.60	$70,400	$33.90	214%

Vermont
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Burlington	NA	$28,200	$13.60	$66,300	$31.90	NA

Virginia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Charlottesville	60	$32,100	$15.40	$37,000	$17.80	53.5%
Richmond	NA	$22,000	$10.60	$23,500	$11.30	NA
Virginia Beach	180	$28,500	$13.70	$38,900	$18.70	-44.2%

Washington
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Bellingham	80	$59,500	$28.60	$72,500	$34.90	149.1%
Bremerton	NA	$68,100	$32.70	$80,900	$38.90	NA
Olympia	160	$56,600	$27.20	$63,000	$30.30	298.8%
Seattle (Area)	1,400	$49,800	$23.90	$57,200	$27.50	112.6%
Spokane	130	$53,100	$25.50	$63,800	$30.70	53%
Wenatchee	50	$37,800	$18.20	$42,800	$20.60	187.9%
Yakima	30	$62,000	$29.80	$89,700	$43.20	-11.2%

West Virginia
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Charleston	50	$26,200	$12.60	$31,500	$15.10	-21.7%
Huntington	60	$31,100	$14.90	$36,100	$17.40	17.1%
Parkersburg	40	$35,100	$16.90	$39,700	$19.10	46.5%

Wisconsin
City/Area	Employees	Median Annual Salary	Median Hourly Wage	Top 25% Annual Salary	Top 25% Hourly Wage	Job Density
Eau Claire	30	$35,800	$17.20	$41,900	$20.10	3.7%
La Crosse	30	$39,300	$18.90	$47,000	$22.60	5.8%
Madison	NA	$44,800	$21.50	$49,900	$24.00	NA
Milwaukee	310	$30,200	$14.50	$44,200	$21.30	-11%
Oshkosh	40	$17,500	$8.40	$47,400	$22.80	-3.3%