career. Figure 13. Was massage therapy your first career choice? Highlights from Figure 13 23% of full time employees are working in massage therapy as a first career. The number of massage therapists in the U.S. grew over the last decade9 Over the past ten years, the estimated number of massage therapists increased nearly 19%. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of estimated massage therapists is up slightly. What growth that did occur continued to originate in licensed states. Note that even though a massage therapist may be licensed to practice, many therapists still legally able to practice may drop out of the profession, retire, or are temporarily not practicing, yet still show up on a listing of licensed therapists in a state. This group of licensed but inactive therapists may account for up to 12% of all licensed massage therapists. Because of COVID-19, it is likely that the number of therapists may decline next year as there has been a reduction in the 26 number of graduates entering the profession as many massage schools were closed for some time in the past year. Figure 14 illustrates the growth of the total estimated number of massage therapists over time. Total MTs By Year (LMT and EMT Combined). Total number of massage therapists in the U.S. Highlights from Figure 14 In 2020 there were an estimated 363,155 massage therapists in the United States, which is up roughly 1% from 2019. *LMT: licensed massage therapists, MT: massage therapists from non-licensing states 27 2C. How much are massage therapists compensated for their work? Massage therapists’ compensation per hour increased over previous years. How much are clients paying for massage? · Clients paid an average of $76.48 for one hour of massage, an increase of $1.25 from the prior year. · Hotels, resorts and cruises charged clients the most, an average of $123.18 per hour. · Hospitals/medical offices/clinics charged the least, an average of $56.47 per hour. Average hourly earnings vary greatly based on massage setting Therapists working in their client’s homes made the most, an average of $80.59 per hour. Those working in massage only franchises and chains made the least, an average of $22.48 per hour. Note that those therapists that have their own practice have higher expenses from those therapists that are employed. Expenses are not covered in these numbers. Fifty-eight percent of therapists reported receiving tips over 60% of the time. Massage therapy franchise or cha. Average 2019 hourly pay and tips for massage therapists by work setting, reported in 2020. Highlights from Figure 15 Therapists who worked in their clients’ homes made the highest hourly wage in 2019. Therapists who worked in hotels, resorts, and cruises made the highest tips in 2019. 28 Average income from massage therapy increased slightly in 2019 Massage therapists made more income in 2019 than ever reported before. Note that income varies greatly by type of practice, years in the profession as well as geographic region and other factors. Depending on their work setting or other factors, therapists will have to pay varying levels of taxes on their income, as well as pay for their supplies. This is particularly important for therapists practicing as sole practitioners, who are responsible for deducting their own taxes out of their pay, for purchasing all supplies, and for potentially renting space. Gross annual income does not include deductions for expenses. Gross Annual Income $Sole Practitioner Independent Full Time Employee Part Time Contractor Employee Massage therapy accounted for nearly 69% of the typical therapist’s household income in 2019. Sixty-three percent of therapists earned all of their annual income from practicing massage therapy, similar to 64% as reported last year. Annual income also varied by work setting, as outlined in the chart below. Note that these are national averages encompassing a wide range of geographies. Also, note that this is gross income as reported by individual massage therapists, as opposed to net