Massage Therapist Salary by State (2026): LMT Pay Compared Across All 50 States

Massage therapist salary by state varies more than for most healthcare support occupations because state regulation, employer mix, and tip economics differ so sharply across markets. The national median for Massage Therapists sits at $61,975, but state-by-state pay across the 52 states tracked here ranges widely — from $31,565 in Puerto Rico to $95,529 in Hawaii. That spread reflects state-level cost of living, state licensure status (49 states plus DC license; Kansas remains unlicensed at the state level), the regional density of luxury destination resorts and spas, hotel and cruise ship concentration, and the local mix of clinical/chiropractic/PT-clinic employment.

This page compares the average massage therapist salary by state across 1674+ metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas — drawing on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for SOC 31-9011. Important caveat: BLS data does not capture tip income, which can equal 20–40% of total massage therapist compensation in destination resort and high-end spa markets — so true state-level take-home for LMTs in tip-strong markets exceeds BLS medians. If you're a working LMT evaluating relocation, a new graduate of a COMTA-accredited program planning your first spa or clinic job, or a spa director benchmarking pay across states, the state-level comparison below is the central reference point.

How Massage Therapist Salary by State Is Measured

The BLS reports state-level LMT salary through three numbers (excluding tip income):

• Annual median (50th percentile) — used to rank state-level pay in the table below. Excludes tips.
• Annual mean (average) — typically runs 5–10% above median; states with strong destination-resort and high-end-spa tip-economics show wider mean-median spreads.
• Percentile distribution (P10 / P25 / P75 / P90) — P10 reflects entry-level LMTs at franchise spa chains (Massage Envy, Hand & Stone, Elements); P90 reflects senior LMTs at luxury destination resorts (Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Aman), high-end medical spas, established private-practice owners, sports massage therapists with NFL/MLB/NBA/NHL team contracts, and clinical massage therapists at chiropractic/PT clinics.

The state-comparison table below applies BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) adjustment so both nominal pay and real purchasing power are visible. Tip income excluded.

1. State Massage Therapy Licensure

The single largest non-cost-of-living regulatory driver of state-level LMT pay is state licensure status. 49 states plus DC license massage therapy; only Kansas remains unlicensed at the state level (some Kansas cities license locally). State licensure barriers — minimum education hours, MBLEx exam, background checks — correlate with state pay floors:

• High-hours licensure states — California (500 hrs minimum, 250 hrs for CMT designation by CAMTC), Florida (500 hrs), New York (1,000 hrs through NY State Education Department), Washington (625 hrs) require more pre-licensure education than the average state (most are 500–625 hours).
• MBLEx exam (Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination) — used by most states as the primary licensure exam. State-level pass rates vary but the exam itself is uniform nationally.
• NCBTMB certification — National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork certification (formerly more widely required) remains a voluntary advanced credential. NCBTMB Board Certified therapists earn modest premiums above MBLEx-only LMTs.
• State title protection — varies. LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) used most widely; LMBT (Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist) used in North Carolina; CMT used in California and some other states.
• Kansas non-licensure — Kansas is the only state without state-level massage therapy licensure, though some Kansas municipalities license locally.

2. State Destination Resort and Spa Concentration

State resort and spa concentration drives upper-percentile LMT pay through tip income and base pay premiums:

• Luxury destination resort states — Hawaii (Maui, Big Island, Kauai resorts), Florida (Orlando, Miami, Naples, Palm Beach), Arizona (Sedona, Scottsdale, Tucson — Mii Amo, Canyon Ranch, Miraval), California (Napa Valley spas, Palm Springs, Big Sur), Nevada (Las Vegas Strip casino spas), Colorado (Aspen, Vail, Telluride), Utah (Park City), Wyoming (Jackson Hole), Montana (Big Sky), South Carolina (Hilton Head, Kiawah), Massachusetts (Cape Cod), New Mexico (Santa Fe — Ten Thousand Waves), Texas (Hill Country resorts) concentrate luxury destination resort massage employment. Tip income at luxury resorts frequently exceeds base pay.
• High-end medical-spa states — California, Florida, Texas, New York, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado have rapidly growing medical-spa concentration where LMTs work alongside aestheticians and dermatology services.
• Cruise ship homeport states — Florida (Miami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian, Disney), Washington (Seattle — Alaska cruises), California (Long Beach, San Pedro), Texas (Galveston) homeport major cruise lines. Cruise ship LMTs work contract terms with Steiner Leisure / OneSpaWorld and earn commission-based pay frequently exceeding land-based equivalents.
• Franchise spa chain density — Massage Envy (1,100+ locations), Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Elements Massage, Massage Heights distribute broadly. Franchise spa pay anchors state-level base pay floors.

3. State Cost of Living and Employer Mix

State cost of living and clinical employer mix drive non-resort state-level pay:

• State cost of living — Alaska, Washington, Massachusetts, Oregon, Hawaii, California lead nominal LMT pay rankings.
• State income tax variation — LMTs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar (especially valuable for high-tip resort markets).
• State chiropractic clinic density — Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon have dense chiropractic clinic concentration. Clinical massage therapists at chiropractic clinics earn steady hourly pay with insurance-billing volume.
• State PT-clinic density — California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York have dense outpatient PT clinic concentration; LMTs work alongside PTs in some clinics for orthopedic and post-surgical massage.
• State sports team concentration — California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts concentrate pro sports franchises. Team-contracted LMTs earn upper-percentile pay.

4. State Specialty Modalities and Self-Employment

Specialty modality concentration and self-employment density shape upper-percentile LMT pay:

• Self-employment rates by state — BLS data shows ~50% of LMTs nationally are self-employed. Self-employment rates and earnings vary by state. High-income-tax states with strong professional networks (California, New York, Massachusetts) support strong private-practice income for established LMTs.
• Specialty modality concentration — sports massage clusters near pro sports markets; pregnancy/prenatal massage clusters at OB-strong markets; oncology massage at NCI-designated cancer center markets; geriatric massage at high-Medicare-population states.
• State CE (continuing education) requirements — vary widely. Some states require 24 hours every 2 years; others require minimal CE. State CE requirements indirectly affect specialty modality density.
• Mobile/concierge massage — Zeel, Soothe, and similar app-based concierge platforms concentrate in high-cost urban markets (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Austin).

How to Compare Massage Therapist Salary by State Effectively

When comparing the average massage therapist salary by state, work through this checklist:

• Account for tip income — BLS data excludes tips. In high-end resort and spa markets (Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, California, Arizona), tip income can add 20–40% to base pay.
• Verify state licensure requirements — minimum education hours, MBLEx eligibility, license reciprocity vary by state. Kansas is the only non-licensure state.
• Compare nominal and real (cost-adjusted) pay together — a state with the highest nominal median can have lower real purchasing power if its cost of living is higher.
• Check state income tax — LMTs in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and New Hampshire keep more of every dollar. Especially valuable for high-tip resort markets.
• Compare percentile distribution, not just median — luxury destination resort states show wide P75–P90 spreads driven by tip economics; clinical-employer states show tighter distributions.
• Factor in employer mix — destination resort states (HI, FL, AZ, NV, CO, UT, WY, MT, NM, MA, SC), franchise spa states, clinical employer states (CA, FL, TX) each support different pay tiers.
• Consider cruise ship contracts — homeport states (FL, WA, CA, TX) provide access to Steiner/OneSpaWorld cruise contracts with commission-based pay.

2026 State-Level Massage Therapist Salary Outlook

LMT pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 6.03% nationally over the past five years — driven by sustained wellness-economy spending, the post-pandemic return of luxury travel and destination resort demand, rapid medical-spa expansion, and growing clinical massage integration with chiropractic and PT practice. States with rapid luxury destination resort recovery (Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado), states with strong medical-spa expansion (Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado), and states with active wellness app platforms (CA, NY, IL, WA, MA) are seeing the fastest state-level LMT pay growth through 2026. The BLS projects Massage Therapists employment growth at 18% through 2033 — much faster than average — keeping strong upward pressure on state-level wages and tip income.

Browse the state-by-state comparison table below to see the $61,975-baseline state ranking, top 10 and bottom 10 states by projected median, regional groupings (Northeast / Midwest / South / West), and direct links to per-state pages for deeper city-level breakdown.