Cities with the Highest Wages
The top paying metropolitan areas for massage therapists pay excellent wages. Anchorage, Alaska tops the list at $85,070 as of May 2008 which equates to pay of $40.90 per hour. The next 4 metropolitan areas don’t pay as much but the average annual earnings remain high. Chico, California pays an average hourly rate of $37.01; Eugene, Oregon pays $32.81; Bremerton, Washington pays $30.61; and Olympia, Washington pays $30.01. It’s clear that the city of employment can make a significant difference in the amount of pay earned. The annual pay difference between Anchorage and Olympia is a very large $22,630 or 36.2%.
To maximize earnings as a massage therapist, you can carefully choose your location where wages are documented as being higher. The national average annual wage as of last May was $39,780 per the U.S. Department of Labor so clearly the metropolitan area of employment can make a big difference in earnings. In Olympia, fifth on the list of top paying metropolitan areas for massage therapists, the pay was $62,400 which is almost 57% more than the national average.
Also impacting the pay besides location is the type of industry, the years of experience and whether the therapist is self-employed or works for a business or facility. Affecting the average pay calculations is also the fact that most massage therapists do not work 40 hours a week providing massages. Unless they are paid an annual salary, many work less than 40 hours because of the physical demands of the job.
Cities with the Highest Employment Levels
The metropolitan areas where there are the most number of massage therapists per one thousand workers vary considerably in size. Large cities like Olympia, Washington and Napa, California are on the list along with smaller cities like Hot Springs, Arizona. As a result the average annual wages vary significantly.
A massage therapist in Olympia, Washington earned an average of $62,440 in May 2008 while a therapist earned $20,470 in Hot Springs. This is a difference of $41,970 annually with Olympia massage therapists earning 205% more than therapists in Hot Springs. Though the spread is not so wide between Olympia and Napa, it is still $19,120 or 44.1%. With a national average wage of $39,780, it can be seen that some metropolitan areas pay quite well while others pay well below the average.
Compensation for massage therapists is partly dependent on the geographical location of the position. For example, in Las Vegas massage therapists working in spas, casinos and hotels are plentiful which drives down the area wages. But other factors will also determine actual pay.
These factors include the types of massage skills a therapist has mastered and the years of experience for example. Many massage therapists are self-employed and must build up a clientele to achieve the desired compensation. Therapists usually work by the hour or charge on a fee-for-service basis. The U.S. Department of Labor projects employment growth of 19% through 2018 or an additional 23,200 positions coming open during the years 2008 through 2018.
