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Massage Therapists: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 31-9011.00 · Massage Therapy Schools
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Massage Therapists, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) | 2091 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What massage therapists earn, by state
Alaska has the highest state median for massage therapists ($134,930) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($29,000), across the 52 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $134,930 | $64.87 | 570 |
| Washington | $87,360 | $42.00 | 3,740 |
| Oregon | $86,970 | $41.81 | 2,250 |
| Hawaii | $81,280 | $39.08 | 1,330 |
| New Hampshire | $80,360 | $38.63 | 270 |
| Rhode Island | $74,960 | $36.04 | 290 |
| North Dakota | $74,140 | $35.65 | 100 |
| Maine | $73,290 | $35.23 | 370 |
| Michigan | $70,960 | $34.11 | 2,410 |
| District of Columbia | $64,110 | $30.82 | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $63,390 | $30.48 | 2,830 |
| Minnesota | $63,070 | $30.32 | 1,690 |
| New York | $62,630 | $30.11 | 4,500 |
| Arizona | $62,400 | $30.00 | 2,530 |
| Maryland | $62,270 | $29.94 | 1,350 |
| Connecticut | $62,260 | $29.93 | 700 |
| Virginia | $62,220 | $29.91 | 2,730 |
| Utah | $62,130 | $29.87 | 1,840 |
| Missouri | $62,050 | $29.83 | 1,500 |
| Wyoming | $61,980 | $29.80 | 150 |
| Colorado | $61,060 | $29.36 | 3,950 |
| North Carolina | $60,650 | $29.16 | 2,460 |
| Illinois | $60,490 | $29.08 | 4,950 |
| Idaho | $60,420 | $29.05 | 170 |
| Guam | $60,420 | $29.05 | 50 |
| Kentucky | $59,790 | $28.75 | 780 |
| Texas | $59,370 | $28.54 | 8,630 |
| Delaware | $58,870 | $28.30 | 230 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,300 | $28.03 | 2,990 |
| Wisconsin | $58,070 | $27.92 | 1,520 |
| South Carolina | $58,000 | $27.88 | 1,840 |
| Iowa | $57,710 | $27.75 | 540 |
| Ohio | $55,990 | $26.92 | 1,760 |
| Indiana | $55,590 | $26.72 | 1,480 |
| Nebraska | $53,950 | $25.94 | 270 |
| Montana | $53,540 | $25.74 | 200 |
| Nevada | $53,540 | $25.74 | 1,620 |
| South Dakota | $52,000 | $25.00 | 180 |
| Georgia | $50,820 | $24.43 | 1,700 |
| New Jersey | $50,150 | $24.11 | 2,890 |
| Tennessee | $50,070 | $24.07 | 1,230 |
| Kansas | $49,990 | $24.03 | 780 |
| Florida | $49,680 | $23.88 | 9,280 |
| Alabama | $48,930 | $23.52 | 600 |
| West Virginia | $46,600 | $22.40 | 250 |
| California | $45,970 | $22.10 | 14,600 |
| Mississippi | $40,490 | $19.47 | 230 |
| Arkansas | $39,990 | $19.23 | 430 |
| New Mexico | $37,840 | $18.19 | 360 |
| Oklahoma | $36,630 | $17.61 | 520 |
| Louisiana | $36,480 | $17.54 | 890 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,000 | $13.94 | 80 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations · Massage Therapy Schools at schools and training centers
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).