SOC 31-9011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Massage Therapists — Sacramento
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Massage Therapists in Sacramento, CA is $51,980 per year, 11.1% below the national median of $58,450.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +15.4%
- Openings per year
- 24,700
- Typical entry-level education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
41.9% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Massage Therapists in Sacramento, CA is $51,980 per year, 11.1% below the national median of $58,450. Half of workers earn between $36,730 and $63,150. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $34,550 and the ninetieth at $89,510.
The area has 720 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.7 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Chico records the highest median at $63,290. Of the 648 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 464th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $34,550 | −40.9% |
| 25th | $36,730 | −37.2% |
| Median (50th) | $51,980 | −11.1% |
| 75th | $63,150 | +8.0% |
| 90th | $89,510 | +53.1% |
| Mean | $55,760 | −4.6% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chico | $63,290 | 40 | |
| 2 | Salinas | $61,400 | 240 | |
| 3 | San Luis Obispo | $60,640 | 120 | |
| 4 | Vallejo | $58,870 | 100 | |
| 5 | Santa Cruz | $58,050 | 110 | |
| 6 | Bakersfield | $57,300 | 90 | |
| 7 | Redding | $50,690 | 40 | |
| 8 | Santa Rosa | $50,620 | 310 | |
| 9 | Oxnard | $50,240 | 210 | |
| 10 | San Jose | $50,060 | 680 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Sacramento run 6.7% above the national average, so the median of $51,980 buys what $48,716 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 16.7% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$51,980as reported by BLSLocal price level
106.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$48,716US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $51,980 a year, 11.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $34,550 to $89,510 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 720 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Chico, at $63,290.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Massage Therapists in Sacramento, CA?
The median annual wage is $51,980, or $24.99 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $58,450, so pay in Sacramento, CA is 11.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Sacramento, CA earns more than $89,510 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $34,550 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Chico, at $63,290 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 720 jobs in this occupation in Sacramento, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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