What is the Average Salary of a Massage Therapist in Florida?
Massage therapists may not be magic healers, but their services may reduce ailments such as anxiety, stress, aches and pains, high blood pressure, insomnia and depression, along with improving circulation, flexibility, the immune system and posture, according to the University of Miami. For Florida's massage therapists, salaries in 2009 averaged just under the country's rate for the profession.
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Facts
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In a 2009 survey on salaries of massage therapists, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics established the median national wage for the profession as $35,230 per year. For Floridians employed as massage therapists, state annual median wages fell slightly below the national average, at $33,990 per year, a difference of $1,240 per year.
Range
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A portion of Florida's 4,220 massage therapists did earn salary rates that were at or higher than their cross-country colleagues. In Florida's highest bracket of 90th percentile earners in the profession, salaries averaged $62,040 per year, close to double the national average. On the opposite end of the scale, Florida's bottom 10th percentile of massage therapists earned salaries averaging $17,400 per year.
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Considerations
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Massage therapists are regulated on a state-by-state basis. In Florida, massage therapy falls under the Florida Department of Health's Florida Board of Massage Therapy. To earn a salary as a massage therapist in Florida, candidates must complete a massage therapy program from one of the board's approved schools, with hundreds of in-state options including Sacred Heart School of Nursing & Allied Health, Rose Training Institute, Beauty & Massage Institute, Blue Heron Academy, Manatee Technical Institute, Lake Lanier School of Massage and Levin School of Healthcare. Candidates must be age 18 or older, have a high school diploma and complete a board-certified exam.
Outlook
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The BLS expects a 19 percent growth in employment of massage therapists in the country through 2018, adding 23,200 jobs to the field. The BLS recommends prospective applicants for massage therapy jobs seek positions in massage clinic franchises and facilities such as nursing homes and assisted-care centers for the best opportunities to attain salaries.
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References
- University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center: Benefits of Massage
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Massage Therapists
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment Statistics
- Florida Department of Health: Florida Board of Massage Therapy
- StateUniversity.com: Massage Therapist Job Description
- Photo Credit massage therapy at the spa image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
