How Much Money Does a Massage Therapist in Houston Texas Make?
Like most states, Texas requires massage therapists to have a license. Becoming a licensed massage therapist in Texas involves completing at least 500 hours of instruction from an approved school and passing an exam administered by either the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards or the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. Salaries for massage therapists in Houston have a wide range.
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Employment
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Of the approximately 56,000 massage therapists working in the United States in 2009, about 4,290 were employed in Texas, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 950 of those were in the greater Houston area, which the bureau defines as the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown area. The agency's employment figures do not include self-employed workers.
Averages
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Houston-area massage therapists were making an average pay rate of $15.41 per hour in 2009, or $32,050 per year. That was about 11 percent lower than the Texas statewide average for this occupation of $17.27 per hour.
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Salary Range
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The middle 50 percent of Houston massage therapists were making $9.18 to $21.32 per hour in 2009, or $19,100 to $44,350 per year. The bottom 10 percent had pay rates of $7.58 per hour and below, and the top 10 percent were earning $24.89 per hour and higher, or $51,770 per year and more. The statewide range was a bit higher, with the bottom 10 percent of Texas massage therapists making $7.84 per hour and less, and the top 10 percent $26.81 per hour and more.
Comparisons
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Of the 11 regions in Texas for which the bureau provides salary data on massage therapists, Houston ranked ninth. The only lower-paying areas in the state for massage therapy were El Paso at $11.37 per hour and the Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, excluding Dallas, at $13.63 per hour. Texas massage therapists earned the highest average pay in Corpus Christi, at $19.47 per hour. The central nonmetropolitan area of the state had the most similar average salary to Houston for massage therapists, at $15.95 per hour.
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References
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Apply for a New License - Massage Therapist
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Apply for a New License - Examination
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Massage Therapists
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Massage Therapists - Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2009
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: May 2009 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates - Texas
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: May 2009 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates - Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
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