Clinical Massage Growth Trends

The field of massage therapy is growing faster than ever before.

As physical and mental wellness become increasing priorities among the aging U.S. population, more and more people are pursuing the therapeutic benefits of massage therapy. There is a wide array of notable statistics to document this upward trend:

• The American Massage Therapy Association estimates that in 2009, massage therapy was a 16 to 20 billion dollar industry.

• According to the US Department of Labor, employment for massage therapists is expected to increase 20 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations.

• It is estimated that there are 280,000 to 320,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States.
• Between July 2008 and July 2009, roughly 48 million adult Americans had a massage at least once.
• Forty-nine percent of consumers said they have considered a massage to manage stress in the last year, as compared to 38 percent in 2008.
• Of the 48 million adults that received a massage in the last year, eighty-six percent agree that massage can be beneficial to health and wellness.

American Massage Therapy Association 2010 Massage Therapy Statistics. American Massage Therapy Association. Web.

American Massage Therapy Association 2010 Massage Therapy Statistics; U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; Occupational Outlook Handbook.

American Massage Therapy Association 2010 Massage Therapy Statistics; American Massage Therapy Association. 2008 and 2009 AMTA Consumer Surveys.