For people considering massage school
What massage therapists earn in North Carolina
The median massage therapist in North Carolina earns $60,650 a year, or $29.16 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $31,050 and the highest-paid tenth earn over $96,510. North Carolina’s median is slightly above the national figure of $58,450. Around Lake Norman, where our graduates mostly work, a therapist with a steady client base earns $45,000 to $70,000 a year depending on hours and following, according to Kristy Serdinsky, the school’s owner and director of education, who has employed massage therapists at her Cornelius spa since 2016.
Figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, the most recent release, for massage therapists (occupation 31-9011). They were checked on November 12, 2026. The Lake Norman range comes from Kristy Serdinsky, Owner and Director of Education at NC Massage School and the owner of a Cornelius wellness business that employs more than 30 professionals, including licensed massage therapists. We update this post each spring when the next survey is published.
North Carolina massage therapist pay at a glance
| Therapists employed | 2,460 (employees only; see the note on self-employment below) |
|---|---|
| Median pay | $29.16 an hour, $60,650 a year |
| Mean (average) pay | $32.03 an hour, $66,630 a year |
| 10th percentile | $14.93 an hour, $31,050 a year |
| 25th percentile | $23.13 an hour, $48,100 a year |
| 75th percentile | $40.94 an hour, $85,150 a year |
| 90th percentile | $46.40 an hour, $96,510 a year |
The median is the middle therapist: half earn more, half earn less. The average is pulled up by the top earners, which is why it sits above the median. The spread between the 25th and 75th percentiles, $48,100 to $85,150, is the range most working therapists fall into.
North Carolina, Charlotte and the United States compared
| North Carolina | 2,460 employed. Median $29.16 an hour ($60,650 a year). 90th percentile $96,510. |
|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro | 930 employed. Median $28.33 an hour ($58,930 a year). 90th percentile $96,690. |
| United States | 98,790 employed. Median $28.10 an hour ($58,450 a year). 90th percentile $100,200. |
The Charlotte metro, which includes Cornelius and the Lake Norman towns, has more massage therapist jobs per capita than the country as a whole: 0.68 massage therapists for every 1,000 jobs, against 0.50 statewide, and a location quotient of 1.07 (1.00 is the national average). Charlotte’s median pay is a little below the state median, but its top earners match the state’s.
What therapists around Lake Norman actually earn
Survey figures assume a full-time year and leave out anyone who is self-employed, so we asked someone who signs the paychecks. Kristy Serdinsky owns NC Massage School and has owned a spa in Cornelius since 2016, where she employs more than 30 wellness professionals, including licensed massage therapists. Her answer for the Lake Norman area:
Between $45,000 and $70,000 a year, depending on their hours and their following.
That bracket lines up with the survey once you account for hours. The BLS 25th-to-75th percentile band for North Carolina, $48,100 to $85,150, is what those hourly rates pay over 2,080 hours. Few therapists work that many hands-on hours, so a real year lands lower: the bottom of Kristy’s range is a therapist still building a book or choosing a lighter week, and the top is a therapist with a full schedule and clients who ask for them by name. “Following” is the word to notice. Repeat clients fill the schedule, and the schedule sets the income.
How to read these numbers
Three things about the BLS survey matter before you compare it with what a working therapist tells you.
- It counts employees only. The survey covers people paid a wage or salary by an establishment. It does not cover the self-employed, and many massage therapists run their own practice or rent a room. Their income is not in these figures at all.
- Annual pay assumes full-time hours. BLS multiplies the hourly wage by 2,080 hours, a full-time, year-round schedule. Hands-on bodywork is physical, and many therapists choose to work fewer hours. The hourly figure is the better yardstick; multiply it by the hours you actually plan to work.
- Tips and commissions are included; overtime and benefits are not. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay, including base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips reported by the employer, but excluding overtime, holiday bonuses and the value of health insurance or other benefits.
Where massage therapists work
Nationally, the survey finds massage therapists concentrated in three settings: personal care services such as spas and massage franchises (49,750 therapists), offices of other health practitioners such as chiropractic, physical therapy and integrative clinics (30,840), and hotels and resorts (9,390). A smaller number work in fitness and recreation businesses and in physicians’ offices.
The setting shapes how you are paid. Clinics and spas usually pay an hourly rate or a share of each service, sometimes with a base. Therapists in private practice set their own rates and keep what is left after rent, supplies, insurance and marketing, which is why their income does not appear in the survey and can sit well above or below it.
What moves a therapist’s pay
- A full schedule. The annual figures assume 2,080 hours. For most employed therapists the biggest lever on take-home pay is a consistently booked week, and employers and clients both reward therapists who keep one.
- Clinical skills. Therapists who can work with injuries, chronic pain and post-surgical clients are hired by clinics and physicians’ offices as well as spas. Our diploma program includes a certificate in neuromuscular therapy and a 100-hour clinical internship, and our continuing education courses add specialties such as lymphatic drainage and structural bodywork after licensure.
- Location. Pay and job density vary by metro area. The Charlotte metro has more massage therapist jobs per capita than the national average.
- Owning your practice. Self-employed therapists are outside the survey. Their earnings depend on their rates, their hours and their business costs.
What the training costs against what it pays
Tuition for our 700-hour diploma program is $9,590, which includes a $1,200 deposit. Books are about $650 and there is a $180 technology fee and a $25 application fee. Set against the North Carolina median of $60,650 a year for an employed therapist, the full cost of the program comes to roughly one-sixth of a median year’s pay. Payment plans and third-party financing are on our tuition and financing page.
North Carolina requires 650 hours at a Board-approved school, a passing score on the MBLEx, the Board’s jurisprudence exercise, a background check and the Board’s fees before you can practice. Our guide to how to become a massage therapist in North Carolina covers each step.
Where the jobs are right now
Employers in the Charlotte and Lake Norman area list openings on our massage therapy job board, which is the quickest way to see who is hiring, in which settings, and what they are offering.
Common questions
How much do massage therapists make an hour in North Carolina?
The median is $29.16 an hour (May 2025, BLS). The lowest-paid tenth earn under $14.93 and the highest-paid tenth earn over $46.40 an hour.
How much do massage therapists make around Lake Norman?
Between $45,000 and $70,000 a year depending on hours and following, according to Kristy Serdinsky, owner of NC Massage School and of a Cornelius spa that employs licensed massage therapists. The BLS figure for the Charlotte metro, which includes Lake Norman, is a median of $58,930 at full-time hours.
How much do massage therapists make in Charlotte?
The median in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area is $28.33 an hour, or $58,930 a year at full-time hours. The top tenth earn over $96,690 a year.
Do North Carolina massage therapists earn more than the national average?
Slightly. North Carolina’s median of $60,650 is above the national median of $58,450, and its average of $66,630 is above the national average of $63,830.
Are tips included in these figures?
Yes. BLS counts tips, commissions and production bonuses reported by employers as part of wages. Overtime pay and benefits are not included.
Can I earn a living working part-time?
The annual figures assume a 2,080-hour year. A therapist at the median hourly rate working 25 hours a week for 48 weeks would earn about $35,000. Use the hourly figure and your own planned hours.
Where do these numbers come from?
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey run by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, release for May 2025. It is a survey of employers, published once a year. The sources are linked below.
Sources
- BLS OEWS occupation profile, Massage Therapists (31-9011), May 2025 (national figures and industries)
- BLS OEWS May 2025 state and metropolitan area tables (North Carolina and Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia rows; also available through the BLS public data API, series OEUS370000000000031901113 and OEUM001674000000031901113 for the annual medians)
- BLS OEWS frequently asked questions (what wages include, the 2,080-hour year, who is covered)
Start your training in Cornelius
Our next 700-hour diploma class begins February 8, 2027, on a Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 3 PM schedule. Class sizes are limited.
Already licensed? Browse continuing education courses or the job board.
