From 1998 to 2012, according to ABMP
estimates, the massage therapist population
grew 130 percent (from 137,390 to 316,056),
but that steep growth curve has continued
to flatten since then (Chart A). This trend
lines up with ABMP research into massage
schools and graduates (www.abmp.com/
updates/blog-posts/number-massage-
program-graduates-continues-decline),
which have declined from a peak in 2008.
The overall population estimate does not exclude the
estimated thousands of massage therapists that remain
licensed but are not in practice, so the number of practicing
massage therapists is certainly lower than our overall
number of licensed therapists. That said, it is difficult
to find a statistically meaningful measure to estimate
that difference. One man's guess? Perhaps as many as 20
percent of the 334,219 aren't actively practicing, resulting
in somewhere around 267,000 active practitioners.
A natural follow-up question: If the number of massage
therapists is relatively flat, what about demand for massage?
ABMP's biennial consumer research survey into massage
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 81
By Les Sweeney, ABMP President
