What is Occupational Licensing?
An “occupational license” is, put simply, government permission to work in a particular field. To earn the license, an aspiring worker must clear various hurdles, such as earning a certain amount of education or training or passing an exam. In the 1950s, only one in 20 U.S. workers needed the government’s permission to pursue their chosen occupation. Today, that figure stands at almost one in four.
Massage Therapist Occupational Licensing
License required in 45 states
59th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
Average Fee for License:$369
What They Do
Massage therapists perform therapeutic massages of soft tissue and joints. They may also assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength or propose client therapy plans.
Massage Therapist Licensing Overview
Forty-five states (more than half of states) require a licence to work as a Massage Therapist. On average, these laws require $369 in fees, 141 days of education and about 1 exam. Massage Therapist Licenses have the 59th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied.
Where is a Massage Therapist the most regulated?
Out of the 45 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Massage Therapist has the highest burden in Maryland. Maryland requires $745 in fees, 2 exams, no experience, and 60 credit hours & 600 clock hours education.
Where is a Massage Therapist the least regulated?
Out of the 45 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Massage Therapist has the lowest burden in Vermont. Vermont requires $75 in fees, no exams, no experience, and no education.
Where is a Massage Therapist license the most expensive?
An occupational license for a Massage Therapist costs the most in Alaska, Maryland where the license costs $745.
Where is a Massage Therapist license the least expensive?
An occupational license for a Massage Therapist costs the least in Vermont. Vermont requires $75 in fees, no exams, no experience, and no education.
Where does it take the longest to obtain a Massage Therapist license?
An occupational license for a Massage Therapist takes the longest to obtain in Maryland. It takes 560 days (1 years and 15 days). Maryland requires $745 in fees, 2 exams, no experience, and 60 credit hours & 600 clock hours education.
Where is it fastest to obtain a Massage Therapist license?
An occupational license for a Massage Therapist takes the least time to obtain in Maine, Vermont (0 days).
What states require exams for a Massage Therapist license?
To obtain an occupational license for a Massage Therapist there is at least one exam required in: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia. Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin require 2 exams.
Forty-four states require a license to work as a massage therapist. On average, these laws require $372 in fees, 142 days in education and around one exam—the 59th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because most states license massage therapists, the occupation ranks as the 22nd most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements are largely consistent across many states. Twenty-four states require 500 hours (about 117 days) of education, 34 states require one exam and 35 states set a minimum age of 18 years. However, there are some outliers. For example, Maine requires no education or experience, while Maryland requires over one and a half years (about 560 days, or 600 hours of massage therapy school and 60 hours of college credit). Fees also vary widely, from $140 in Hawaii to $805 in Alaska.
States Ranked by Average Licensing Burden for 102 Lower-Income Occupations
More Burdensome Less Burdensome
Based on data released in November 2022| Burden Rank | State | Occupations Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Alaska | 64 | $745 | 146 | 627 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 15 | Alabama | 63 | $345 | 152 | 650 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 72 | $375 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 24 | Arizona | 68 | $412 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 41 | Colorado | 34 | $395 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 65 | $575 | 186 | 750 clock hours | 60 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | 61 | $457 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 37 | Delaware | 42 | $344 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 36 | Florida | 55 | $350 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 29 | Georgia | 41 | $320 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 23 | Hawaii | 64 | $245 | 133 | 570 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 42 | Iowa | 71 | $315 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Idaho | 66 | $310 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 17 | Illinois | 41 | $370 | 140 | 600 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 38 | $370 | 140 | 600 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 40 | Louisiana | 77 | $431 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 50 | $345 | 152 | 650 clock hours | None | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 1 | Maryland | 58 | $745 | 560 | 60 credit hours & 600 clock hours | None | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 44 | Maine | 46 | $256 | 0 | None | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 34 | Michigan | 48 | $298 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 35 | Missouri | 33 | $363 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Mississippi | 65 | $445 | 163 | 700 clock hours | None | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 28 | Montana | 32 | $335 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 26 | North Carolina | 66 | $345 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | North Dakota | 65 | $345 | 175 | 750 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 61 | $305 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 37 | $305 | 175 | 750 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 43 | New Jersey | 54 | $195 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | New Mexico | 66 | $275 | 152 | 650 clock hours | None | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 20 | Nevada | 75 | $675 | 128 | 550 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 | New York | 41 | $303 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 4 | Ohio | 40 | $391 | 175 | 750 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 14 | Oregon | 69 | $336 | 146 | 625 clock hours | None | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 50 | $295 | 140 | 600 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 70 | $295 | 152 | 650 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 60 | $345 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 25 | South Dakota | 32 | $360 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 32 | Tennessee | 69 | $510 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 31 | Texas | 38 | $295 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 21 | Utah | 64 | $255 | 140 | 600 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 38 | Virginia | 72 | $335 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 45 | Vermont | 31 | $75 | 0 | None | None | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Washington | 76 | $421 | 146 | 625 clock hours | None | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 42 | $270 | 140 | 600 clock hours | None | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 67 | $545 | 117 | 500 clock hours | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
License to Work
The data and information here come from IJ’s License to Work report, released in November 2022.
View Report