Massage Therapists vs Medical Assistants: $58K vs $46K Median Pay

Massage Therapists vs Medical Assistants: what changes?

Consider Massage Therapists if you want to perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. Consider Medical Assistants if you would rather perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician. Both list postsecondary nondegree award; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Massage Therapists and Medical Assistants. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Massage Therapists

National median pay (2025): $58,450
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 20,400

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Massage Therapists brief

Medical Assistants

National median pay (2025): $45,690
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Interview patients to obtain medical information and measure their vital signs, weight, and height.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 109,700

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Medical Assistants brief

How the national numbers differ

Massage Therapists has the edge on median pay

Massage Therapists is at $58,450, compared with $45,690 for Medical Assistants.

Medical Assistants has the edge on annual openings

Medical Assistants is at 109,700 annual openings, compared with 20,400 annual openings for Massage Therapists.

Massage Therapists has the edge on projected growth

Massage Therapists is at 15.3% projected growth, compared with 12.9% projected growth for Medical Assistants.

68.3/ 100

Massage Therapists

65.6/ 100

Medical Assistants

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Massage Therapists vs Medical Assistants

Dimension	Massage Therapists	Medical Assistants
Median pay (2025)	$58,450	$45,690
Pay percentile	44.7 percentile	19.1 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	15.3%	12.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	20,400	109,700
2025 employment	155,400	833,900
How you qualify	Postsecondary nondegree award	Postsecondary nondegree award
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Massage Therapists brief Read Medical Assistants brief

Massage Therapists vs Medical Assistants: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Massage Therapists

Medical Assistants

How the national numbers differ

Massage Therapists has the edge on median pay

Medical Assistants has the edge on annual openings

Massage Therapists has the edge on projected growth

Massage Therapists vs Medical Assistants

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