Therapist salary and education: what each kind of therapist earns and needs.
“Therapist” is a word for several different jobs, not one occupation. Mental health therapists, rehabilitation therapists and massage therapists are counted separately in U.S. government data; here is what each one pays, how many people do it, the education BLS lists to start, and where it is heading.
$59,350
Median annual wage of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, May 2025, 491,930 employed. BLS publishes no figure for “therapists” as a whole.
There is no single BLS occupation or group called “therapist”. Mental health therapists are classified by BLS as counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers and psychologists: in May 2025, substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, the largest of these occupations (491,930 employed), earned a median annual wage of $59,350 in the United States, and marriage and family therapists earned $66,940, according to BLS OEWS. Rehabilitation and treatment therapists, the BLS “Therapists” group that includes physical, occupational and respiratory therapists, earned a group median of $98,040.
Therapists at a glance
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors are the largest occupation on this page, with 491,930 employed in the United States and a median annual wage of $59,350 in May 2025 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Marriage and family therapists earned a median annual wage of $66,940 in May 2025; BLS counts them in its Counselors group (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
The BLS “Therapists” group (physical, occupational, speech, respiratory, radiation, recreational and other therapists) had 816,170 employed and a group median annual wage of $98,040 in May 2025.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Among the occupations on this page, radiation therapists had the highest median annual wage in May 2025: $105,310 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS projects employment of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors to grow 18.4% from 2025 to 2035, the fastest projected change among the occupations on this page.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
Mental health therapists (the meaning most searches have)
Data The people most searches for “therapist” refer to: they provide talk therapy for mental health, relationships and substance use. BLS counts them in four different occupations.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $100,580 | $48.36 | 75,990 | Doctoral or professional degree | +11.7% |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $66,940 | $32.18 | 66,740 | Master's degree | +13.5% |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $60,280 | $28.98 | 132,810 | Master's degree | +10.3% |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $59,350 | $28.53 | 491,930 | Master's degree | +18.4% |
Data No group figure: BLS has no group for these. Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists are in the BLS Counselors group (21-1010), which also includes school, career and rehabilitation counselors; mental health and substance abuse social workers are in the BLS Social Workers group (21-1020); clinical and counseling psychologists are in the BLS Psychologists group (19-3030).
Rehabilitation and treatment therapists
Data Physical, occupational, speech, respiratory, radiation and recreational therapy: the BLS “Therapists” group, shown complete. Art and music therapists are counted in “Therapists, all other”.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiation Therapists | $105,310 | $50.63 | 17,070 | Associate's degree | +2.8% |
| Physical Therapists | $102,760 | $49.40 | 267,330 | Doctoral or professional degree | +11.9% |
| Occupational Therapists | $100,330 | $48.24 | 162,450 | Master's degree | +14.8% |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $97,870 | $47.05 | 183,390 | Master's degree | +16.6% |
| Respiratory Therapists | $82,280 | $39.56 | 139,790 | Associate's degree | +8.5% |
| Therapists, All Other | $77,930 | $37.47 | 22,640 | Bachelor's degree | +12.6% |
| Recreational Therapists | $61,960 | $29.79 | 14,930 | Bachelor's degree | +4.8% |
| Exercise Physiologists | $59,460 | $28.59 | 8,560 | Bachelor's degree | +12.8% |
Data BLS group figure: the Therapists group (29-1120) had a median annual wage of $98,040 and 816,170 employed in May 2025. Every occupation in the group is in the table.
Massage therapists
Data A separate BLS occupation and group (31-9010).
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage Therapists | $58,450 | $28.10 | 98,790 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +15.3% |
Data BLS group figure: the Massage Therapists group (31-9010) had a median annual wage of $58,450 and 98,790 employed in May 2025. Every occupation in the group is in the table.
Therapy assistants
Data Therapy assistants are separate BLS occupations: Physical Therapist Assistants earned a median of $68,380 (112,430 employed; BLS typical entry-level education: an associate's degree); Occupational Therapy Assistants earned a median of $72,300 (51,290 employed; BLS typical entry-level education: an associate's degree).
What education do you need to be a therapist?
Data BLS typical entry-level education by occupation, 2025–35 projections. Typical, not a legal requirement; licensing rules vary by state, so check your state's licensing board.
Mental health therapists
- Master's degreeMarriage and Family Therapists; Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers; Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
- Doctoral or professional degreeClinical and Counseling Psychologists
Rehabilitation and treatment therapists
- Associate's degreeRadiation Therapists; Respiratory Therapists
- Bachelor's degreeTherapists, All Other; Recreational Therapists; Exercise Physiologists
- Master's degreeOccupational Therapists; Speech-Language Pathologists
- Doctoral or professional degreePhysical Therapists
Massage therapists
- Postsecondary nondegree awardMassage Therapists
Therapist vs counselor vs psychologist
Data How the words map to BLS occupations; no job is better.
- Therapist vs counselorIn BLS data, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists are both counted in the Counselors group (median $60,320). “Therapist” and “counselor” are often used for the same work.
- Therapist vs psychologistClinical and counseling psychologists are a separate BLS occupation: median $100,580, and BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education, compared with a master's degree for mental health counselors.
- Therapist vs psychiatristPsychiatrists are physicians, counted with doctors; see the doctor career family.
How this page is built
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS national estimates for May 2025, for each BLS detailed occupation listed. Group figures are printed only where BLS publishes that exact group and every occupation in it is shown (Therapists, 29-1120; Massage Therapists, 31-9010). No combined “therapist” figure is shown because BLS publishes none: the word covers occupations in five different BLS groups. Typical entry-level education and projected change are from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Which occupations count as “therapist” is a TryHired editorial choice based on how people search, listed below.
Which occupations this page counts. Mental health: substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors; marriage and family therapists; mental health and substance abuse social workers; clinical and counseling psychologists. Rehabilitation and treatment: every occupation in the BLS Therapists group. Massage therapists. Not counted: school, career and rehabilitation counselors (see the counselor career family), other social workers, and therapy assistants and aides (listed separately above).
- Pay at a specific clinic, hospital, school district or private practice.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Which kind of therapy suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.