Minimum education
600 hours
Reviewed official sources conflict or include superseded wording; confirm the current detail in the licensing record.
6 sections published
Mississippi State Guide
Massage Therapy in Mississippi
Explore Mississippi massage licensing requirements, insurance considerations, continuing education, workforce data, and official resources, with links to official sources.
Statewide requirements and local rules are identified separately. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
- Regulator
- Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy
- Verified
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Verified
MS · main-state atlas plateMississippi
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
State law states that massage therapists and establishments may not be discriminated against in local business licensing, but generally applicable local business, zoning, health, and safety rules remain.
Renewal
Licenses are valid through May 31 of the second year following issue or renewal.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Continuing education
24 hours
Twelve hours accrue each calendar year within the two-year license cycle.
Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Details worth confirming
1 reviewed licensing detail should be confirmed before applying or renewing in Mississippi. Each is summarised from the licensing record, which keeps the full caution and its official context.
Review needed
Mississippi's current rule and older FAQ show different education totals
The effective February 27, 2026 rule requires 600 total hours, while an April 2024 Board FAQ still says 700. Use the current rule and confirm the live application instructions with the Board.
Detail worth confirming · Education requirement
Entry
Bounded
Examination — Board comprehensive examination; Mississippi State Law Examination
Examination acceptance depends on the reviewed pathway.
Verified
Background check — Every applicant undergoes a fingerprint-based check of the Mississippi and FBI criminal-history databases and pays the Board's incurred screening cost.
From the licensing record
Renewal and continuing education
Verified
Required subjects — Each renewal period includes three hours of Mississippi law, three hours of ethics, three hours of CPR/first aid, and one hour of human trafficking; the balance is approved massage-related study.
From the licensing record
Verified
Documentation — Providers report CE and the licensee submits certificates with electronic renewal and verifies that the Board account is complete.
From the licensing record
Coming from another state
Verified
Endorsement or reciprocity — Reciprocity requires a current out-of-state license, recognized education with requirements similar to Mississippi, and all other current requirements; grandfathering from another state is excluded.
From the licensing record
Scope, title and advertising
Verified
Scope of practice — The Professional Massage Therapy Act and Board rule define regulated soft-tissue massage and permitted adjunctive modalities.
From the licensing record
Verified
Protected titles — A current Board license is required to practice or advertise massage for compensation or use a massage-therapist title.
From the licensing record
Local rules
Verified
Local requirements — State law prohibits discriminatory business-license treatment of therapists and establishments while leaving generally applicable local requirements in place.
From the licensing record
02 · Education
Massage education in Mississippi
Review needed
Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.
See the Mississippi school records and official lists →No individual program record cleared this review. That is not evidence that Mississippi has no massage programs.
Legal entry requirement
600 hours
Review neededReviewed official sources conflict or include superseded wording; confirm the current detail in the licensing record.
Review the detailed licensing pathway →Official starting point
Mississippi Board licensed-school and closure-status list
The Board page identifies licensed schools and clearly marks temporary, closed, discontinued, and nonrenewed statuses. It is official oversight evidence and must not be represented as a comprehensive current program ranking.
Open official resource ↗Before enrolling
School approval is not the same as massage licensure, accreditation, or a guarantee of outcomes.
03 · Insurance
Insurance considerations
Bounded
No statewide practitioner professional-liability mandate was identified. Licensed schools must maintain professional liability insurance covering the facility, personnel, and students.
Limits of this finding
The reviewed sources do not support a universal legal conclusion. General information only—not legal, financial, or coverage advice.
Professional risk context
Separate the legal finding from prudent professional risk management; verify covered modalities, exclusions, defense costs, limits, and policy dates.
Premises, property, employment, cyber, vehicle, and other business exposures are distinct from professional liability and require policy-specific review.
- Mississippi's massage rules require professional liability insurance of licensed schools, not of individual therapists.
- Employers, establishments, landlords and event organizers may set their own insurance requirements.
- Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy Rules and Regulations — effective February 27, 2026 Accessed October 11, 2026
Questions for an insurer
- Does the policy satisfy any state or local requirement that applies to this practice?
- Which modalities, locations, entities, and workers are covered?
- Are defense costs inside or outside the stated limits?
04 · Continuing education
Legal orientation and official starting points
Bounded
Legal CE orientation
24 hours
Twelve hours accrue each calendar year within the two-year license cycle.
VerifiedCompact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Use official starting points to explore continuing-education resources in Mississippi. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on Mississippi's CE and renewal page.
See detailed Mississippi renewal and CE requirements →Compare Mississippi CE and renewal with other states →Official CE starting points
Bounded05 · Workforce
Mississippi workforce outlook
Bounded
BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates 230 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Mississippi; this is not a license count or practitioner census.
Employment
Bounded230
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in Mississippi in May 2025.
- Method
- BLS OEWS state estimate for SOC 31-9011, Massage Therapists, retrieved from the official BLS public data API.
- Limitation
- OEWS estimates wage-and-salary jobs, excludes self-employed workers, and is not a license count or practitioner census.
- Comparability
- Compare only with the same occupation, measure, geography level, and May 2025 OEWS vintage.
- Observed or accessed
- October 6, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 14.9 percent: BLS-published relative standard error for this state employment estimate.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed October 6, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 29, 2026
Compensation
Bounded$19.47/hr
Median hourly wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median hourly wage for massage therapist jobs in Mississippi in May 2025.
- Method
- BLS OEWS state estimate for SOC 31-9011, Massage Therapists, retrieved from the official BLS public data API.
- Limitation
- OEWS estimates wage-and-salary jobs, excludes self-employed workers, and is not a license count or practitioner census.
- Comparability
- Compare only with the same occupation, measure, geography level, and May 2025 OEWS vintage.
- Observed or accessed
- October 6, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 4.3 percent: BLS publishes this relative standard error for the state mean wage; it publishes none for the median.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed October 6, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 29, 2026
$40,490
Median annual wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median annual wage for massage therapist jobs in Mississippi in May 2025.
- Method
- BLS OEWS state estimate for SOC 31-9011, Massage Therapists, retrieved from the official BLS public data API.
- Limitation
- OEWS estimates wage-and-salary jobs, excludes self-employed workers, and is not a license count or practitioner census.
- Comparability
- Compare only with the same occupation, measure, geography level, and May 2025 OEWS vintage.
- Observed or accessed
- October 6, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 4.3 percent: BLS publishes this relative standard error for the state mean wage; it publishes none for the median.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed October 6, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 29, 2026
Growth and openings
Bounded310
Projection base employment
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- Reported 2024 base employment in the state long-term projection.
- Method
- State-submitted long-term occupation projection distributed through the Projections Managing Partnership system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Limitation
- Projection employment coverage differs from OEWS. Published endpoints are rounded, so the reported numeric and percentage changes must not be recomputed from rounded endpoint values.
- Comparability
- Compare only within the same state's 2024–2034 projection series and measure; do not equate projection employment with OEWS employment.
- Observed or accessed
- October 5, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
370
Projected employment
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- Reported 2034 employment in the state long-term projection.
- Method
- State-submitted long-term occupation projection distributed through the Projections Managing Partnership system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Limitation
- Projection employment coverage differs from OEWS. Published endpoints are rounded, so the reported numeric and percentage changes must not be recomputed from rounded endpoint values.
- Comparability
- Compare only within the same state's 2024–2034 projection series and measure; do not equate projection employment with OEWS employment.
- Observed or accessed
- October 5, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
50
Projected numeric change
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- State-reported numeric employment change across the 2024–2034 projection period.
- Method
- State-submitted long-term occupation projection distributed through the Projections Managing Partnership system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Limitation
- Projection employment coverage differs from OEWS. Published endpoints are rounded, so the reported numeric and percentage changes must not be recomputed from rounded endpoint values.
- Comparability
- Compare only within the same state's 2024–2034 projection series and measure; do not equate projection employment with OEWS employment.
- Observed or accessed
- October 5, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
17.3%
Projected percentage change
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- State-reported percentage employment change across the 2024–2034 projection period.
- Method
- State-submitted long-term occupation projection distributed through the Projections Managing Partnership system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Limitation
- Projection employment coverage differs from OEWS. Published endpoints are rounded, so the reported numeric and percentage changes must not be recomputed from rounded endpoint values.
- Comparability
- Compare only within the same state's 2024–2034 projection series and measure; do not equate projection employment with OEWS employment.
- Observed or accessed
- October 5, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
50
Projected annual openings
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- State-reported average annual openings, including growth, exits, and occupational transfers.
- Method
- State-submitted long-term occupation projection distributed through the Projections Managing Partnership system sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Limitation
- Projection employment coverage differs from OEWS. Published endpoints are rounded, so the reported numeric and percentage changes must not be recomputed from rounded endpoint values.
- Comparability
- Compare only within the same state's 2024–2034 projection series and measure; do not equate projection employment with OEWS employment.
- Observed or accessed
- October 5, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
Population universe
OEWS measures wage-and-salary jobs. Projections Central distributes state long-term occupational projections; its base and projected employment universe is not assumed to match OEWS.
Self-employment
BLS OEWS excludes self-employed workers, which is material in massage therapy.
Workforce source set
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed October 6, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 29, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed October 5, 2026
06 · Resources
Official resources
BoundedEvery route leaves MassageData.
A selected official starting set, not a complete source ledger.
07 · Method
How this guide is made
Every field on this page carries a knowledge state, and every state is written as a word before it is drawn as a colour.
- Verified
- We checked the cited source on the stated date and the requirement exists as published. The date is the claim: it says when we looked, not that the rule is permanent.
- Bounded
- We know part of the answer and can say exactly where our knowledge stops. The boundary is stated in words and the fuller source is linked. A bounded finding is the edge of what we know, never an error.
- Review needed
- Published sources disagree, or a source carries superseded wording. Both readings are cited with their retrieval dates and neither is shown as fact until the current rule is confirmed. Review needed never means hidden; it means honestly uncertain.
What this guide does not determine
Local business, zoning, facility, and professional rules may apply in addition to statewide requirements. Confirm current requirements with the responsible authority before acting.
Sources and reviewReview needed
This guide projects 11 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Reviewed October 11, 2026.