Minimum education
1000 hours
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
6 sections published
Nebraska State Guide
Massage Therapy in Nebraska
Explore Nebraska 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
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
- Verified
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Verified
NE · main-state atlas plateNebraska
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
01 · Licensing
State massage therapist and establishment licenses required
VerifiedOpen the full record →
State licensure does not displace generally applicable local zoning, occupancy, fire, or business requirements.
Renewal
Massage therapist licenses expire November 1 of each odd-numbered year.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Continuing education
16 hours
The 16-hour requirement applies to the biennial renewal period.
Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Entry
Verified
Examination — MBLEx; Nebraska jurisprudence examination
Required examination categories from the canonical licensing record.
Renewal and continuing education
Verified
Required subjects — At least 8 hours must be hands-on massage technique; current rules also define acceptable professional subject matter.
From the licensing record
Verified
Carryover — Reinstatement hours may also count for the renewal at the end of that renewal period; no broader carryover rule was identified.
From the licensing record
Verified
Documentation — Licensees retain and provide completion evidence under the current renewal and audit process; DHHS does not preapprove individual CE programs.
From the licensing record
Scope, title and advertising
Verified
Scope of practice — Nebraska defines massage therapy as physical, mechanical, or electrical manipulation of soft tissue for specified therapeutic purposes; reflexology is included.
From the licensing record
Verified
Protected titles — A person may not practice massage therapy without the Nebraska credential.
From the licensing record
Local rules
Verified
Local requirements — No broad preemption of generally applicable local business, zoning, fire, or occupancy rules was identified.
From the licensing record
02 · Education
Massage education in Nebraska
Bounded
Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.
See the Nebraska school records and official lists →No individual program record cleared this review. That is not evidence that Nebraska has no massage programs.
Legal entry requirement
1000 hours
VerifiedStatewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
Review the detailed licensing pathway →Official starting point
Nebraska massage therapy school and establishment credential lookup
Nebraska's official credential lookup includes Massage Therapy School as a searchable credential type. It supports current credential verification but is not stored as a fixed school count.
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 general individual practitioner liability-insurance mandate was identified. Nebraska separately requires vehicle liability insurance for a mobile massage establishment and may impose establishment-specific requirements.
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.
- Do not infer a legal insurance mandate from common professional practice.
- Recheck the linked licensing record and the intended practice address.
- Nebraska Massage Therapy Practice Act, Sections 38-1701 through 38-1725 Accessed July 28, 2026
- Nebraska Massage Therapy Establishment Application Accessed July 28, 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
16 hours
The 16-hour requirement applies to the biennial renewal period.
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 Nebraska. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on Nebraska's CE and renewal page.
See detailed Nebraska renewal and CE requirements →Compare Nebraska CE and renewal with other states →Official CE starting points
Bounded05 · Workforce
Nebraska workforce outlook
Bounded
BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates 270 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in Nebraska; this is not a license count or practitioner census.
Employment
Bounded270
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in Nebraska 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
- July 28, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 25.2 percent: BLS-published relative standard error for this state occupation estimate or wage series.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed July 28, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 28, 2026
Compensation
Bounded$25.94/hr
Median hourly wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median hourly wage for massage therapist jobs in Nebraska 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
- July 28, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 5.8 percent: BLS-published relative standard error for this state occupation estimate or wage series.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed July 28, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 28, 2026
$53,950
Median annual wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median annual wage for massage therapist jobs in Nebraska 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
- July 28, 2026
- Uncertainty
- 5.8 percent: BLS-published relative standard error for this state occupation estimate or wage series.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API — May 2025 OEWS State Series Accessed July 28, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 28, 2026
Growth and openings
Bounded600
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 2026
680
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 2026
80
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 2026
13.4%
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 2026
90
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 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 July 28, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025 Methodology Accessed July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 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.
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 reviewBounded
This guide projects 16 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Reviewed July 28, 2026.