Minimum education
750 hours
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
6 sections published
North Dakota State Guide
Massage Therapy in North Dakota
Explore North Dakota 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
- North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy
- Verified
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Verified
ND · main-state atlas plateNorth Dakota
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
State law regulates practitioners and establishments; generally applicable local business, zoning, building, and health requirements may still apply.
Renewal
Licenses run on a two-year cycle based on the license number: odd-numbered licenses renew in odd years and even-numbered licenses in even years.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Continuing education
24 hours
CE is reported for the two-year license cycle.
Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Entry
Bounded
Examination — MBLEx, NCETM, or NCETMB; North Dakota jurisprudence examination
Examination acceptance depends on the reviewed pathway.
Verified
Background check — Every applicant completes statewide and nationwide criminal-history checks; the board supplies two fingerprint cards and the required form after the application file is complete.
From the licensing record
Verified
Additional requirements — The applicant must be at least 18, meet board education and examination requirements, complete the jurisprudence and criminal-history processes, and practice through a compliant establishment.
From the licensing record
Renewal and continuing education
Verified
Required subjects — The second renewal requires at least 3 ethics hours for the standard 24-hour cohort; at least half of each applicable requirement is classroom hands-on.
From the licensing record
Verified
Carryover — CE credit may not carry into the next renewal period.
From the licensing record
Verified
Documentation — The board conducts random renewal audits; licensees retain their own completion evidence and follow the board's approved-course rules.
From the licensing record
Coming from another state
Verified
Endorsement or reciprocity — Reciprocity is available to an applicant licensed in good standing who practiced at least two of the last three years, completed acceptable education and examination, and passes the required criminal-history review.
From the licensing record
Scope, title and advertising
Verified
Protected titles — Massage therapist, L.M.T., M.T., and similar titles are protected.
From the licensing record
Local rules
Verified
Local requirements — No broad state-law preemption of generally applicable local business, zoning, building, or health rules was identified.
From the licensing record
02 · Education
Massage education in North Dakota
Bounded
Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.
See the North Dakota school records and official lists →No individual program record cleared this review. That is not evidence that North Dakota has no massage programs.
Legal entry requirement
750 hours
VerifiedStatewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
Review the detailed licensing pathway →Official starting point
North Dakota authorized massage education
The North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education publishes authorized private career schools and their programs; the massage board separately publishes schools meeting North Dakota licensure education requirements. The two scopes are preserved rather than collapsed into a 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 practitioner liability-insurance mandate was identified in chapter 43-25, the current application page, or the reviewed establishment guidance.
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.
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-25 — Massage Therapists Accessed July 28, 2026
- North Dakota Board of Massage Therapy — Requirements for Licensure 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
24 hours
CE is reported for 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 North Dakota. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on North Dakota's CE and renewal page.
See detailed North Dakota renewal and CE requirements →Compare North Dakota CE and renewal with other states →05 · Workforce
North Dakota workforce outlook
Bounded
BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates 100 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in North Dakota; this is not a license count or practitioner census.
Employment
Bounded100
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in North Dakota 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
- 38.5 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$35.65/hr
Median hourly wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median hourly wage for massage therapist jobs in North Dakota 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
- 5.9 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
$74,140
Median annual wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median annual wage for massage therapist jobs in North Dakota 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
- 5.9 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
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
- July 28, 2026
- Projections Central — 2024–2034 Long-Term Occupational Projections Accessed July 28, 2026
340
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
30
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
9.1%
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
40
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.