Minimum education
500 hours
Statewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
6 sections published
South Dakota State Guide
Massage Therapy in South Dakota
Explore South 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
- South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy
- Verified
- Credential
- Licensed Massage Therapist
- Verified
SD · main-state atlas plateSouth Dakota
Locator · same geometry as the atlas
The state credential does not displace generally applicable local business, zoning, building, or health requirements.
Renewal
Licenses renew annually and share a September 30 expiration date.
Renewal cadence only; deadlines, fees, and mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Continuing education
8 hours
CE is reported in even-numbered years for a two-year cycle while the license itself renews annually.
Compact legal CE orientation only; subjects, documentation, and renewal mechanics are in the state's CE and renewal requirements.
Entry
Bounded
Examination — MBLEx, NCETM, NCETMB, or NBCA examination
Examination acceptance depends on the reviewed pathway.
Verified
Background check — The application requires professional-conduct and criminal-history disclosures, but the reviewed current board materials do not identify routine fingerprinting for every applicant.
From the licensing record
Verified
Additional requirements — Applicants and licensees maintain at least $250,000 in malpractice or professional liability insurance.
From the licensing record
Renewal and continuing education
Verified
Carryover — No carryover authorization was identified; education must fall within the current CE cycle and generally may not be repeated in consecutive cycles.
From the licensing record
Verified
Documentation — Licensees retain proof and submit it every two years, including the 2024–2026 cycle at the 2026 renewal.
From the licensing record
Scope, title and advertising
Verified
Scope of practice — SDCL chapter 36-35 defines massage therapy as systematic mobilization of soft tissues through specified manual and device-assisted methods for therapy, relaxation, or education.
From the licensing record
Verified
Protected titles — A valid South Dakota license is required to practice or hold out as a massage therapist.
From the licensing record
Local rules
Verified
Local requirements — No broad preemption of generally applicable local business, zoning, building, or health requirements was identified.
From the licensing record
02 · Education
Massage education in South Dakota
Bounded
Legal education requirements, official starting points, and selected MassageData program records are distinct.
See the South Dakota school records and official lists →No individual program record cleared this review. That is not evidence that South Dakota has no massage programs.
Legal entry requirement
500 hours
VerifiedStatewide entry-education orientation; pathway details remain in the licensing record.
Review the detailed licensing pathway →Official starting point
South Dakota recognized massage education facilities
The South Dakota board publishes facilities recognized under its rules and explains how other licensed or accredited facilities may qualify. The named list includes historical facilities and is not treated as a verified count of currently operating programs.
Open official resource ↗Before enrolling
School approval is not the same as massage licensure, accreditation, or a guarantee of outcomes.
03 · Insurance
Insurance considerations
Verified
South Dakota law and the current application require at least $250,000 in malpractice or professional liability coverage for licensure.
Limits of this finding
A reviewed authority identifies a legal insurance requirement. 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.
- South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy — Licensing Requirements Accessed July 28, 2026
- South Dakota Board of Massage Therapy — License Application, revised May 1, 2026 Accessed July 28, 2026
- South Dakota Codified Laws Chapter 36-35 — Massage Therapists 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
8 hours
CE is reported in even-numbered years for a two-year cycle while the license itself renews annually.
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 South Dakota. Legal renewal and continuing-education requirements are on South Dakota's CE and renewal page.
See detailed South Dakota renewal and CE requirements →Compare South Dakota CE and renewal with other states →Official CE starting points
Bounded05 · Workforce
South Dakota workforce outlook
Bounded
BLS May 2025 OEWS estimates 180 wage-and-salary massage therapist jobs in South Dakota; this is not a license count or practitioner census.
Employment
Bounded180
Estimated wage-and-salary jobs
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS estimate of massage therapist jobs in South 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
- 28.6 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$25.00/hr
Median hourly wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median hourly wage for massage therapist jobs in South 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
- 6.1 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
$52,000
Median annual wage
Definition, limits, and sources
- Definition
- BLS OEWS median annual wage for massage therapist jobs in South 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
- 6.1 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
Bounded240
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
280
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
40
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
18.6%
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 10 distinct official or first-party source links from the governed records. Reviewed July 28, 2026.