Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
29-1291 Acupuncturists
Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies. Excludes “Chiropractors” (29-1011).
National estimates for Acupuncturists
Industry profile for Acupuncturists
Geographic profile for Acupuncturists
National estimates for Acupuncturists:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Acupuncturists:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 7,250 |
12.7 % |
$ 34.51 |
$ 71,770 |
6.0 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Acupuncturists:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.22 |
$ 18.27 |
$ 29.12 |
$ 47.33 |
$ 60.79 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 29,580 |
$ 38,000 |
$ 60,570 |
$ 98,440 |
$ 126,440 |
Industry profile for Acupuncturists:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Acupuncturists are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Acupuncturists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Acupuncturists:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Acupuncturists:
Top paying industries for Acupuncturists:
Geographic profile for Acupuncturists:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Acupuncturists are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Acupuncturists, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Acupuncturists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
2,130 |
0.13 |
2.51 |
$ 36.63 |
$ 76,180 |
| New York |
960 |
0.11 |
2.15 |
$ 40.52 |
$ 84,270 |
| New Jersey |
550 |
0.14 |
2.77 |
$ 43.95 |
$ 91,410 |
| Colorado |
520 |
0.20 |
3.89 |
$ 24.83 |
$ 51,650 |
| Washington |
470 |
0.15 |
2.85 |
$ 26.59 |
$ 55,300 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Acupuncturists:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
170 |
0.30 |
5.85 |
$ 33.13 |
$ 68,920 |
| Colorado |
520 |
0.20 |
3.89 |
$ 24.83 |
$ 51,650 |
| Oregon |
290 |
0.16 |
3.13 |
$ 29.62 |
$ 61,600 |
| Washington |
470 |
0.15 |
2.85 |
$ 26.59 |
$ 55,300 |
| New Jersey |
550 |
0.14 |
2.77 |
$ 43.95 |
$ 91,410 |
Top paying states for Acupuncturists:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Acupuncturists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,360 |
0.16 |
3.05 |
$ 42.65 |
$ 88,720 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
560 |
0.25 |
4.81 |
$ 41.51 |
$ 86,340 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
360 |
0.19 |
3.61 |
$ 26.65 |
$ 55,430 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
280 |
0.19 |
3.77 |
$ 23.66 |
$ 49,210 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
270 |
0.26 |
4.96 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,040 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
200 |
0.08 |
1.47 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
160 |
0.40 |
7.78 |
$ 33.21 |
$ 69,080 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
130 |
0.14 |
2.66 |
$ 37.66 |
$ 78,330 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI |
110 |
0.14 |
2.65 |
$ 25.65 |
$ 53,340 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
70 |
0.02 |
0.46 |
$ 43.71 |
$ 90,920 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Acupuncturists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
160 |
0.40 |
7.78 |
$ 33.21 |
$ 69,080 |
| Fort Collins, CO |
50 |
0.34 |
6.58 |
$ 23.00 |
$ 47,850 |
| Boulder, CO |
60 |
0.32 |
6.15 |
$ 30.73 |
$ 63,920 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
270 |
0.26 |
4.96 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
560 |
0.25 |
4.81 |
$ 41.51 |
$ 86,340 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
280 |
0.19 |
3.77 |
$ 23.66 |
$ 49,210 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
360 |
0.19 |
3.61 |
$ 26.65 |
$ 55,430 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,360 |
0.16 |
3.05 |
$ 42.65 |
$ 88,720 |
| Boise City, ID |
50 |
0.15 |
2.96 |
$ 21.16 |
$ 44,010 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
130 |
0.14 |
2.66 |
$ 37.66 |
$ 78,330 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Acupuncturists:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
70 |
0.02 |
0.46 |
$ 43.71 |
$ 90,920 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
1,360 |
0.16 |
3.05 |
$ 42.65 |
$ 88,720 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
560 |
0.25 |
4.81 |
$ 41.51 |
$ 86,340 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 40.10 |
$ 83,410 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
130 |
0.14 |
2.66 |
$ 37.66 |
$ 78,330 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
270 |
0.26 |
4.96 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,040 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 37.23 |
$ 77,440 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 34.32 |
$ 71,390 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
160 |
0.40 |
7.78 |
$ 33.21 |
$ 69,080 |
| Boulder, CO |
60 |
0.32 |
6.15 |
$ 30.73 |
$ 63,920 |
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
