Acupuncturists earn a median of $76,040 per year ($36.56/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 8.6% through 2035, with about 800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
- SOC 29-1291
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Acupuncturist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $76,040a year, or $36.56/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $39KTop 10% $161K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +8.6%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+8.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +8.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 80014,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202514.8K
- Projected 203516K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 14.8K Projected 2035 16K - Typical education
- Master'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Certificate7.1%
- Bachelor's3.6%
- Master's67.9%
- Professional degree7.1%
- Doctorate14.3%
Highest education held by acupuncturists Segment Value Certificate 7.1% Bachelor's 3.6% Master's 67.9% Professional degree 7.1% Doctorate 14.3%
Also advertised as: Acupuncture Doctor, Acupuncture Physician, Acupuncture Provider, Acupuncturist, Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD), Chinese Medicine Doctor.
Pay
How much do Acupuncturists make?
Every acupuncturist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$76,040
Middle half earn $55,380 to $102,280
- 10th
- $38,830
- 25th
- $55,380
- 75th
- $102,280
- 90th
- $161,470
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $38,830 |
| 25th | $55,380 |
| Median | $76,040 |
| 75th | $102,280 |
| 90th | $161,470 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $76,040
- Median hourly wage
- $36.56/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $87,020
- People employed
- 7,830
Versus all US occupations
At $76,040, Acupuncturists earn 49% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $25,060 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 26% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $161,470 or more while the bottom 10% earn $38,830, a gap of 4.2×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 51% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Tennessee pays the most at $141,430, and still leads at $153,946 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Acupuncturists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tennessee | $141,430 | $153,946 | N/A |
| 2New Jersey | $125,260 | $115,123 | 240 |
| 3Indiana | $120,490 | $129,102 | 30 |
| 4Maryland | $101,650 | $96,847 | N/A |
| 5Massachusetts | $93,360 | $88,278 | N/A |
| 6Missouri | $89,000 | $97,999 | N/A |
| 7New York | $86,120 | $79,799 | 1,160 |
| 8Arizona | $85,300 | $84,726 | 70 |
| 9Kentucky | $85,130 | $94,422 | 60 |
| 10Wisconsin | $84,820 | $90,143 | 170 |
Job outlook
Is Acupuncturist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +8.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Acupuncturists | +8.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Acupuncturists to change 8.6% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.5× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 1,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 800 openings are projected each year, 5.4% of the 14,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Acupuncturist
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as acupuncturists.
- Master's Degree67.9%
- Doctoral Degree14.3%
- Post-Secondary Certificate7.1%
- First Professional Degree7.1%
- Bachelor's Degree3.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | 67.9% |
| Doctoral Degree | 14.3% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 7.1% |
| First Professional Degree | 7.1% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 3.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Acupuncturist do?
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.
Day-to-day tasks
- Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
- Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
- Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
- Identify correct anatomical and proportional point locations based on patients' anatomy and positions, contraindications, and precautions related to treatments, such as intradermal needles, moxibustion, electricity, guasha, or bleeding.
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
- Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
- Evaluate treatment outcomes and recommend new or altered treatments as necessary to further promote, restore, or maintain health.
- Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Speaking3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Monitoring3.3
- Writing3.1
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies2.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.6 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.8
- Service Orientation3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Time Management3.0
- Systems Analysis2.9
- Systems Evaluation2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 2.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Acupuncturist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Acupuncturist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 6 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Social5.7
- Investigative5.5
- Realistic4.8
- Conventional3.1
- Artistic2.1
- Enterprising1.6
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Acupuncturist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician
$265,930median a year
Most earn $69K to $452K
+3.4%Doctorate
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with acupuncturists highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Acupuncturist$76,040
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Acupuncturist | $76,040 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Acupuncturist appears on
Questions
Acupuncturist: frequently asked questions
How much do Acupuncturists make?
Acupuncturists earn a median of $76,040 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 49% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $36.56/hr. The middle half earn between $55,380 and $102,280. The top 10% earn $161,470 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Acupuncturist?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Acupuncturists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 67.9% hold master's degree.
Is Acupuncturist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 8.6% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Acupuncturist do?
Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. A core O*NET task: maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Acupuncturists the most?
The highest state medians for Acupuncturists are Tennessee ($141,430), New Jersey ($125,260), Indiana ($120,490) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Acupuncturist?
O*NET scores Acupuncturists highest on the Social, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ISFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.