Acupuncturists: Career Overview
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.
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What Do Acupuncturists Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of acupuncturists include:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful acupuncturists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Acupressure Therapist
- Acupressurist
- Acupuncture Doctor
- Acupuncture Physician
- Acupuncture Provider
- Acupuncturist
- Auricular Acupuncturist
- Auricular Detoxification Specialist
Job Outlook
There are about 3,333,926 acupuncturists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +5.2% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Acupuncturists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $102,425 |
| Hourly median | $49.24 |
| 10th percentile | $56,859 |
| 25th percentile | $79,642 |
| 75th percentile | $125,208 |
| 90th percentile | $147,992 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Acupuncturists Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Florida | $183,530 |
| Michigan | $153,350 |
| Massachusetts | $135,250 |
| Minnesota | $124,640 |
| District of Columbia | $97,080 |
| New York | $93,610 |
| Arizona | $87,780 |
| New Jersey | $86,550 |
| New Mexico | $83,220 |
| New Hampshire | $83,110 |
| Kentucky | $82,220 |
| Texas | $82,170 |
| Alaska | $82,040 |
| Missouri | $80,360 |
| Maryland | $78,080 |
| California | $77,640 |
| Wisconsin | $74,450 |
| Indiana | $73,850 |
| Washington | $73,420 |
| North Carolina | $73,100 |
| Maine | $66,320 |
| Oregon | $63,620 |
| Georgia | $60,440 |
| Idaho | $37,430 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for acupuncturists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $107,678 | 3.2% | 0.96 |
| Plains States | $105,267 | 6.9% | 1.03 |
| Middle Atlantic | $86,550 | 7.8% | 1.54 |
| Far Western US | $74,610 | 70.7% | 2.99 |
| Great Lakes | $74,450 | 1.9% | 0.56 |
| Southeast | $69,482 | 7.5% | 0.79 |
| Rocky Mountains | $37,430 | 1.9% | 1.99 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | FL | $190,060 | |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $135,260 | 60 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | CA | $128,940 | 40 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $126,600 | 130 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $106,710 | 210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $97,360 | |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $97,080 | |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | CA | $96,560 |
Which Industries Hire Acupuncturists
The largest employers of acupuncturists are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 7,450 | $77,780 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 500 | n/a |
| Educational Services | 250 | $63,780 |
Below are examples of industries where acupuncturists work:
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of acupuncturists is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Physical Proximity
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Acupuncturists
Entry-level acupuncturists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Chiropractors (Primary-Short)
- Physical Therapists (Supplemental)
- Nurse Practitioners (Primary-Long)
- Cardiologists (Primary-Short)
- Dermatologists (Supplemental)
- Emergency Medicine Physicians (Primary-Long)
- Family Medicine Physicians (Primary-Long)
- General Internal Medicine Physicians (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Future acupuncturists commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1291.00 (Acupuncturists).
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