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.
What it pays
Acupuncturists earn a median of $36.56/hr — about $76,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.67/hr; the top 10% earn $77.63/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Acupuncturists earn a median of $36.56/hr — about $76,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.67/hr; the top 10% earn $77.63/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
- Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
- Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
- 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.
- Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
- Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Master's degree. Overall preparation: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 44.1% of acupuncturists are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are people-focused, analytical and hands-on.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a acupuncturist make?
- The median pay is $36.56 per hour — roughly $76,000 a year, with the real range running from about $18.67/hr (10th percentile) to $77.63/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a acupuncturist?
- The typical entry-level education is: Master's degree. Overall preparation level: extensive preparation (Job Zone 5 of 5).
- What does a acupuncturist actually do all day?
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies. Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes. Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.