TL;DR

About 37,630 chiropractors nationally earn a mean of $128,438. Employment in the series shown fell about 26% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.6% annual decline.

Key Statistics

37,630
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$128,438
Average Salary

Chiropractors: what the data shows

Common questions about chiropractors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a chiropractors?

Chiropractors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1011.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 37,630 workers.

What does a chiropractors do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a chiropractors make?

BLS national median annual wage: $79,000 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $128,438 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$59,494
25th percentile$63,911
Median (50th)$87,392
75th percentile$125,942

What education do you need?

For Chiropractors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Biology. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is chiropractors in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -3.2%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -6.3%.

Current U.S. headcount: 37,630.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do chiropractorss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry37,63016.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only37,60016.9%
Health Care and Social Assistance37,12016.6%
Ambulatory Health Care Services36,91016.6%
Offices of Other Health Practitioners35,76016.0%
Offices of Chiropractors35,15015.8%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Chiropractors in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Chiropractors workforce.

Employment Over Time

37,630 Workforce in 2023

The Chiropractors workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Chiropractors.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$128,438 Average Wage

In 2023, Chiropractors earned an average of $128,438.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chiropractors.

Salary distribution for Chiropractors.

Employment Growth Projections

-0.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

8,459 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -3.2%

8,188 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -6.3%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Chiropractors.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Chiropractors and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Chiropractors employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Chiropractors.

Wage Trends by Industry

-24.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chiropractors.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chiropractors.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • FL: 3,360 employees, $86,450 avg wage
  • TX: 2,860 employees, $101,250 avg wage
  • CA: 2,540 employees, $125,040 avg wage
  • IL: 2,000 employees, $89,940 avg wage
  • PA: 1,950 employees, $80,550 avg wage
  • GA: 1,490 employees, $72,940 avg wage
  • NY: 1,430 employees, $105,510 avg wage
  • WI: 1,290 employees, $88,870 avg wage
  • MI: 1,280 employees, $91,160 avg wage
  • CO: 1,260 employees, $79,810 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Chiropractors.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,420 employees, $85,470 avg wage
  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,210 employees, $123,870 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,120 employees, $150,100 avg wage
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,080 employees, $97,070 avg wage
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,060 employees, $71,630 avg wage
  • Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 1,000 employees, $89,150 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 970 employees, $90,210 avg wage
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 830 employees, $87,740 avg wage
  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 670 employees, $89,060 avg wage
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 660 employees, $108,920 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chiropractors.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chiropractors in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Chiropractors in 2023 was 37,630 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Chiropractors.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Chiropractors.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chiropractors.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Chiropractors in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.

Common majors for Chiropractors.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Chiropractors workers.

Education level distribution for Chiropractors.

Skills

Chiropractors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Writing.

Required skills for Chiropractors.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chiropractors.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Chiropractors include Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Biology, Psychology.

Knowledge areas required for Chiropractors.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Chiropractors include Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression.

Required abilities for Chiropractors.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Chiropractors.

Daily Activities

Chiropractors spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.

Most important work activities for Chiropractors.

About

Chiropractors

The average yearly wage for Chiropractors was $128,438 in 2023.

SOC Code

29-1011 - Chiropractors

Insights and Analysis

High earnings profile: Chiropractors reports an average salary of $128,438, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 37,630 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.