BLS chiropractor pay for employed chiropractors in every state, part-time hours, the pay ladder and take-home after 2026 tax
Employed chiropractors earned a median of $79,200 a year in May 2025, $38.08 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' count of 39,630 chiropractors on payrolls. It is an unusually wide range: under $43,460 for the bottom tenth, over $146,080 for the top tenth. The self-employed — more than a third of chiropractors — are not included.
This is the BLS line for chiropractors (SOC 29-1011) on employers' payrolls — mostly associates in other chiropractors' practices. More than a third of chiropractors are self-employed, and practice owners and partners in unincorporated practices aren't in these figures; the OOH notes that chiropractors tend to earn more as they build a client base and become owners or partners. Take-home assumes a single filer with 2026 federal tax and FICA and no state tax.
| Pay level | Hourly | Annual | Monthly | Take-home a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.90 | $43,460 | $3,622 | $37,100 |
| 25th percentile | $28.88 | $60,070 | $5,006 | $50,446 |
| Median | $38.08 | $79,200 | $6,600 | $64,547 |
| 75th percentile | $50.51 | $105,050 | $8,754 | $82,733 |
| 90th percentile | $70.23 | $146,080 | $12,173 | $111,112 |
New Jersey has the highest median, $134,990, followed by New York ($120,950) and Maine ($107,300). Utah ($53,900) and Kansas ($57,600) are lowest. Florida employs the most chiropractors on payrolls, 3,220, at $84,280; Texas pays $87,520 and California $75,470. BLS released no median for Delaware or Vermont.
| State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $64.90 | $134,990 | 1,370 |
| New York | $58.15 | $120,950 | 1,360 |
| Maine | $51.59 | $107,300 | 250 |
| Washington | $50.03 | $104,070 | 1,130 |
| Alaska | $49.76 | $103,500 | 90 |
| Arizona | $48.20 | $100,260 | 1,050 |
| North Carolina | $44.01 | $91,540 | 1,020 |
| Virginia | $42.32 | $88,030 | 900 |
| Texas | $42.08 | $87,520 | 2,840 |
| Oklahoma | $41.15 | $85,580 | 500 |
| Maryland | $41.02 | $85,330 | 390 |
| Florida | $40.52 | $84,280 | 3,220 |
| Tennessee | $40.38 | $83,990 | 500 |
| West Virginia | $39.98 | $83,160 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $39.91 | $83,020 | 1,210 |
| Rhode Island | $39.35 | $81,840 | 170 |
| Kentucky | $39.30 | $81,740 | 470 |
| Oregon | $39.20 | $81,540 | 610 |
| Alabama | $38.94 | $80,990 | 430 |
| Idaho | $38.83 | $80,770 | 220 |
| Louisiana | $38.59 | $80,280 | 370 |
| Connecticut | $38.25 | $79,560 | 240 |
| Minnesota | $38.23 | $79,510 | 1,160 |
| South Carolina | $38.13 | $79,310 | 680 |
| Mississippi | $37.72 | $78,450 | 130 |
| North Dakota | $37.49 | $77,990 | 360 |
| Indiana | $37.40 | $77,790 | 780 |
| Ohio | $37.36 | $77,710 | 1,380 |
| Arkansas | $36.68 | $76,290 | 320 |
| South Dakota | $36.64 | $76,210 | 260 |
| Montana | $36.60 | $76,120 | 240 |
| Massachusetts | $36.51 | $75,940 | 780 |
| California | $36.28 | $75,470 | 2,760 |
| Iowa | $36.08 | $75,050 | 970 |
| New Mexico | $36.08 | $75,040 | 140 |
| Nevada | $35.67 | $74,190 | 240 |
| Colorado | $35.60 | $74,040 | 1,340 |
| Hawaii | $35.00 | $72,800 | 220 |
| Michigan | $34.24 | $71,220 | 1,270 |
| New Hampshire | $33.65 | $69,990 | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $32.32 | $67,230 | 1,770 |
| Illinois | $32.04 | $66,650 | 2,190 |
| Nebraska | $31.75 | $66,050 | 500 |
| Missouri | $31.29 | $65,090 | 660 |
| Wyoming | $30.12 | $62,640 | 110 |
| Georgia | $29.64 | $61,660 | 1,500 |
| Kansas | $27.69 | $57,600 | 570 |
| Utah | $25.91 | $53,900 | 490 |
Most chiropractors work full time, but part-time work is common, and hours often include evenings or weekends to fit patients' schedules. Chiropractors' offices employ 57% of them and 36% are self-employed, setting their own hours; the work means standing for long periods and lifting or turning patients (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
Whether an employed chiropractor is owed overtime depends on pay and duties: a professional paid a salary of at least $684 a week, whose work requires advanced knowledge from a prolonged course of specialized study, can be exempt (DOL Fact Sheet #17D). An associate paid by the hour is generally owed time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. Owners set their own pay and hours.
Part-time practice is common, and the OOH says earnings vary with hours worked as well as years in practice and region. The table shows a year's pay at the BLS median and 75th percentile hourly wages for employed chiropractors working 20 to 40 hours a week; it can't tell you what an owner earns, because BLS doesn't survey owners.
| Hours a week | At the median | At the 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | $39,603 | $52,530 |
| 24 | $47,524 | $63,036 |
| 30 | $59,405 | $78,796 |
| 32 | $63,365 | $84,049 |
| 36 | $71,286 | $94,555 |
| 40 | $79,206 | $105,061 |
Chiropractors need a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), usually 4 years, entered after at least 3 years of college — most applicants have a bachelor's in biology, kinesiology or a related field. Every state requires a license: an accredited D.C. and a passing exam at minimum, sometimes a background check and a state law (jurisprudence) exam, plus continuing education. Some complete postgraduate diplomate programs in areas such as orthopedics, acupuncture or pediatrics (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook).
More ways to work with your chiropractor pay:
$79,200 a year ($38.08 an hour) at the BLS median for May 2025. The middle half earned $60,070 to $105,050.
New Jersey ($64.90 an hour, $134,990 a year), then New York and Maine; Utah pays least among the 48 states where BLS released a figure (BLS, May 2025).
The OOH says chiropractors tend to earn more as they build a client base and become owners of, or partners in, a practice, but BLS publishes no figure for owners: its wage survey covers employees only. The figures on this page are for employed chiropractors.
Pay depends on years in practice, region and hours worked (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook), and part-time work is common. The 90th percentile salary on this page is more than three times the 10th.
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.