No matter what work you do or how many times you receive your salary, it is the time when you feel rewarded for the effort you put in, this is why it is said to be hard-earned money. The same goes for every profession. In the medical industry, whether you work under a physician or run your own practice, your salary will depend on many factors and can be variable as the jurisdiction changes. As for chiropractors, the phenomenon of variability remains the same when identifying average income for chiropractor becomes the topic.
The average income for chiropractor
How much do chiropractors make a month?
Well, the answer relies greatly on the level of practice, the geographical location, the service offered, if the services are provided while working for someone or are a sole contractor, and if the practice is owned.
According to the statistics shared by the Bureau of Labor – the average salary of chiropractor in the United States is around $75,000. If you are just starting your career in chiropractic practice, then you must research the common practices offered in your locality and what area of chiropractic care you want to work on.
For instance, states like Connecticut, New York, Nevada, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are assumed to be the home of highly paid chiropractors where the average salary of of chiropractor lies between $97,380 and $1116,340 annually. However, the overheads such as insurance costs, office space, and other expenses can affect the overall pay scale of a chiropractor if they are working privately.
Another factor that affects a chiropractor’s income is the type of setting. Chiropractors make significantly higher incomes when they are associated with a hospital or work at a practitioner’s office rather than working solely or working with someone else’s office.
Plus, chiropractors working solely have the potential of growing their practice revenue as they don’t really have to bear the practitioners and other associated costs. Experts recommend going for practicing in your own practice office as there would be less hassle of divisions of sources and so the required resources.
Comparing healthcare providers’ income with chiropractors
There’s no brainer that medical and health professionals make a whole lot of money by helping others and providing a range of services. If you are into helping others as a healthcare provider or want to be a chiropractor, then you should consider this comparison;
| Career | Median Annual Salary |
| Chiropractors | $75,000 |
| Massage Therapists | $46,910 |
| Physical Therapists | $95,620 |
Chiropractors’ salaries also vary when the geological boundaries change. Here’s how salaries and growth differ with state and location.
Salary of Chiropractor: $75,000
Projected job growth: 10.4%
- 10th Percentile: $37,400
- 25th Percentile: $50,470
- 75th Percentile: $98,760
- 90th Percentile: $128,750
| State | Median Salary | Bottom 10% | Top 10% |
| Alaska | $76,990 | $37,270 | $128,120 |
| Alabama | $75,040 | $37,050 | $132,600 |
| Arkansas | $61,700 | $29,120 | $126,250 |
| Arizona | $60,760 | $46,940 | $100,990 |
| California | $78,380 | $60,580 | $101,650 |
| Colorado | $62,390 | $29,360 | $127,470 |
| Connecticut | $125,150 | $59,910 | $190,440 |
| Delaware | $90,490 | $38,490 | $129,670 |
| Florida | $73,090 | $47,470 | $127,470 |
| Georgia | $61,360 | $18,380 | $83,220 |
| Hawaii | $57,920 | $22,510 | $100,000 |
| Iowa | $49,530 | $18,360 | $98,230 |
| Idaho | $75,470 | $30,430 | $159,500 |
| Illinois | $55,660 | $37,440 | $160,840 |
| Indiana | $77,210 | $43,580 | $125,130 |
| Kansas | $62,030 | $45,950 | $118,970 |
| Kentucky | $61,520 | $37,050 | $104,290 |
| Louisiana | $61,560 | $21,740 | N/A |
| Massachusetts | $99,120 | $47,770 | $161,290 |
| Maryland | $77,810 | $38,380 | $127,870 |
| Maine | $71,110 | $27,940 | $124,780 |
| Michigan | $62,390 | $47,150 | $124,970 |
| Minnesota | $77,970 | $37,530 | $129,670 |
| Missouri | $61,800 | $47,070 | $161,810 |
| Mississippi | $75,970 | $22,890 | $132,060 |
| Montana | $37,620 | $29,350 | $79,360 |
| North Carolina | $62,690 | $38,380 | $150,430 |
| North Dakota | $78,650 | $37,620 | $129,670 |
| Nebraska | $75,380 | $23,710 | $156,460 |
| New Hampshire | $77,500 | $47,570 | $165,960 |
| New Jersey | $95,220 | $61,180 | $205,440 |
| New Mexico | $60,550 | $29,020 | $99,740 |
| Nevada | $61,370 | $23,590 | N/A |
| New York | $77,320 | $60,550 | $161,810 |
| Ohio | $60,860 | $47,540 | $156,550 |
| Oklahoma | $74,820 | $37,050 | $127,470 |
| Oregon | $78,580 | $47,590 | $137,870 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,000 | $37,450 | $119,510 |
| Rhode Island | $78,960 | $47,590 | $152,360 |
| South Carolina | $62,390 | $46,390 | $119,130 |
| South Dakota | $75,000 | $59,480 | $100,810 |
| Tennessee | $60,740 | $37,240 | $118,970 |
| Texas | $76,640 | $47,220 | $127,470 |
| Utah | $45,900 | $24,300 | $155,100 |
| Virginia | $78,270 | $45,470 | $126,530 |
| Vermont | $75,000 | $47,390 | $119,530 |
| Washington | $95,210 | $37,400 | $160,850 |
| Wisconsin | $75,380 | $39,550 | $160,800 |
| West Virginia | $75,960 | $45,480 | $162,480 |
| Wyoming | $98,030 | $47,580 | $160,800 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2021 median salary
What is the demand for a Chiropractic career?
Experts in the field of chiropractic practice have witnessed a significant increase in demand for chiropractic services in the past few years.
A spokesperson from American Chiropractic Association, William Lauretti, DC, FACC, FICC says;
“Interest in chiropractic’s holistic, non-drug approach to health care has increased steadily over the years, backed by a growing body of research studies. We also see important trends such as an aging baby boom generation that seeks to live actively into their golden years and the need for more non-drug pain management options in the wake of the epidemic of opioid overuse.”
The emerging health conditions including headaches and back pain have accumulated a robust increase in demands of chiropractors, especially with the increase of working from home culture, people are facing more health issues compared to the ones working in-house.
A higher need for chiropractors means an increase in the acceptance of chiropractors from insurance companies while offering coverages for multiple chiropractic services and associated issues and treatments that can be acute and chronic.
Related Article: A Roadmap to Becoming a Chiropractic Assistant
Why are Chiropractors hired and what treatment do they perform?
A survey shared by the National Gallup poll, says that over 53% of patients who contact chiropractors suffer from either neck or headache issues seeking care through chiropractic therapies.
These patients are mostly old-age Americans who suffer from musculoskeletal pain more often. However, chiropractors are widely popular in almost all age groups and provide care to even children and babies. Many times, chiropractors’ services are sought after because of a range of issues and pain suffering at the spine. Whereas, the common complaints for seeking chiropractor’s services include sprained ankles, pain after injuries/falls, and headaches. Surprisingly, chiropractors can also help in improving digestive functions and helping release constipation.
The hands-on adjustment offered by a chiropractor includes spinal manipulation that improves overall health and aligns the support for the nervous system. Besides, there’s a range of services that a chiropractor provides, it also depends if the services are offered individually or collectively. As a healthcare practitioner, beyond just spinal adjustments, services offered include muscle work stretching, nutritional advice, exercises, and rehabilitation.
Getting back to where we started identifying average income for chiropractors, you must have gotten an idea about the work ethics and things that you would be doing as a chiropractor. A range of services can be defined depending on the setting. If you are working with some other provider, let’s say an orthopedic and patients need your services after accidents, then working alongside providers at their medical offices can bring opportunities to explore knowing the medical history of patients firsthand.
Chiropractors can work in different settings; some of them work at their own practice office, some alongside a medical healthcare provider, and some provide home services by attending home calls.
Going into private practice? Here’s what to consider
As there are multiple career choices for a chiropractor like working in someone else’s practice, working privately, or as a contractor – every opportunity comes with a range of benefits and disadvantages.
However, when you work independently at your own practice, you know how to handle things that are leading to positive and negative. But things can be different when handling outcomes becomes the responsibility of two.
Experts say that many chiropractors want to work on their own while many associate chiropractors aim to open their private practice. As there’s no harm in opening an independent private practice as it can be a great opportunity to learn private practice which has great rewarding potential. But there will be always another side to consider as well.
It can be challenging for a private chiropractor to start out things on their own. However, here’s a list of things that a private chiropractor will be responsible for;
- Signing a lease
- Finding a location
- Buying equipment
- Securing permits (if needed)
- Paying rents
- Utilities
- Furnishing the space
- Arrangements of resources
- Hiring competitive staff
Once you start your practice, responsibilities that you need to tackle aren’t stopping here. You’ll also need to see;
- Billing clients
- Marketing solutions
- Accounting tasks
- Correspondence with potential clients
- Collaborating with providers
- Managing contractors
- Dealing with employees
- Insurance issues
- And many others on the field.
Apart from an associate who is working under a provider, a contractor and an independent chiropractor don’t really have a specific and constant number of earnings. A month can be profitable and others can be relatively slow. However, independent chiropractors find themselves at peace when they work independently while working on their own terms.
Conclusion
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there would be approximately 12% growth in the next coming years for the chiropractic industry. Therefore, it has never been better to pursue a chiropractic medicine degree.
To become a chiropractor, you need to attend an accredited university where you’ll be trained under a Doctor of chiropractic degree to think like a practitioner. Once you get your degree work under someone to get the knowledge of the industry and work and then, you’ll be able to make informed decisions for yourself such as whether to work as an independent chiropractor.