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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $78,140 in the US and is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Master's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.30 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include pathologies treated by acupuncture, complementary and alternative medicine, biomedicine, health care legislation, traditional Chinese medicine.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £42,079 a year for Other health professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £34,346 to £49,077 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2259). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure for this career: it falls in more than one occupation group, and the Government of India's labour survey (PLFS) publishes pay only by occupation group.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Biology
- English Language
- Administrative
- Therapy and Counseling
- Administration and Management
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Acupuncturists do?
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.
How much does Acupuncturists earn?
The median annual salary for Acupuncturists in the US is $78,140.
What is the job outlook for Acupuncturists?
The role is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 15,300 workers.
How do I become a acupuncturists?
The typical entry education is a Master's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Acupuncturists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include pathologies treated by acupuncture, complementary and alternative medicine, biomedicine, health care legislation, traditional Chinese medicine, human physiology. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Acupuncturists?
Our AI-durability model gives Acupuncturists a score of 0.30 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Acupuncturists has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.