Chiropractors complete three to four years of specialized training and education before being licensed.
Chiropractic is an alternative-medicine profession that treats problems of the human musculoskeletal system. These problems usually manifest themselves in symptoms such as back and neck pain, nerve problems, numbness and general health maladies. Popularized in the 1890s by grocer and self-professed magnetic healer Daniel David Palmer, chiropractic generally treats "subluxations," or misalignment of spinal vertebrae, although among current practitioners there are two schools of thought and practice - "straights" and "mixers," who disagree about the roles that factors other than misaligned bones, such as hormones and germs, play in health problems.
Education/Training
Nearly a century of animosity between chiropractors and traditional medical doctors has largely been put to rest, with MDs and DOs generally adhering to an opinion issued by the American Medical Association in a 1992 report that stated, "It is ethical for a physician to associate professionally with chiropractors provided that the physician believes that such association is in the best interests of his or her patient." Aspiring chiropractors must complete an undergraduate degree before applying to one of 18 U.S. chiropractic schools (April 2011 figures). Some schools allow simultaneous undergraduate/chiropractic educations. A total of four years of chiropractic training is required to be recognized as a DC, or doctor of chiropractic, by the American Chiropractic Association. State licensing also is required.
National Average Salary
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median salary for chiropractors in 2009 was $67,650, with the top 10th percentile salary being $150,570. The mean, or average, salary was $80,390. Salary.com's survey lists a median chiropractor salary nearly double that of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey - $129,119.
Experience
According to PayScale, chiropractors with more than 20 years' experience earn $50,629 to $118,783 a year, based on salaries in the 25th to 75th percentiles. Those with 10 to 19 years in practice made $49,007 to $100,004 annually, while chiropractors with five to nine years on the job made $44,276 to $76,629 a year. Chiropractors with one to four years experience earned $39,165 to $61,220 per year and those with less than a year experience earned a salary in the range of $37,348 to $59,322.
Geography
The Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, South Carolina, area is the highest-paying metropolitan area in the United States for chiropractors, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with an average salary of $138,320. Charlotte is about 40 miles, and Gastonia less than 30 miles, from Spartanburg, where the Sherman College of Chiropractic is located. The Cincinnati area pays an average salary of $129,670 and Indianapolis has an average salary of $128,150 for chiropractors. Chattanooga, Tennessee, provides a mean pay rate of $122,630 per year. Salary.com figures are somewhat in conflict with the Bureau of Labor Statistics salaries, placing the New York City's median wage for chiropractors at $153,256 a year. The median salary for Dallas is $128,731, with a top 10th percentile salary of $221,836. Los Angeles, home to the Cleveland Chiropractic College and the Southern California University of Health Sciences chiropractic school in Whittier, California, pays a median salary of $141,772.
Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were 49,100 chiropractors in the United States in 2008 and projects 58,700 practitioners by 2018. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also forecasts job growth of 20 percent for chiropractors through 2018, which is much more rapid than the job-growth rate for all occupations. The use of chiropractors by children, seniors and adults is increasing, although lack of full health coverage for chiropractic treatment impacts the alternative-method option for some people. Multidiscipline practices, in which chiropractors share patients with medical doctors, physical therapists and other health professionals, are expected to grow at a fast clip.
Tags: Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, Labor Statistics, average salary, four years, median salary, 10th percentile