Vocational Index

Career

Chiropractors

Treat problems with the spine and musculoskeletal system.

$79,200
Median pay
+8.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,600
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Perform a series of manual adjustments to the spine or other articulations of the body to correct the musculoskeletal system.
  • Obtain and record patients' medical histories.
  • Diagnose health problems by reviewing patients' health and medical histories, questioning, observing, and examining patients and interpreting x-rays.
  • Evaluate the functioning of the neuromuscularskeletal system and the spine using systems of chiropractic diagnosis.
  • Maintain accurate case histories of patients.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+9.5%2025–35 edition+8.7%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 2,800 → 2,600 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

People & care
5.6
Objects & tools
5.5
Ideas & analysis
4.8
Information & systems
3.5
Persuasion & leadership
2.1
Creation & expression
1.3

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then objects & tools?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Perform a series of manual adjustments to the spine or other articulations of the body to correct the musculoskeletal system.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $79,200 a year and 2,600 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • ChiropracticCIP 51.0101

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.