# Marriage and Family Therapists

US SOC code 21-1013. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/21-1013

Also called: MFT, LMFT, Licensed marriage and family therapist, Marriage therapist, Family therapist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **66,740** US marriage and family therapists, with median pay of **$66,940** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/About_AAMFT/About_AAMFT.aspx) of **9,000** from 1982, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for marriage and family therapists: Online couples assessment platforms, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 13.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1013&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **27.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Marriage and Family Therapists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1932
- Latest US employment: 66,740 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $66,940 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: +13.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1982 | 9,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., AAMFT organizational history [1] |
| 1990 | 18,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics [2] |
| 2000 | 25,000 (estimate) | $33,000 (estimate) | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics [2] |
| 2003 | 22,150 | $36,830 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 20,710 | $38,980 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 18,500 | $42,300 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 21,330 | $43,210 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 23,340 | $43,600 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 24,520 | $44,590 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 26,450 | $46,920 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 33,050 | $45,720 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 33,990 | $46,240 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 34,270 | $46,670 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 29,060 | $48,160 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 30,150 | $48,040 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 32,070 | $48,600 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 36,960 | $49,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 42,880 | $48,790 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 48,520 | $50,090 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 59,050 | $49,610 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 60,850 | $51,340 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 54,800 | $49,880 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 62,080 | $56,570 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 63,340 | $58,510 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 65,870 | $63,780 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 66,740 | $66,940 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [AAMFT organizational history: membership grew from 237 (1960) to 9,000 (1982) to 25,000+ (2015), cited in multiple AAMFT institutional sources](https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/About_AAMFT/About_AAMFT.aspx), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
2. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook historical editions -- marriage and family therapists described as growing profession in early 1990s OOH; state licensure expansion documented across roughly 35 states by 1990](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/marriage-and-family-therapists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2002-03 -- Marriage and Family Therapists wage ranges (approximated median ~$33,000)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/marriage-and-family-therapists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [PBS American Experience -- "The Surprising History of Marriage Counseling": Paul Popenoe, Emily Mudd, and the origins of secular, office-based couple counseling](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eugenics-surprising-history-of-marriage-counseling/), PBS American Experience
8. [Wikipedia -- Bateson Project (1953-1963): Gregory Bateson, Don Jackson, Jay Haley, John Weakland; introduction of cybernetics and systems theory into psychotherapy; double-bind theory 1956; founding of MRI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateson_Project), Wikipedia / sourced from Bateson Project historical records
9. [Wikipedia -- Family therapy: founding of Mental Research Institute (MRI) by Don Jackson in Palo Alto; Virginia Satir and Paul Watzlawick joining MRI; origin of one-way mirror supervision in family therapy training](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_therapy), Wikipedia
10. [Wikipedia -- John Gottman: University of Washington "Love Lab" research using video and physiological measurement; development of predictors of divorce (Four Horsemen); Sound Relationship House framework](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), Wikipedia
11. [Prepare/Enrich official site -- #1 premarital and marriage assessment for 45+ years; 1,200+ published validity studies; FACES framework covering communication, conflict resolution, finances, parenting, sexuality; in use since 1980](https://www.prepare-enrich.com/), Prepare/Enrich
12. [Blueprint Companion / SimplePractice -- SimplePractice platform: 250,000+ practitioners; AI progress notes (Blueprint); couples-specific session types and dual-client billing (CPT 90847) supported](https://blueprintcounseling.com/), Blueprint / SimplePractice
13. [Gottman Institute -- Gottman Relationship Checkup: used by 35,000+ clinicians worldwide; auto-scores Sound Relationship House constructs; generates science-based clinical recommendations; 300+ peer-reviewed studies; 100,000+ Gottman-trained mental health professionals](https://www.gottman.com/professionals/), Gottman Institute
14. [Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (JMFT) 2021 -- "Couple teletherapy in the era of COVID-19": 74% of couple therapists planned to continue teletherapy post-pandemic; findings on rapid adoption during lockdown](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8250910/), Wiley / Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
15. [Eleos Health product pages 2024-2025 -- AI ambient documentation: 70% reduction in documentation time; HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 certified; supports individual, group, and family session note generation; deployed at 150+ behavioral health organizations](https://eleos.health/), Eleos Health

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 21-1013 Marriage and family therapists (2025: 76.3 thousand; 2035: 86.6 thousand; +13.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1013&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 21-1013.00, human-rated β 0.278)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

18. [AAMFT organizational history: founded 1942 as AAMC; multidisciplinary founding cohort; 237 members by 1960](https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/About_AAMFT/About_AAMFT.aspx), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
19. [Wikipedia -- Bateson Project (1953-1963): double-bind theory 1956; MRI founding by Don Jackson 1959; cybernetics and systems theory applied to psychotherapy and family interaction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bateson_Project), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia -- Family therapy: Ackerman and Jackson co-founding Family Process journal in 1961; first peer-reviewed publication in the field](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_therapy), Wikipedia
21. [California Board of Behavioral Sciences -- LMFT license established 1963; originally titled Marriage, Family and Child Counselor (MFCC); renamed LMFT in 1999; first state MFT licensure law in the United States](https://bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lmft.html), California Board of Behavioral Sciences
22. [Wikipedia -- Sue Johnson: development of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in the 1980s with Les Greenberg; grounding couples therapy in adult attachment theory; 30+ RCTs demonstrating efficacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Johnson), Wikipedia
23. [ASPE / HHS -- Affordable Care Act expands mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections for 62 million Americans; MHPAEA 2008 background and ACA 2014 expansion](https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/affordable-care-act-expands-mental-health-substance-use-disorder-benefits-federal-parity-protections-0), US Department of Health and Human Services / ASPE
24. [PMC / JMFT 2021 -- "Couple teletherapy in the era of COVID-19": rapid adoption of teletherapy for couples sessions; 74% of couple therapists plan to continue post-pandemic; training program conversion to teletherapy](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8250910/), Wiley / Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
25. [JMFT / AAMFT -- "Artificial Intelligence in Couple and Family Therapy: Introduction of the AI Competencies" (2025/2026): first AI competency framework for MFT-specific relational ethics, person-centered care, and systemic practice](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17520606), Journal of Marital and Family Therapy / AAMFT

### Predecessors & successors

26. [PBS American Experience -- "The Surprising History of Marriage Counseling": Emily Mudd, Paul Popenoe, and the informal marriage counselor profession before any state licensure](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eugenics-surprising-history-of-marriage-counseling/), PBS American Experience
27. [Wikipedia -- Family therapy: early family therapy movement included clinical social workers who shifted from individual casework to family systems approaches in the 1960s-1970s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_therapy), Wikipedia
28. [O\*NET 21-1013.00 -- pivot to 19-3033.00 Clinical Psychologists: doctoral credential adds psychological testing authority, supervision, and research mandate; LMFT experience valued in PsyD programs](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1013.00), O\*NET / Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Marriage and Family Therapists (21-1013.00): tasks, work activities, knowledge domains, technology skills, employment data; 77,800 employed 2024; median wage $63,780](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1013.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Marriage and Family Therapists: +7% growth 2024-2034; 7,700 annual job openings; demand driven by mental health parity, insurance coverage expansion, and relational systems recognition](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/mental-health-counselors-and-marriage-and-family-therapists.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AAMFT Code of Ethics (2015, 2025 guidance) — Section 6: Technology-Assisted Professional Services; LMFT full accountability for informed consent, confidentiality, and clinical judgment regardless of AI tool use; 60,000+ AAMFT members](https://www.aamft.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gottman Institute — Gottman Relationship Checkup: research-based couples assessment used by 35,000+ clinicians; auto-scores Sound Relationship House constructs and generates clinical recommendations; 300+ peer-reviewed studies; 100,000+ Gottman-trained mental health professionals](https://www.gottman.com/professionals/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Prepare/Enrich — #1 premarital and marriage assessment for 45+ years; 1,200+ published validity studies; auto-scored couples intake with couple-specific discussion guides; used by therapists, counselors, and facilitators](https://www.prepare-enrich.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eleos Health — AI ambient clinical documentation; 70% reduction in documentation time; deployed at 150+ behavioral health organizations; HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 42001 certified; supports individual, group, and family session documentation](https://eleos.health/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Blueprint Companion / SimplePractice — AI progress notes and treatment plans; 250,000+ practitioners on SimplePractice platform; couples-specific session types and dual-client billing (CPT 90847) supported; Counseling Today Jan 2025; Psychotherapy Networker Apr 2025](https://www.blueprint.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Upheal — AI session notes and treatment plan generation; HIPAA compliant; JMIR Mental Health pilot 2024: therapists save 5-10 hrs/week; supports audio/video session documentation for any number of session participants](https://www.upheal.io/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Spring Health — AI Compass care navigation; explicitly routes couples to LMFT-credentialed providers; 3,000+ employer clients; session-level outcome tracking for conjoint sessions; Spring Health clinical network criteria 2025](https://www.springhealth.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BetterHelp — 30,000+ licensed therapists globally including MFTs; dedicated couples therapy service line; therapist matching, scheduling, and session infrastructure managed by platform](https://www.betterhelp.com/therapists/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Talkspace — teletherapy platform with couples therapy service line; "AI-supported therapy" referenced on provider pages; handles matching and session management for LMFT-credentialed providers](https://www.talkspace.com/join-our-network), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Mentaya — insurance claims automation for out-of-network therapists; instant benefits verification; claim submission upon session confirmation; replaces superbill process; high relevance for MFTs historically underrepresented on insurance panels](https://mentaya.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JMFT / AAMFT — "Artificial Intelligence in Couple and Family Therapy: Introduction of the AI Competencies" (2025/2026): foundational AI competency framework for MFT-specific relational ethics, person-centered care, and systemic practice; establishes MFT-discipline-specific AI standards distinct from individual therapy](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17520606), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NEJM AI — "Large Language Models in Mental Health Care" (Mar 2025): clinical risk assessment for suicidality requires licensed human judgment; LLM predictions failed benchmark evaluations; directly applies to IPV safety assessment in conjoint MFT sessions](https://ai.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/AIra2400480), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; MFTs rated at low LLM β-exposure because core tasks are relational/systemic clinical work — observing live dyadic interaction, tracking attachment dynamics across multiple present clients — not information synthesis](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SAMHSA 2024 NSDUH Annual National Report: national data on mental health treatment receipt among adults with any mental illness (AMI); large majority of adults with AMI do not receive mental health treatment in a given year; MFTs are primary outpatient providers of couples and family behavioral health services](https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report), accessed 2026-06-22

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.