Hairdressers & Cosmetologists earn $35,790 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $30,120 and $48,830. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a hairdressers & cosmetologists: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Cosmetology and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp. May shampoo hair, apply makeup, dress wigs, remove hair, and provide nail and skincare services.
Also known as:
Most hairdressers & cosmetologists take home around $35,790 a year, well below what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $30,120 and $48,830, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Think carefully about how much debt is worth taking on for it. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Significantly below average. Specialized roles can raise this considerably.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
The mean wage for this occupation is $43,960, above the median. A concentration of very high earners pulls the average up. The median is the better gauge of typical pay.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
Working closely with people, teaching, advising, or helping others navigate challenges is a defining feature of this career's daily work.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Moderate pressure. Regular deadlines exist but are generally manageable with experience.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +7.7%, meaning it is growing at about the same pace as everything else, so expect steady demand. Around 73,400 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
About as fast as average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Hairdressers & Cosmetologists professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $35,790 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 27,080 | $38,660 | +8.0% |
| 2 | Florida | 23,530 | $29,530 | -17.5% |
| 3 | Texas | 22,440 | $30,680 | -14.3% |
| 4 | New York | 20,740 | $35,760 | -0.1% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 19,350 | $36,790 | +2.8% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a postsecondary nondegree award. The program below is the most common route in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
A medium amount of preparation is required, often an associate degree, certificate program, or apprenticeship, plus some related experience.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosmetology | 132,103 | — | 1,625 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chipola College Marianna, FL | 88 | $1,133 | $37,378 |
| 2 | South Georgia Technical College Americus, GA | 86 | $1,164 | $30,364 |
| 3 | South Florida State College Avon Park, FL | 86 | $3,877 | $39,990 |
| 4 | Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL | 86 | $5,364 | $37,894 |
| 5 | Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro Murfreesboro, TN | 86 | $6,631 | $40,869 |
| 6 | Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, MS | 85 | $2,525 | $33,227 |
Once you've sized up Hairdressers & Cosmetologists, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Hairdressers & Cosmetologists pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
The data on Hairdressers & Cosmetologists shows 4 measurable strengths and 1 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
The lowest-paying college program pays a median of $28,311 four years out. Only 11 of 314 programs land below the high-school benchmark. Here is the floor.
Air traffic controllers earn more than the typical bachelor's-degree career, with an associate degree. The occupations that pay six figures without four years of college.
Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
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