State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Hairstylist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists earn a median of $35,790 per year ($17.21/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 5.6% through 2034, with about 75,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 39-5012Personal Care and ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $35,790
- Projected growth
- +5.6%
- Openings a year
- 75,800
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Beautician, Cosmetologist, Hair Dresser, Hair Stylist, Hairdresser, Hairstylist.
How much do Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists make?
10th percentile$27,040
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$30,120
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$35,790
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$48,830
Upper quartile
90th percentile$71,190
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $35,790 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $17.21/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $43,960 |
| People employed | 305,710 |
Versus all US occupations
At $35,790, Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists earn 30% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,190 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 6% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $71,190 or more while the bottom 10% earn $27,040, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 4% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($59,510), but once local prices are taken into account South Dakota leads at $56,217 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $59,510 | $55,610 | 6,930 |
| Oregon | $57,580 | $55,708 | 1,860 |
| District of Columbia | $54,570 | $49,654 | 870 |
| South Dakota | $49,800 | $56,217 | 690 |
| Vermont | $48,650 | $49,664 | 440 |
| Connecticut | $44,620 | $43,065 | 4,090 |
| Maine | $44,000 | $45,337 | 970 |
| Minnesota | $39,170 | $39,718 | 5,320 |
| California | $38,660 | $34,917 | 27,080 |
| North Carolina | $38,410 | $40,720 | 8,490 |
Is Hairstylist a growing career?
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists5.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+5.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists to change 5.6% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 32,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 75,800 openings are projected each year, 13.2% of the 575,200 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The need for barbers and hairdressers will stem primarily from demand for basic hair care services. In addition, an increased demand for hair coloring, hair straightening, and other advanced hair treatments is expected to continue over the projections decade.
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists will continue to compete with providers of specialized services, such as nail and skin care. Consumers often choose manicurists and pedicurists and skincare specialists for these services, rather than to visit hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists for them. Still, employment is expected to grow to meet increased demand for personal appearance services.
How to become a Hairstylist
All states require barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists to be licensed. To qualify for a license, candidates typically must graduate from a state-approved barber or cosmetology program and pass an exam.
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists.
- Post-Secondary Certificate79.0%
- High School Diploma20.9%
- Some College Courses0.1%
What does a Hairstylist do?
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.
Barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists provide haircutting, hairstyling, and other services related to personal appearance.
Day-to-day tasks
- Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs.
- Analyze patrons' hair and other physical features to determine and recommend beauty treatment or suggest hair styles.
- Update and maintain customer information records, such as beauty services provided.
- Develop new styles and techniques.
- Schedule client appointments.
- Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions.
- Apply water or setting, straightening or waving solutions to hair, and use curlers, rollers, hot combs and curling irons to press and curl hair.
- Bleach, dye, or tint hair, using applicator or brush.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists work
| Self-employed workers | 76% |
|---|---|
| Personal care services | 23% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Speaking3.8/5
- Critical Thinking3.4/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.0/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Writing2.9/5
- Learning Strategies2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Persuasion2.9/5
- Instructing2.9/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Point of sale POS software
- Video creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Hairstylist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary5.4
Investigative1.5
Artistic3.2
Socialprimary3.7
Enterprising3.3
Conventionalprimary3.9
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Hairstylist: frequently asked questions
How much do Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists make?
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists earn a median of $35,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 30% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $17.21/hr. The middle half earn between $30,120 and $48,830. The top 10% earn $71,190 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Hairstylist?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) as the typical entry route for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 79.0% hold post-secondary certificate.
Is Hairstylist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.6% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 75,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Hairstylist do?
Barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists provide haircutting, hairstyling, and other services related to personal appearance. A core O*NET task: keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists the most?
The highest state medians for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists are Washington ($59,510), Oregon ($57,580), District of Columbia ($54,570) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota moves to the top at $56,217.
What personality type suits a Hairstylist?
O*NET scores Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.