Hairstylist Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

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.

The median hourly wage for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists is $17.21 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $35,790 annual median works out to about $2,980 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn less than $27,040 a year and the bottom quarter less than $30,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Rarely. Even the 90th percentile is $71,190, so fewer than 10% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is Washington at $59,510.

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.

BLS does not split hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $71,190, against a median of $35,790 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Washington ($59,510), Oregon ($57,580), District of Columbia ($54,570). BLS also counts 3 specialty careers inside this occupation (bridal makeup artist, hair colorist, wig maker), which share its federal pay figures.

Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) as the typical entry route for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists.

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 7.7% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 73,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

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.

More work over 40 hours than at exactly 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 19% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists usually work more than 40 hours a week, 13% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 96% say their schedule is regular and 4% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

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 1,731 careers in the bank.

1,000 to 1,500 hours. Verified figures run from 1,000 hours (New York, Massachusetts, Texas, California and Virginia) through 1,150 in Oregon and 1,200 in Florida to 1,500 in Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alabama, Delaware and Maryland, 1,550 in Iowa, 1,600 in Washington and 1,800 in Nebraska, the highest verified. No state we checked still requires the 2,100 hours that older sources cite.

Yes, and it is issued by the state you work in, not nationally. The hour requirement, the examination vendor, whether there is a practical examination at all, whether barbering sits under a separate board, and whether narrower hair credentials exist are all state decisions. Natural hair braiding is a good example of how far the variation goes: Texas, California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Virginia, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington all exempt braiding from licensure in statute or rule, Mississippi and Iowa require only a registration rather than a licence, while Ohio and Michigan license it as a distinct 450-hour and 400-hour credential. The Cosmetology Licensure Compact has been enacted in 12 states (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia) but the compact commission states that licensees in member states cannot yet practise through it, so plan on separate licences when moving state.

The NIC Cosmetology Theory Examination and the California cosmetologist written examination. 110 items of which 100 are scored. NIC also publishes a Cosmetology Written Practical examination of 75 items, 65 scored, in 120 minutes, which some states accept in place of a hands-on practical.

Women make up 92.0% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. 22.5% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 41.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.