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 23, 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 license barbers, hairstylists and cosmetologists, and required cosmetology hours run from 1,000 to 1,800. Several states have cut them sharply and recently, so old figures circulate widely: California dropped from 1,600 to 1,000 under SB 803 effective 1 January 2022, Texas from 1,500 to 1,000, Iowa from 2,100 to 1,550 and Nebraska from 2,100 to 1,800. Barbering is a separate licence from cosmetology in every state we checked, sometimes under a separate board, and a growing set of narrower credentials sits underneath the full licence.
The credential path, step by step
- Decide between a cosmetology licence, a barber licence and a narrower credential
They are different licences with different scopes and often different hour counts. Texas draws the scope line cleanly: shaving with a safety razor is in both scopes, shaving the face, neck, mustache or beard with a razor of any type is barbering only, and semipermanent eyelash extensions are cosmetology only. Both include nails. Hour counts can differ within a state: Washington requires 1,600 for cosmetology and 1,000 for barbering, Ohio 1,500 and 1,800 respectively, and Michigan 1,500 and 1,800. Texas and California require 1,000 for both.
- Check whether a limited hair credential fits what you actually want to do
Several states license narrower practice at a fraction of the hours: New York natural hair styling at 300 hours, Illinois hair braiding at 300, Michigan natural hair culturist at 400, Ohio natural hair stylist at 450 and hair designer at 1,000, California hairstylist at 600 (created by the same SB 803), Colorado hairstylist at 1,200 and Washington hair designer at 1,400.
- Meet the age and schooling minimum
Minimum age is commonly 16 or 17 and reaches 18 in Nevada. Education minimums range from 8th grade in Oklahoma and 9th in Connecticut to 10th grade in California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Alabama and Louisiana.
- Complete the hours, at a school or through an apprenticeship1,000 to 1,800 hours at school, or roughly double as an apprentice
Apprenticeship is a real alternative in a number of states, but expect roughly double the hours and no mixing. California requires 3,200 apprenticeship hours plus 39 hours of pre-apprentice training, and states that hours do not transfer between school and apprentice programmes. Washington requires 3,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 244 hours of related supplemental instruction, Alabama 3,000 hours within three years with school and apprentice hours explicitly not combinable, Georgia 3,000 hours over 18 months, Delaware 3,000, and North Dakota 2,500. Nebraska and Virginia are the outliers that ask the same hours either way. New York offers apprenticeship for barbers but not for cosmetology.
- Pass the examination your state uses
NIC develops the theory and practical examinations that many boards adopt, and its Cosmetology Theory examination is 110 items of which 100 are scored. But the "one national exam" picture is eroding: PSI is migrating a set of states onto its own proprietary examination, and California has eliminated the practical entirely so that candidates need only pass the written test. Confirm with your board which vendor and which components apply before you book.
- Apply for the licence, then renew on your state's cycle
Renewal is typically every two years, either rolling from the issue date (Texas, California) or on a fixed date (Florida 31 October, Ohio, Georgia). New York runs a four-year term.
Exams you have to pass
NIC Cosmetology Theory 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.
Administered by Developed by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology; administered by testing companies or state boards.
California cosmetologist written examination
100 scored items plus 10 pretest items in 120 minutes. California candidates need only pass the written examination.
Administered by PSI, for the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.
- How long the training takes
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.
- Continuing education
Set by each state
Required in some states and not others. Texas requires 4 hours every two years, including 1 hour of sanitation and 1 hour of human trafficking awareness, dropping to 2 hours for licensees of 15 or more years. Ohio requires 4 hours, split as 1 hour of Ohio law and rules and 3 hours of safety and infection control. Illinois requires 14 hours for cosmetologists and none for barbers. Georgia requires 5 hours. Florida caps it at 10 hours biennially and exempts licensees with 10 or more continuous years and no discipline. California requires none.
Licensing and state variation
Licensed state by state
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.
Who governs the credential
- National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) — Develops the theory, practical and written practical examinations many state boards adopt. It does not administer them and does not issue licences.
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — Licenses barbers and cosmetologists in Texas under one agency and publishes the clearest side-by-side statement of what each scope does and does not cover.
- California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology — Licenses California cosmetologists, barbers and the newer 600-hour hairstylist credential, all created or reduced by SB 803 effective 1 January 2022.
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission — Stands up the interstate compact for cosmetology licences, enacted in 12 states and not yet available for practice.
Credential detail for hairstylists is researched by hand from the bodies that issue it, not derived from BLS or O*NET. Sources last checked August 23, 2026. Requirements change: confirm with your own state board before enrolling in anything.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists · checked August 23, 2026
- California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology: SB 803 FAQ (1,600 to 1,000 hours, apprenticeship hours) · checked August 23, 2026
- California SB 803 (2021) bill text · checked August 23, 2026
- Texas HB 2847 (86th Legislature, 2019) bill text (1,500 to 1,000 hours) · checked August 23, 2026
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: Apply for a cosmetologist licence · checked August 23, 2026
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: Barber scope of practice · checked August 23, 2026
- New York State Education Department: Approved hours for appearance enhancement licensure programs · checked August 23, 2026
- New York Department of State: Natural hair styling licence · checked August 23, 2026
- Iowa Code section 157.10 (cosmetology training hours) · checked August 23, 2026
- Nebraska DHHS: Cosmetology licensure requirements · checked August 23, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4713.28 (cosmetology, barbering and limited hair credentials) · checked August 23, 2026
- Ohio Administrative Code 4713-21-03 (continuing education) · checked August 23, 2026
- Washington Department of Licensing: Get your cosmetology licence · checked August 23, 2026
- Washington Department of Licensing: Cosmetology apprenticeship program · checked August 23, 2026
- Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering: Apprentices · checked August 23, 2026
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation: Cosmetology curriculum · checked August 23, 2026
- Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology: NIC Cosmetology candidate information bulletin · checked August 23, 2026
- South Dakota Cosmetology Commission: NIC Cosmetology Written Practical candidate bulletin · checked August 23, 2026
- PSI: Cosmetology and barber national examinations · checked August 23, 2026
- NIC: Examination types · checked August 23, 2026
- Georgia Rules and Regulations 240-3-.01 (continuing education) · checked August 23, 2026
- Cosmetology Licensure Compact Commission · checked August 23, 2026
What the federal data says
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.
Working conditions and hours
Most barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists are full time, although part-time work is common. Work schedules may vary and often include evenings and weekends, times when barbershops and beauty salons may be busiest. Those who are self-employed and operate their own barbershop or salon may have long workdays, but they usually determine their own schedules.
Where the work happens
- Almost never works outdoors
Physical demands
- On their feet more than half the working day
- Regular bending or twisting
Working with people
- Constant contact with other people
- Face-to-face discussions every day
- Dealing with customers or the public is very important
Autonomy
- A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey, showing only the signals people in the job report decisively one way or the other.
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 credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) 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.
How long does it take to become a Hairstylist?
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.
Do you need a license to work as a Hairstylist?
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.
What exams do you have to pass to become a Hairstylist?
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.