Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2024 Workforce

505k

Average Age

40.9

Estimated Job Growth

5.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$33,808

Average Male Salary

$45,642

Average Female Salary

$32,600

About

Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are most often employed by the Beauty salons industry. The average yearly wage for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists was $33,808 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are St. Louis City (South) PUMA, MO, NYC-Queens Community District 7--Flushing, Murray Hill, & Whitestone PUMA, NY, and Passaic County (Central)--Hawthorne PUMA, NJ. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are Passaic County (Central)--Hawthorne PUMA, NJ, Miami-Dade County (East Central)--Miami City (West) PUMA, FL, and Doña Ana County Central--Las Cruces, Mesilla Cities & University Park PUMA, NM.

Photo by David Merrigan

Service Occupations Personal Care & Service Occupations

Employment and salary information for the Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce. Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce in 2024 was 505,296 people, of which 90.7% were women and 9.27% were men.

Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are paid most in Fairfax County (Northwest)--Reston (North) & Franklin Farm PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Passaic County (Central)--Hawthorne PUMA, NJ.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

46,832

Male Workforce

± 5.31k

458,464

Female Workforce

± 16.6k

The Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce in 2024 was 505,296 people (90.7% women and 9.27% men). This implies an average annual growth of −8.83% between 2014 (554,224) and 2024 (505,296).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Alaska ($47,959), Vermont ($45,668), and Washington ($44,458).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$33,808

AVERAGE WAGE

#431 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists earned an average of $33,808, $36,069 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.415

WAGE GINI

In 2024, Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.415, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists and on wages for those in the field. Beauty salons is the industry that employs the most Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists, by average wage, is Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers ($113,103).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

505k

2024 Workforce

± 17,424

−0.96%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.91%

This graphic shows the share of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists employed by various industries. Beauty salons employs the largest share of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists at 97.9%, followed by Barber shops with 0.883% and Nail salons & other personal care services with 0.736%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in the US. The workforce of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in 2024 was 505,296 people, with 90.7% woman, and 9.27% men. The average age of male Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in the workforce is 45.3 and of female Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists is 40.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in 2024 was 505,296 people, with 90.7% woman, and 9.27% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (70,058 people), 35 to 39 years (62,319 people), and 25 to 29 years (62,244 people). Among them they concentrated 38.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 19.1% of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workers were Hispanic and 80.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (51.5%), Puerto Rican (11.2)%, and Dominican (8.22)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 64.3% of the Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce were White, of which 92.4% were women and 7.61% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (11.6%) and Black (10.1%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Personal & Culinary Services.

Among the necessary skills for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists, Critical Thinking stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (11,366 people), Visual & Performing Arts (3,667 people), and Education (3,132 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workers were High School or Equivalent (224,913 people), Some college (151,400 people), and Associates Degree (61,187 people).

The graphic shows the Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists are expected to see a growth of 5.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists.

5.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.