Barbers
Median $38,210
Occupation · SOC 39-5012
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists: pay and where the jobs are
What hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$35,790 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $43,960
- Median hourly wage
- $17.21
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.13
- Employment
- 305,710
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-5012.
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See where your pay falls among hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists make?
The median annual wage for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists was $35,790 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,040 and the highest-paid 10% more than $71,190. As an hourly rate, the median is $17.21. About 305,710 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($59,510), Oregon ($57,580) and District of Columbia ($54,570). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,040 | $13.00 | $2,253 | $1,990 |
| 25th percentile | $30,120 | $14.48 | $2,510 | $2,198 |
| Median | $35,790 | $17.21 | $2,983 | $2,578 |
| 75th percentile | $48,830 | $23.48 | $4,069 | $3,451 |
| 90th percentile | $71,190 | $34.23 | $5,933 | $4,909 |
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$47,631 take-home in national prices
2
$45,948 take-home in national prices
3
$42,871 take-home in national prices
Where a median hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 6,930 | $59,510 | $36,830 | $99,970 | $49,171 | $45,948 |
| Oregon | 1,860 | $57,580 | $34,880 | $76,810 | $44,312 | $42,871 |
| District of Columbia | 870 | $54,570 | $36,400 | $130,950 | $43,919 | $39,962 |
| South Dakota | 690 | $49,800 | $32,090 | $61,900 | $42,194 | $47,631 |
| Vermont | 440 | $48,650 | $30,960 | $80,530 | $40,074 | $40,910 |
| Connecticut | 4,090 | $44,620 | $34,010 | $72,620 | $36,051 | $34,795 |
| Maine | 970 | $44,000 | $30,640 | $63,640 | $35,980 | $37,074 |
| Minnesota | 5,320 | $39,170 | $23,590 | $78,880 | $32,204 | $32,654 |
| California | 27,080 | $38,660 | $35,360 | $68,640 | $32,212 | $29,093 |
| North Carolina | 8,490 | $38,410 | $26,880 | $61,530 | $32,019 | $33,945 |
| Montana | 690 | $38,000 | $22,160 | $75,440 | $31,684 | $33,476 |
| New Mexico | 1,230 | $37,750 | $27,190 | $52,560 | $31,856 | $34,547 |
| Colorado | 6,820 | $37,690 | $31,520 | $98,860 | $31,348 | $30,420 |
| Massachusetts | 9,600 | $37,290 | $31,600 | $79,330 | $30,326 | $28,676 |
| Arizona | 7,840 | $36,810 | $31,050 | $57,790 | $31,230 | $31,020 |
| Pennsylvania | 19,350 | $36,790 | $23,700 | $68,750 | $30,586 | $31,347 |
| Maryland | 5,860 | $36,420 | $31,830 | $72,940 | $30,080 | $28,658 |
| Ohio | 12,890 | $36,260 | $23,520 | $77,330 | $30,768 | $33,165 |
| Wisconsin | 6,260 | $36,230 | $23,790 | $58,970 | $30,393 | $32,300 |
| New Jersey | 15,500 | $36,150 | $32,220 | $92,090 | $30,373 | $27,915 |
| New York | 20,740 | $35,760 | $33,960 | $88,540 | $29,393 | $27,236 |
| Iowa | 2,930 | $35,700 | $26,650 | $56,250 | $30,160 | $34,366 |
| Idaho | 2,250 | $35,480 | $22,810 | $48,000 | $29,916 | $31,328 |
| Utah | 2,810 | $35,140 | $21,810 | $75,860 | $29,597 | $29,937 |
| Hawaii | 930 | $35,040 | $29,120 | $73,820 | $29,171 | $26,531 |
| North Dakota | 870 | $34,850 | $24,130 | $77,800 | $30,182 | $33,928 |
| Michigan | 8,970 | $34,820 | $25,960 | $95,370 | $28,929 | $30,066 |
| New Hampshire | 1,950 | $34,650 | $25,720 | $58,210 | $30,021 | $28,821 |
| Georgia | 7,910 | $34,560 | $17,310 | $79,170 | $28,973 | $30,088 |
| West Virginia | 1,020 | $34,480 | $23,580 | $60,300 | $29,016 | $32,421 |
| Delaware | 1,270 | $34,350 | $31,200 | $75,950 | $28,413 | $28,468 |
| Nebraska | 1,890 | $34,320 | $28,080 | $73,740 | $29,074 | $32,268 |
| Illinois | 13,190 | $34,040 | $31,200 | $58,960 | $27,991 | $28,003 |
| Nevada | 1,940 | $33,840 | $26,160 | $64,300 | $29,370 | $29,377 |
| South Carolina | 3,570 | $33,700 | $21,340 | $77,430 | $28,886 | $30,812 |
| Indiana | 5,920 | $32,830 | $23,890 | $58,620 | $27,620 | $29,594 |
| Alaska | 330 | $32,150 | $30,900 | $55,850 | $27,852 | $27,210 |
| Tennessee | 6,080 | $31,310 | $25,700 | $58,000 | $27,338 | $29,757 |
| Rhode Island | 1,470 | $31,200 | $31,200 | $38,630 | $26,353 | $25,765 |
| Missouri | 5,430 | $30,750 | $28,600 | $58,530 | $26,380 | $29,047 |
| Texas | 22,440 | $30,680 | $23,580 | $59,730 | $26,831 | $27,645 |
| Kentucky | 2,350 | $29,840 | $22,580 | $76,170 | $25,230 | $27,983 |
| Kansas | 2,190 | $29,710 | $21,910 | $77,790 | $25,171 | $27,946 |
| Oklahoma | 1,920 | $29,650 | $18,980 | $60,390 | $25,215 | $28,705 |
| Florida | 23,530 | $29,530 | $27,450 | $58,320 | $25,907 | $25,052 |
| Guam | 170 | $29,500 | $20,280 | $36,500 | — | — |
| Wyoming | 360 | $29,170 | $18,150 | $56,640 | $25,618 | $27,638 |
| Alabama | 3,300 | $29,150 | $21,300 | $56,700 | $24,467 | $27,545 |
| Arkansas | 1,410 | $28,830 | $23,920 | $49,990 | $24,766 | $28,487 |
| Mississippi | 1,040 | $27,560 | $17,370 | $58,790 | $23,935 | $27,527 |
| Louisiana | 2,720 | $26,030 | $21,590 | $33,900 | $22,651 | $25,679 |
| Puerto Rico | 960 | $22,090 | $21,840 | $32,720 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-5012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.