Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

542k

Average Age

40.1

Estimated Job Growth

−2.18%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$28,280

Average Male Salary

$40,042

Average Female Salary

$27,105

About

Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are most often employed by the Beauty salons industry. The average yearly wage for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists was $28,280 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are Flushing, Murray Hill & Whitestone PUMA, NY, Cape Coral City PUMA, FL, and St. Louis City (South) PUMA, MO. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are Las Cruces, Mesilla Cities & University Park PUMA, NM, Hawthorne Borough & Clifton City (Northwest) PUMA, NJ, and Ocean County (Northwest) PUMA, NJ.

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 2021 was 541,968 people, of which 90.9% were women and 9.08% were men. Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists are paid most in Weymouth Town, Braintree Town Cities, Hingham, Hull & Cohasset Towns PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in Las Cruces, Mesilla Cities & University Park PUMA, NM.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

49,220

Male Workforce

± 5.45k

492,748

Female Workforce

± 17.2k

The Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce in 2021 was 541,968 people (90.9% women and 9.08% men). This implies an average annual growth of −1.55% between 2014 (550,488) and 2021 (541,968).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Nevada ($33,897), District of Columbia ($33,862), and Alaska ($33,283).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$28,280

AVERAGE WAGE

#470 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists earned an average of $28,280, $31,316 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.4

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.4, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. 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 Broadcasting (except internet) ($110,683).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

542k

2021 Workforce

± 18,042

−3.42%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.83%

This graphic shows the share of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists employed by various industries. Beauty salons employs the largest share of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists at 98.7%, followed by Barber shops with 0.846% and Nail salons & other personal care services with 0.483%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in the US. The workforce of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in 2021 was 541,968 people, with 90.9% woman, and 9.08% men. The average age of male Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in the workforce is 43.5 and of female Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists is 39.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists in 2021 was 541,968 people, with 90.9% woman, and 9.08% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (77,827 people), 30 to 34 years (76,212 people), and 35 to 39 years (65,888 people). Among them they concentrated 40.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 17.3% of Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workers were Hispanic and 82.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (78.2%), Puerto Rican (11.3)%, and Dominican (10.5)%

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

Races

In 2021, 70.9% of the Hairdressers, hairstylists, & cosmetologists workforce were White, of which 92.2% were women and 7.77% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.9%) and Asian (6.64%).

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 2021 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 Service Orientation.

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 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (10,496 people), Visual & Performing Arts (3,869 people), and Psychology (3,147 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 (239,978 people), Some college (168,535 people), and Associates Degree (63,386 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 3.71%, but Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists are expected to see a growth of −2.18% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less 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.

−2.18%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

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 less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.