Career profile · 39-5011
Barbers
Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving shaves.
What the work can involve
- Clean and sterilize scissors, combs, clippers, and other instruments.
- Cut and trim hair according to clients' instructions or current hairstyles, using clippers, combs, hand-held blow driers, and scissors.
- Question patrons regarding desired services and haircut styles.
- Clean work stations and sweep floors.
- Drape and pin protective cloths around customers' shoulders.
- Apply lather and shave beards or neck and temple hair contours, using razors.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Getting Information
- Scheduling Work and Activities
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 78.8%08/2026 · sample 33 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 40.0%08/2026 · sample 30 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Once a year or more but not every month | 32.3%08/2026 · sample 31 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 78.1%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 53.1%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 84.4%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 87.5%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 37.5%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Never | 34.4%08/2026 · sample 32 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 93.8%08/2026 · sample 32 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Calendar and scheduling software: Appointment scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software: Customer information databases
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Linux, Microsoft Windows
- Point of sale POS software: Point of sale POS payment software
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
- Video creation and editing software: YouTube
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for barbers
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 36 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,120 | $14.00 | Not published |
| Arizona | $34,380 | $16.53 | Not published |
| Arkansas | $25,640 | $12.33 | 170 |
| California | $38,380 | $18.45 | 1,390 |
| Colorado | $61,500 | $29.57 | 480 |
| Connecticut | $41,400 | $19.90 | 330 |
| Florida | $49,410 | $23.76 | 1,240 |
| Georgia | $30,750 | $14.79 | 550 |
| Idaho | $36,040 | $17.33 | 130 |
| Illinois | $65,430 | $31.46 | Not published |
| Indiana | $33,600 | $16.15 | 370 |
| Iowa | $58,900 | $28.32 | 130 |
| Louisiana | $44,430 | $21.36 | 40 |
| Maine | $35,300 | $16.97 | 50 |
| Maryland | $35,400 | $17.02 | Not published |
| Michigan | $35,490 | $17.06 | Not published |
| Minnesota | $53,990 | $25.96 | 260 |
| Mississippi | $38,480 | $18.50 | Not published |
| Missouri | $47,880 | $23.02 | 580 |
| Nebraska | $39,090 | $18.79 | Not published |
| New Jersey | $54,850 | $26.37 | Not published |
| New Mexico | $39,100 | $18.80 | 50 |
| New York | $38,580 | $18.55 | Not published |
| North Carolina | $31,050 | $14.93 | 330 |
| North Dakota | $48,540 | $23.34 | 80 |
| Oklahoma | $34,860 | $16.76 | 170 |
| Oregon | $77,430 | $37.22 | Not published |
| Pennsylvania | $36,920 | $17.75 | 530 |
| Rhode Island | $34,900 | $16.78 | Not published |
| South Carolina | $32,900 | $15.82 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $24,690 | $11.87 | Not published |
| Texas | $30,760 | $14.79 | 2,580 |
| Utah | $25,370 | $12.20 | 320 |
| Virginia | $46,730 | $22.47 | 160 |
| Washington | $61,150 | $29.40 | 1,220 |
| Wisconsin | $36,540 | $17.57 | 450 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 39 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers→
- Fitness and Wellness Coordinators→
- Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists→
- Personal Service Managers, All Other→
- Spa Managers→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 39-5011.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.