Career profile · 39-5012
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
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.
What the work can involve
- Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs.
- Schedule client appointments.
- Bleach, dye, or tint hair, using applicator or brush.
- Cut, trim and shape hair or hairpieces, based on customers' instructions, hair type, and facial features, using clippers, scissors, trimmers and razors.
- Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions.
- Update and maintain customer information records, such as beauty services provided.
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
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
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
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
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
- Selling or Influencing Others
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Assisting and Caring for Others
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
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.
- Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General1,387 institutions →
- Electrolysis/Electrology and Electrolysis Technician12 institutions →
- Make-Up Artist/Specialist21 institutions →
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design107 institutions →
- Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing2 institutions →
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager28 institutions →
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor579 institutions →
- Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts, Other114 institutions →
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 | 87.5%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 41.6%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 65.1%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 64.4%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 42.1%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Spend Time Standing | Continually or almost continually | 71.2%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 42.6%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 74.0%08/2026 · sample 14 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 96.2%08/2026 · sample 14 |
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.
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks
- 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: Apple iOS
- Point of sale POS software: Sale processing software
- 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 hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
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 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $29,150 | $14.02 | 3,300 |
| Alaska | $32,150 | $15.46 | 330 |
| Arizona | $36,810 | $17.70 | 7,840 |
| Arkansas | $28,830 | $13.86 | 1,410 |
| California | $38,660 | $18.59 | 27,080 |
| Colorado | $37,690 | $18.12 | 6,820 |
| Connecticut | $44,620 | $21.45 | 4,090 |
| Delaware | $34,350 | $16.51 | 1,270 |
| District of Columbia | $54,570 | $26.23 | 870 |
| Florida | $29,530 | $14.20 | 23,530 |
| Georgia | $34,560 | $16.62 | 7,910 |
| Hawaii | $35,040 | $16.85 | 930 |
| Idaho | $35,480 | $17.06 | 2,250 |
| Illinois | $34,040 | $16.37 | 13,190 |
| Indiana | $32,830 | $15.78 | 5,920 |
| Iowa | $35,700 | $17.17 | 2,930 |
| Kansas | $29,710 | $14.28 | 2,190 |
| Kentucky | $29,840 | $14.35 | 2,350 |
| Louisiana | $26,030 | $12.51 | 2,720 |
| Maine | $44,000 | $21.16 | 970 |
| Maryland | $36,420 | $17.51 | 5,860 |
| Massachusetts | $37,290 | $17.93 | 9,600 |
| Michigan | $34,820 | $16.74 | 8,970 |
| Minnesota | $39,170 | $18.83 | 5,320 |
| Mississippi | $27,560 | $13.25 | 1,040 |
| Missouri | $30,750 | $14.78 | 5,430 |
| Montana | $38,000 | $18.27 | 690 |
| Nebraska | $34,320 | $16.50 | 1,890 |
| Nevada | $33,840 | $16.27 | 1,940 |
| New Hampshire | $34,650 | $16.66 | 1,950 |
| New Jersey | $36,150 | $17.38 | 15,500 |
| New Mexico | $37,750 | $18.15 | 1,230 |
| New York | $35,760 | $17.19 | 20,740 |
| North Carolina | $38,410 | $18.47 | 8,490 |
| North Dakota | $34,850 | $16.76 | 870 |
| Ohio | $36,260 | $17.43 | 12,890 |
| Oklahoma | $29,650 | $14.26 | 1,920 |
| Oregon | $57,580 | $27.68 | 1,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,790 | $17.69 | 19,350 |
| Rhode Island | $31,200 | $15.00 | 1,470 |
| South Carolina | $33,700 | $16.20 | 3,570 |
| South Dakota | $49,800 | $23.94 | 690 |
| Tennessee | $31,310 | $15.05 | 6,080 |
| Texas | $30,680 | $14.75 | 22,440 |
| Utah | $35,140 | $16.89 | 2,810 |
| Vermont | $48,650 | $23.39 | 440 |
| Virginia | Not published | Not published | 10,200 |
| Washington | $59,510 | $28.61 | 6,930 |
| West Virginia | $34,480 | $16.58 | 1,020 |
| Wisconsin | $36,230 | $17.42 | 6,260 |
| Wyoming | $29,170 | $14.03 | 360 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 457 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
- Barbers→
- First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers→
- Fitness and Wellness Coordinators→
- Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance→
- Manicurists and Pedicurists→
- Personal Service Managers, All Other→
- Shampooers→
- Skincare Specialists→
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: 39-5012.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.