Personal Care and Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 39-5011

Barbers

The published band from $28,600 to $76,460 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Barbers: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers ($64K) , Animal Trainers ($40K) , Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other ($42K) , Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers ($55K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Barbers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 39-5011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Clean and sterilize scissors, combs, clippers, and other instruments
  2. 2. Drape and pin protective cloths around customers' shoulders
  3. 3. Cut and trim hair according to clients' instructions or current hairstyles, using clippers, combs, hand-held blow driers, and scissors
  4. 4. Question patrons regarding desired services and haircut styles
  5. 5. Clean work stations and sweep floors
  6. 6. Apply lather and shave beards or neck and temple hair contours, using razors
  7. 7. Record services provided on cashiers' tickets or receive payment from customers
  8. 8. Shape and trim beards and moustaches, using scissors
  9. 9. Perform clerical and administrative duties such as keeping records, paying bills, and hiring and supervising personnel
  10. 10. Stay informed of the latest styles and hair care techniques
  11. 11. Suggest treatments to alleviate hair problems
  12. 12. Order supplies

Barbers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 39-5011 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.4
  2. 2. Speaking 3.1
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  4. 4. Service Orientation 3.1
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 2.9
  7. 7. Monitoring 2.9
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  2. 2. Administration and Management 3.2
  3. 3. English Language 3.1
  4. 4. Economics and Accounting 3.0
  5. 5. Psychology 3.0
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.8
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$28,600 to $76,460
median $38,210 · ~2.7× spread
$38K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
8,400
Annual openings
15,000
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
Highest-pay peer · $64K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Top Paying States for Barbers

1. Colorado $61,500
2. Washington $61,150
3. Missouri $47,880
4. Oregon $77,430
5. New Jersey $54,850
6. Illinois $65,430
7. Minnesota $53,990
8. North Dakota $48,540
9. Florida $49,410
10. Iowa $58,900

Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600
  2. 2. Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers $55,010
  3. 3. First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers $63,820
  4. 4. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors $47,160
  5. 5. Crematory Operators $43,650
  6. 6. Animal Trainers $39,990

The OEWS band for Barbers runs from $28,600 (10th) to $76,460 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $38,210. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 8,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Colorado at $61,500. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers at $63,820. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Barbers pay-rank #16 in Personal Care and Service Occupations

Barbers sits at pay-rank #16 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Barbers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Barbers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-5011

Colorado · top state for Barbers

$62K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$61K · behind Colorado

First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Barbers · $64K

Animal Trainers

Lower-pay peer beside Barbers · $40K

Compare Barbers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Barbers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Barbers mid-table among Personal Care and Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #16 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Motion Picture Projectionists ($38K), Tour and Travel Guides ($38K), Concierges ($39K), Baggage Porters and Bellhops ($37K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do barbers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Barbers. Leading ones include: Clean and sterilize scissors, combs, clippers, and other instruments; Drape and pin protective cloths around customers' shoulders; 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for barbers? ▼
For SOC 39-5011, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.4), Speaking (3.1), Social Perceptiveness (3.1), Service Orientation (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Barbers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $28,600 and the 90th at $76,460 for Barbers (2.7× spread). The national median is $38,210. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Barbers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Barbers is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 8,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Barbers? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Barbers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Barbers? ▼
Colorado ($61,500), Washington ($61,150), Missouri ($47,880) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Barbers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-5011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Barbers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics