Personal Care and Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 39-5012

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

About 75,800 projected annual openings shape how to read Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists against First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers, Barbers, Crematory Operators, Skincare Specialists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists: First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers ($49K) , Barbers ($38K) , Crematory Operators ($44K) , Skincare Specialists ($45K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 39-5012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs
  2. 2. Bleach, dye, or tint hair, using applicator or brush
  3. 3. Cut, trim and shape hair or hairpieces, based on customers' instructions, hair type, and facial features, using clippers, scissors, trimm…
  4. 4. Schedule client appointments
  5. 5. Update and maintain customer information records, such as beauty services provided
  6. 6. Demonstrate and sell hair care products and cosmetics
  7. 7. Analyze patrons' hair and other physical features to determine and recommend beauty treatment or suggest hair styles
  8. 8. Train or supervise other hairstylists, hairdressers, and assistants
  9. 9. Massage and treat scalp for hygienic and remedial purposes, using hands, fingers, or vibrating equipment
  10. 10. Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions
  11. 11. Operate cash registers to receive payments from patrons
  12. 12. Administer therapeutic medication and advise patron to seek medical treatment for chronic or contagious scalp conditions

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 39-5012 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.9
  2. 2. Speaking 3.8
  3. 3. Service Orientation 3.6
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.4
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.3
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  2. 2. Sales and Marketing 3.7
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.0
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.0
  5. 5. English Language 2.9
  6. 6. Chemistry 2.8
Projected annual openings
75,800
growth + transfers + exits
National median $35,790/yr
$36K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
305,710
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers
Highest-pay peer · $49K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Top Paying States for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

1. Maine $44,000
2. California $38,660
3. South Dakota $49,800
4. Vermont $48,650
5. Oregon $57,580
6. Minnesota $39,170
7. Washington $59,510
8. North Carolina $38,410
9. District of Columbia $54,570
10. Connecticut $44,620

Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers $48,590
  2. 2. Crematory Operators $43,650
  3. 3. Skincare Specialists $45,330
  4. 4. Animal Trainers $39,990
  5. 5. Barbers $38,210
  6. 6. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600

Roughly 75,800 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. Median pay is $35,790 in Personal Care and Service Occupations.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). 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: Maine at $44,000. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers at $48,590. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists pay-rank #22 in Personal Care and Service Occupations

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists sits at pay-rank #22 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.

A high-volume role means the state map matters more than the national median. Compare Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists against a named state, a tighter-labor peer, or another SOC.

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-5012

Maine · top state for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

$44K published median

California · #2 state pay

$39K · behind Maine

First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists · $49K

Barbers

Lower-pay peer beside Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists · $38K

Compare Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists with another occupation →

Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists mid-table among Personal Care and Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #22 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants ($36K), Gambling Service Workers, All Other ($36K), Recreation Workers ($37K), Baggage Porters and Bellhops ($37K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. Leading ones include: Keep work stations clean and sanitize tools, such as scissors and combs; 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, trimm…; Schedule client appointments. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists? ▼
For SOC 39-5012, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.8), Service Orientation (3.6), Critical Thinking (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $35,790 as the national median for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. The published 10th-90th range is $27,040 to $71,190. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers ($48,590), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 75,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists? ▼
Maine ($44,000), California ($38,660), South Dakota ($49,800) 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 Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-5012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. 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