Skip to main contentReport an accessibility problem
ASU for LifeASU for Life

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

Human ServicesO*NET 39-5012.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$35,486

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+7.9%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Certificate

79% of the workforce

Employment
665.49K jobs

Growing to 718.23K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

Loading available locations…

Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

Loading related ASU learning

The work

What hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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, trimmers and razors.
  • Schedule client appointments.
  • Update and maintain customer information records, such as beauty services provided.
  • Demonstrate and sell hair care products and cosmetics.
  • Analyze patrons' hair and other physical features to determine and recommend beauty treatment or suggest hair styles.
  • Shampoo, rinse, condition, and dry hair and scalp or hairpieces with water, liquid soap, or other solutions.
  • Operate cash registers to receive payments from patrons.
  • Order, display, and maintain supplies.
  • Comb, brush, and spray hair or wigs to set style.
  • Develop new styles and techniques.
  • Apply water or setting, straightening or waving solutions to hair, and use curlers, rollers, hot combs and curling irons to press and curl hair.
  • Shape eyebrows and remove facial hair, using depilatory cream, tweezers, electrolysis or wax.
  • Shave, trim, and shape beards and moustaches.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$18,098
25th percentile
$24,992
50th percentile
$35,486
75th percentile
$53,890
90th percentile
$87,179

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $35,486 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+7.9%faster than average
2025665,486 jobs
2035 projected718,234 jobs

52,748 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Certificate
79%
High school diploma or less
20.9%
Some college
0.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Cosmetology
  • Marketing
  • Sanitation
  • Hairstyling
  • Professional Hair Care
  • Cosmetics
  • Product Knowledge
  • Keratin Smoothing
  • Product Demonstration
  • Infection Control
  • Ear Piercing
  • Loss Prevention
  • Hair Coloring
  • General Mathematics
  • Retail Sales
  • Housekeeping
  • Setting Appointments
  • Upselling
  • Color Theory
  • Nail Care

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Hair Stylists9,119 postings
  2. 02Stylists7,467 postings
  3. 03Hair Stylists/Cosmetologists2,169 postings
  4. 04Salon Hair Stylists2,004 postings
  5. 05Master Stylists1,592 postings
  6. 06Cosmetologists1,071 postings
  7. 07Stylists/Cosmetologists1,054 postings
  8. 08Cosmetologists/Hairstylists1,003 postings
  9. 09Licensed Cosmetologists907 postings
  10. 10Cosmetology Instructors817 postings
  11. 11Licensed Hair Stylists744 postings
  12. 12Apprentice Stylists631 postings
  13. 13Hairdressers543 postings
  14. 14Aestheticians/Cosmetologists504 postings
  15. 15Cosmetology Teachers490 postings
  16. 16Event Stylists405 postings
  17. 17Salon Leaders315 postings
  18. 18Salon Assistants297 postings
  19. 19Pet Groomers255 postings
  20. 20Barbers247 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Ulta Beauty5,270 postings
  2. 02Ratner Companies3,913 postings
  3. 03Regis Corporation3,419 postings
  4. 04Great Clips3,233 postings
  5. 05Sport Clips1,569 postings
  6. 06SmartStyle1,537 postings
  7. 07Supercuts1,440 postings
  8. 08Costcutters346 postings
  9. 09Colleyville Lifetime Fitness334 postings
  10. 10Madison Reed294 postings
  11. 11PetSmart241 postings
  12. 12European Wax Center214 postings
  13. 13Resident Salon Services211 postings
  14. 14SmartStyle Hair Salon203 postings
  15. 15Salon PS California183 postings
  16. 16Amazing Lash Studio176 postings
  17. 17Paul Mitchell Schools158 postings
  18. 18Empire Beauty School145 postings
  19. 19Empire Beauty Schools117 postings
  20. 20Herespa113 postings

Keep looking

Related careers

Barbers

Median pay
$31,695
Employment outlook
+13.1%

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Median pay
$59,517
Employment outlook
+7.2%

Childcare Workers

Median pay
$32,111
Employment outlook
−4.3%

Clergy

Median pay
$60,002
Employment outlook
+6.3%