Average Salary

• In its 2009 survey of occupational employment and wages throughout the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average annual salary for the profession was $27,070. This is equivalent to pay of $2,256 a month, or $13.02 an hour. By 2011, according to pay analysis website CBSalary.com, the average had risen to $36,605. A cosmetologist may also receive tips to augment basic salary.
  
  

Salary by Geography

• The location in which a cosmetologist works will affect salary. SalaryExpert.com found that among certain major cities across the country, New York, New York, and Boston, Massachusetts, offered the highest average salaries, at $46,540 and $40,204 respectively. In contrast, Orlando, Florida, was listed at $35,317. The Bureau of Labor Statistics listed District of Columbia as the most lucrative state-sized location for a cosmetologist, across all industry sectors, with an average of $43,330, while Honolulu, Hawaii was given as the best-paying metropolitan area, at $40,780. In contrast, Wisconsin was among the states with the lowest average pay, at $24,580, and Janesville, Wisconsin, one of its metropolitan equivalents, at $19,320.
  
  

Salary by Industry

• The vast majority of cosmetologists work within the personal care services sector of the personal appearance industry. The bureau listed the average annual salary for this sector as $27,240. This is a rate comparable to that offered in health and personal care stores at $27,270, in nursing care facilities at $27,120, and through employment services at $27,810. The most lucrative industry sector for a cosmetologist to be employed in was the motion picture and video industries, including television and corporate advertisements, averaging $60,110.
  
  

Prospects

• In the decade from 2008 to 2018, the bureau expects to see demand for cosmetologists increase by approximately 20 percent. This is significantly higher than the figure predicted for professions overall during the same period, between 7 and 13 percent. An expanding population with increasing levels of disposable income to spend on cosmetic treatments will spur this growth, combined with increased demand for advanced cosmetic techniques such as hair dyeing. As a result, income levels for cosmetologists should remain very good.