Personal Care
Hairdressers & Cosmetologists
SOC 39-5012
Cut, color, and style hair while building a loyal book of clients.
The job
Median pay
$36k
$30k to $49k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+7.7% projected
Openings a year
73k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary plus license
Our model
AI displacement risk
Very low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
22/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
17th pct
More exposed than 17% of occupations · modeled estimate · 19th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
59/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 27,080 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $39k |
| Florida | 23,530 | 2.4 | 1.2× | $30k |
| Texas | 22,440 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $31k |
| New York | 20,740 | 2.1 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Pennsylvania | 19,350 | 3.2 | 1.6× | $37k |
| New Jersey | 15,500 | 3.6 | 1.8× | $36k |
| Illinois | 13,190 | 2.2 | 1.1× | $34k |
| Ohio | 12,890 | 2.3 | 1.2× | $36k |
| Virginia | 10,200 | 2.5 | 1.3× | $35k~ |
| Massachusetts | 9,600 | 2.6 | 1.3× | $37k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 8,970 | 2.0 | 1.0× | $35k |
| North Carolina | 8,490 | 1.7 | 0.9× | $38k |
| Georgia | 7,910 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Arizona | 7,840 | 2.4 | 1.2× | $37k |
| Washington | 6,930 | 2.0 | 1.0× | $60k |
| Colorado | 6,820 | 2.4 | 1.2× | $38k |
| Wisconsin | 6,260 | 2.1 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Tennessee | 6,080 | 1.9 | 0.9× | $31k |
| Indiana | 5,920 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $33k |
| Maryland | 5,860 | 2.1 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Missouri | 5,430 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $31k |
| Minnesota | 5,320 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $39k |
| Connecticut | 4,090 | 2.4 | 1.2× | $45k |
| South Carolina | 3,570 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $34k |
| Alabama | 3,300 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $29k |
| Iowa | 2,930 | 1.9 | 1.0× | $36k |
| Utah | 2,810 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Louisiana | 2,720 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $26k |
| Kentucky | 2,350 | 1.2 | 0.6× | $30k |
| Idaho | 2,250 | 2.6 | 1.3× | $35k |
| Kansas | 2,190 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $30k |
| New Hampshire | 1,950 | 2.9 | 1.4× | $35k |
| Nevada | 1,940 | 1.3 | 0.6× | $34k |
| Oklahoma | 1,920 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $30k |
| Nebraska | 1,890 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $34k |
| Oregon | 1,860 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $58k |
| Rhode Island | 1,470 | 2.9 | 1.5× | $31k |
| Arkansas | 1,410 | 1.1 | 0.6× | $29k |
| Delaware | 1,270 | 2.6 | 1.3× | $34k |
| New Mexico | 1,230 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $38k |
| Mississippi | 1,040 | 0.9 | 0.5× | $28k |
| West Virginia | 1,020 | 1.5 | 0.7× | $34k |
| Maine | 970 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $44k |
| Hawaii | 930 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Washington DC | 870 | 1.2 | 0.6× | $55k |
| North Dakota | 870 | 2.0 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Montana | 690 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $38k |
| South Dakota | 690 | 1.5 | 0.8× | $50k |
| Vermont | 440 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $49k |
| Wyoming | 360 | 1.3 | 0.7× | $29k |
| Alaska | 330 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $32k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ27,660 jobs · $36k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN12,000 jobs · $34k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA10,910 jobs · $44k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD9,960 jobs · $37k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH7,870 jobs · $37k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV7,010 jobs · $37k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX6,630 jobs · $34k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ6,440 jobs · $37k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Hairdressers & Cosmetologists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.