Personal Care
Tattoo Artists
SOC 39-5099
Create permanent designs on clients' bodies with skill and safety.
The job
Median pay
$44k
Estimated
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
Estimated
Openings a year
Not published
BLS does not publish openings for this occupation, and we do not guess one
Typical education
Apprenticeship
Our model
AI exposure
Not measured
No task data or O*NET work context for this role, so it is not ranked
Future-proof
54/100
Key skills
- Drawing
- Tattooing technique
- Sterilization
- Client communication
- Patience
Pay and jobs by state: Personal Care and Service Occupations (group)
Group figures. BLS reports no numbers for Tattoo Artists on its own; this is the group it belongs to. 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.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 408,180 | 22.4 | 1.1× | $40k |
| Texas | 211,410 | 15.0 | 0.7× | $31k |
| New York | 210,500 | 21.7 | 1.0× | $38k |
| Florida | 209,960 | 21.1 | 1.0× | $34k |
| Pennsylvania | 132,420 | 21.8 | 1.0× | $35k |
| Illinois | 129,910 | 21.3 | 1.0× | $36k |
| New Jersey | 119,240 | 27.8 | 1.3× | $37k |
| Ohio | 94,770 | 17.1 | 0.8× | $32k |
| Virginia | 94,200 | 22.9 | 1.1× | $36k |
| North Carolina | 94,100 | 19.0 | 0.9× | $34k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 87,880 | 18.0 | 0.9× | $31k |
| Massachusetts | 84,310 | 23.2 | 1.1× | $43k |
| Michigan | 81,780 | 18.6 | 0.9× | $34k |
| Colorado | 77,640 | 27.0 | 1.3× | $40k |
| Washington | 69,570 | 19.6 | 0.9× | $47k |
| Arizona | 68,460 | 21.1 | 1.0× | $37k |
| Minnesota | 67,990 | 23.0 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Maryland | 66,620 | 24.1 | 1.1× | $38k |
| Nevada | 64,190 | 41.4 | 2.0× | $33k |
| Missouri | 59,880 | 20.4 | 1.0× | $33k |
| Tennessee | 57,620 | 17.6 | 0.8× | $32k |
| Oregon | 57,550 | 29.3 | 1.4× | $42k |
| Indiana | 56,720 | 17.7 | 0.8× | $31k |
| Wisconsin | 55,010 | 18.7 | 0.9× | $36k |
| South Carolina | 50,340 | 21.8 | 1.0× | $31k |
| Connecticut | 47,040 | 27.7 | 1.3× | $37k |
| Utah | 41,640 | 24.0 | 1.1× | $35k |
| Alabama | 36,990 | 17.5 | 0.8× | $29k |
| Louisiana | 36,480 | 18.9 | 0.9× | $28k |
| Kentucky | 32,360 | 16.2 | 0.8× | $31k |
| Oklahoma | 31,850 | 18.7 | 0.9× | $29k |
| Iowa | 31,560 | 20.2 | 1.0× | $30k |
| Kansas | 31,340 | 21.8 | 1.0× | $31k |
| Nebraska | 25,060 | 24.5 | 1.2× | $32k |
| Mississippi | 23,470 | 20.2 | 1.0× | $27k |
| Idaho | 19,850 | 23.2 | 1.1× | $34k |
| Arkansas | 19,480 | 14.9 | 0.7× | $29k |
| Hawaii | 17,880 | 28.5 | 1.4× | $41k |
| New Hampshire | 16,130 | 23.6 | 1.1× | $37k |
| New Mexico | 14,820 | 17.0 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Maine | 14,810 | 23.1 | 1.1× | $38k |
| Montana | 14,150 | 27.7 | 1.3× | $34k |
| West Virginia | 12,010 | 17.1 | 0.8× | $29k |
| South Dakota | 11,920 | 26.1 | 1.2× | $35k |
| North Dakota | 11,840 | 27.6 | 1.3× | $33k |
| Washington DC | 11,720 | 16.7 | 0.8× | $40k |
| Delaware | 11,260 | 23.2 | 1.1× | $35k |
| Rhode Island | 10,560 | 21.1 | 1.0× | $36k |
| Alaska | 8,470 | 26.0 | 1.2× | $41k |
| Vermont | 6,950 | 22.9 | 1.1× | $39k |
| Wyoming | 5,920 | 21.1 | 1.0× | $33k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ230,370 jobs · $38k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA151,330 jobs · $39k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN104,260 jobs · $37k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV77,200 jobs · $39k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD71,570 jobs · $36k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH66,020 jobs · $43k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX60,150 jobs · $33k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA56,820 jobs · $32k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Tattoo Artists interactively →Pay and outlook for this occupation are Career Atlas estimates: BLS does not publish it on its own. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.