How Much Does A Cosmetologist Earn?

Because it can often take time to earn a lot of money as a cosmetologist, most recent graduates look for careers at a local beauty salon or spa. In addition, some television networks and private companies tend to pay higher salaries, making them attractive career options.

If you work in the entertainment industry as a cosmetologist, you can expect to earn considerably more than you would at your local spa. However, some higher end salons attract the top professionals and therefore offer higher salaries; also, if you become a cosmetologist and open your own private salon, you can also expect to earn more by charging more for your services.

The bottom line is that if your goal is to earn as high a salary as possible, you may want to focus your job search on the TV networks, or look for some sort of celebrity position. However, you can also expect to earn a higher salary in certain areas of the country, rather than others.

As of May, 2008, The two places that pay cosmetologists the highest salaries are Washington DC and Hawaii, according to Allsalarydata.com. The average hourly wage in Hawaii is around $20, as compared to Vermont’s hourly wage of $14.83, a 35 percent difference. If Hawaii is taken out of the equation, the spread between average hourly salaries is much smaller. Other examples include Massachusetts, New jersey and Washington, all of which pay around 415 to 416 per hour.

The same site has some other statistics concerning the average yearly salary in the cosmetology industry.

The highest and lowest average annual salaries are in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with salaries of around $31,400 and $23,040 respectively, a difference of just over $8,000.

USNews has some salary statistics for the cosmetology industry too:

In 2010, in the hairdressing industry in general, the highest and lowest salaries were around $41,540 and $16.350, with the average salary being $22,760. The highest paid hairdressers work in boulder, CO, Sherman, TX, and Santa Fe, NM, and having a loyal client base and the relevant experience are both essential to earn a higher salary.

Evergreen Beauty College offers esthetics and cosmetology programs. Contact us for more information.