Careers
Cosmetology careers in 2026
Six roles, six separate licenses in most states, and a pay range between them wider than the range inside any one of them. Which one you train for is a bigger decision than which school you train at.
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
What careers can you get with a cosmetology education?
A cosmetology education leads to six occupations that BLS counts separately, covering 662,820 people on payrolls between them. They are not tiers of one career ladder. Each is a different license with its own hours and its own exam, and the choice between them is made at enrollment rather than after it.
The table below is the whole argument of this section: cosmetologists are far the largest group, the pay ordering does not follow the headcount ordering, and the shortest license to earn is not the lowest paid.
Which cosmetology career pays the most in 2026?
The cosmetology career paying the most at the median in 2026 is the salon manager, at $48,590, and it is the one role here that no state licenses. Among the licensed service roles, estheticians lead. Read the top-ten column alongside the median, because in this field the two orderings disagree.
| Career | On payrolls | Median | Top 10% | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cosmetologist 39-5012 | 305,710 | $35,790 | $71,190 | Cosmetology |
| nail technician 39-5092 | 152,770 | $35,760 | $50,140 | Its own |
| salon manager 39-1022 | 114,110 | $48,590 | $75,330 | None |
| esthetician 39-5094 | 72,890 | $45,330 | $82,050 | Its own |
| barber 39-5011 | 15,000 | $38,210 | $76,460 | Its own |
| makeup artist 39-5091 | 2,340 | $97,150 | $167,470 | Its own |
Employment and wage figures: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Payroll counts exclude the self-employed, which understates every row and understates barbering most of all.
Do these cosmetology careers each need their own license?
Cosmetology careers do each need their own license, with one exception. Cosmetology is the broad license, and nail technician, esthetician, barber, makeup artist are licensed separately in most states, each with its own hour requirement and its own exam. Salon management is the exception: no state licenses it, and managers get there by holding a service license and then being promoted.
The exams behind those licenses are largely common: most boards administer the written and practical examinations produced by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology, even where the hour requirements behind them differ.
The practical consequence is that switching later costs a second program. A nail technician who wants to cut hair is not topping up a license, they are earning a different one, usually from zero hours. That is the decision worth slowing down for before enrolling.
What do these cosmetology careers have in common?
What these cosmetology careers have in common is that clients, not employers, set the income. Five of the six are paid on some mix of commission, tips and repeat business, so two people with the same license in the same salon can earn very different amounts depending on how many clients rebook. It is the single biggest reason the pay bands on this site are so wide inside one job title.
That structure is also why the published figures undercount the trade. Renting a chair makes someone self-employed, and BLS surveys employers, so the people whose clients are most clearly their own are the people least likely to appear in the numbers.
Where can you read about each cosmetology career?
Each profile covers the work, the license, and where the jobs are. The figures on each card are May 2025 OEWS national medians and payroll counts.
How to become a cosmetologist
Cuts, colors and styles hair, and in most states may also do skin, nail and makeup work under the same license.
305,710 on payrolls · $35,790 median
How to become a nail technician
Shapes, treats and decorates nails, and works under a separate, shorter license than a cosmetologist in most states.
152,770 on payrolls · $35,760 median
How to become a salon manager
Runs the floor of a salon or spa: scheduling, hiring, retail, and the numbers behind the chairs.
114,110 on payrolls · $48,590 median
How to become an esthetician
Treats skin: facials, waxing, peels and the rest, on a license separate from cosmetology in most states.
72,890 on payrolls · $45,330 median
How to become a barber
Cuts and styles hair and shaves, on a barbering license that most states issue separately from cosmetology.
15,000 on payrolls · $38,210 median
How to become a makeup artist
Applies makeup for film, television and stage. Salon and freelance makeup work sits outside this occupation entirely.
2,340 on payrolls · $97,150 median
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Employment and wage percentiles for all six occupations.
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification. Which occupation each role belongs to, and where the boundaries between them fall.
- State board regulations, read from each board and cited on the state pages.