Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Median Annual Pay
$45,330
Median Hourly Pay
$21.79
10th to 90th Percentile
$29,580 to $82,050
On Payrolls Nationally
72,890
How Much Do Estheticians Make in 2026?
Estheticians make a median salary of $45,330 a year in 2026, or $21.79 an hour, across 72,890 people on a payroll nationally in the May 2025 OEWS release, which is the most recent published. The mean is $51,850, 14% above the median, and the gap between the two is the first thing worth noticing: an average pulled that far above the midpoint means a minority earning a great deal more than the middle.
Esthetician pay spreads unusually wide for a license that takes less time to earn than cosmetology, and the reason is visible in where the jobs are. Clinical settings pay differently from spa settings, and the top tenth of this occupation earns well over the top tenth of cosmetologists.
What Is the Full Salary Range for Estheticians in 2026?
The full salary range for estheticians in 2026 runs from $29,580 at the bottom tenth to $82,050 at the top tenth, a factor of 2.8. Half of them earn between $36,040 and $59,700, which is the band a reader should plan around rather than the single median figure.
- Bottom 10% $29,580 $29,580
- Lower quarter $36,040 $36,040
- Median $45,330 $45,330
- Upper quarter $59,700 $59,700
- Top 10% $82,050 $82,050
Annual figures are hourly wages multiplied by 2,080 hours, which assumes full-time year-round work. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Which States Pay Estheticians the Most in 2026?
The states paying estheticians the most in 2026 are Washington at $79,320, District of Columbia at $77,480, and Wyoming at $62,400. Across every state that publishes a figure, the best-paying is 132% above the worst, and none of it is adjusted for what living there costs.
| State | Median | Bottom 10% | Top 10% | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $79,320 | $48,620 | $119,040 | 2,200 |
| District of Columbia | $77,480 | $57,660 | $120,730 | 200 |
| Wyoming | $62,400 | $39,490 | $81,790 | 100 |
| Montana | $58,500 | $35,130 | $96,780 | 280 |
| Nebraska | $58,420 | $44,300 | $122,250 | 550 |
| North Dakota | $58,160 | $35,710 | $89,270 | 190 |
| Maine | $55,850 | $34,520 | $100,190 | 260 |
| Colorado | $54,500 | $31,940 | $99,720 | 1,510 |
| Oregon | $52,110 | $35,900 | $105,660 | 1,070 |
| Delaware | $50,820 | $31,200 | $96,650 | 130 |
The median esthetician salary by state comes from OEWS state estimates for 39-5094, and is not adjusted for cost of living.
At the other end, the lowest published medians are Idaho at $34,130, Arkansas at $36,520, Tennessee at $36,590, Louisiana at $36,890, Iowa at $37,080.
BLS publishes a median for this occupation in 48 states and the District of Columbia. A state missing from it is one BLS withheld for a small sample, not one paying nothing.
Do These Figures Include Self-Employed Estheticians?
These figures do not include self-employed estheticians. The OEWS survey collects from employers, so everyone who works for themselves is outside its scope, and BLS says so plainly in its own footnote: estimates do not include self-employed workers.
That exclusion matters more in this field than in most. Renting a chair or a booth makes a stylist self-employed for this purpose even though they work in someone else's salon every day, and it is a normal way to work rather than an edge case. So read every figure on this page as the pay of estheticians on a salon's payroll, and treat the trade as a whole as unmeasured by it.
How Does Esthetician Pay Compare With Other Beauty Careers?
Esthetician pay ranks 3 of the 6 roles this site covers, at $45,330. The roles paying more at the median are makeup artists, salon managers.
Median pay for all six rows is BLS national figures from the same May 2025 release, so they are comparable with each other.
| Role | Median | Top 10% | On Payrolls |
|---|---|---|---|
| makeup artist | $97,150 | $167,470 | 2,340 |
| salon manager | $48,590 | $75,330 | 114,110 |
| esthetician (this page) | $45,330 | $82,050 | 72,890 |
| barber | $38,210 | $76,460 | 15,000 |
| cosmetologist | $35,790 | $71,190 | 305,710 |
| nail technician | $35,760 | $50,140 | 152,770 |
Common Questions About Esthetician Pay
How Much Does an Esthetician Make an Hour in 2026?
Which State Pays Estheticians the Most in 2026?
Do These Figures Include Self-Employed Estheticians?
Every figure in the answers above is from the May 2025 OEWS release for 39-5094, and describes estheticians on a payroll rather than the trade as a whole.
Where Do the Figures in This Esthetician Salary Guide Come From?
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. National and state medians, percentiles and employment for 39-5094.
- OEWS questions and answers. Survey scope, the exclusion of self-employed workers, and how annual figures are derived from hourly ones.