Average Salary

• In its 2009 report on employment and wages throughout the American economy, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) stated that the average annual salary for a cosmetologist -- as well as for their close colleagues hairdressers and hairstylists -- was $27,070. This means, on average, a cosmetologist receives $13.02 an hour and $2,256 each month. A cosmetologist amongst the top 10 percent of earners is likely to receive in excess of $43,250, while someone in the bottom 10 percent earns an average salary less than $15,980. A cosmetologist's salary may be augmented by customer tips.
  
  

Salary by Industry

• The personal care services sector of the personal appearance industry employs the vast majority of cosmetologists. The BLS reported that the average annual salary in this sector was $27,240. Similar levels of pay are offered by health and personal care stores -- $27,270 -- and nursing care facilities -- $27,120. Cosmetologists who secure employment within the motion picture and video industries are likely to receive the highest pay rates, averaging $60,110, while positions within department stores paid an average of just $22,430.
  
  

Salary by Location

• Location also affects a cosmetologist's pay. The Economic Research Institute found that, across certain major U.S. cities, wage levels were highest in New York, Boston and Chicago, averaging $40,575, $38,762 and $36,611, respectively. Among the locations surveyed, Orlando, Florida, had the lowest pay rates; an average of $31,580. The BLS listed the District of Columbia as a lucrative location, averaging $43,330, while Hawaii and Delaware were listed at $39,390 and $33,800, respectively. At the opposite end of the scale, Wisconsin had average salaries of $24,580, while those in Ohio were listed as $24,490.
  
  

Outlook

• While the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment levels for the United States as a whole to grow by between 7 and 13 percent over the decade from 2008 to 2018, its prediction for cosmetologists is much higher. The BLS estimates employment growth of around 20 percent over the same period, fuelled by an increasing population demanding more personal appearance services. As such, salary rates should stay competitive, although competition for vacancies will be highest among the best-paying salons.