- In 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published data concerning wage levels in professions across the United States. It calculated that the annual average salary for a hairstylist was $27,070. This tallies roughly with the upper figure reported by wage comparison website PayScale.com in 2011. It put the average salary for a hairstylist at between $19,158 and $35,250, dependent on commission, bonuses and profit sharing. The BLS also reported that the average wage for a practitioner in the lowest-earning 10 percent received $15,980 while their contemporaries among the highest-earning 10 percent achieved salaries averaging $43,250.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that salary levels vary depending upon which area of the industry in which a hairstylist works. While wages were comparable for positions in personal care services, like those offering procedures for cosmetic improvement, and health and personal care stores---$27,240 and $27,270, respectively---positions in department stores paid just $22,430. Nursing care facilities were listed at $27,120 while hairstylists who worked in the motion picture or video industries, on advertisements, television, music videos, websites, could earn an average of $60,110.
- Geographical location also impacts upon the salary a hairstylist achieves. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2009 survey found that hairdressers earned the best salaries working in the states of Hawaii and Delaware at $39,390 and $33,800, respectively. By contrast, pay levels in Wisconsin and Ohio were $24,580 and $24,490, respectively. At the level of metropolitan locale, hairdressers earned the highest average salaries, $40,780, in Honolulu in Hawaii, while Janesville, Wisconsin offered just $19,320. Pay comparison website SalaryExpert.com looked at average hairstylist salaries in some major cities. Across all industries it found that New York, New York and Phoenix, Arizona were among the best locations, with average wages of $25,520 and $22,034 respectively. Charlotte, North Carolina, meanwhile, was listed at just $17,914.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that in the years between 2008 and 2018 employment opportunities for hairstylists and other personal appearance workers will grow by approximately 20 percent. This represents excellent growth given that the national average for all occupations is not expected to exceed 13 percent over the same period. An expanding population willing to spend more on cosmetic procedures and an increasing demand for advanced hair styling services, such as coloring, will be the fuel for this growth. Opportunities are likely to be most numerous at entry level, with positions at high-end salons experiencing keener competition. Overall, salaries for hairstylists should remain very competitive in the near future.
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