What's the average salary for cosmetics?

Hi Caryn:  I believe you were referring to cosmetologist, would that be correct?  Like any profession, the salary varies according to the geography.  Jobs on the West Coast pay more than in the Midwest and South, for example.  Jobs in metropolitan areas pay more than in rural areas.  Your profile said you were from the Bay Area (Redwood City) so you are in luck, jobs pay more here. 

Salaries among cosmetologists, hairdressers, and hairstylists, however, varied significantly based on the industry in which they worked. For example, those working for performing arts companies earned the largest, annual salaries, averaging $72,580, as of May 2013. The top 10 percent of makeup artists in theatrical and production settings earned an impressive salary of $121,910 during this time. Forbes even named makeup artists in production and theater settings among its list of “America’s 20 Most Surprising Six-Figure Jobs.”

Cosmetologists in the death care services industry also earned a higher-than-average salary, averaging $34,650 a year, while cosmetologists in health and personal care stores earned an average, annual salary of $33,850.

Specific professions in cosmetology earned the following mean annual salaries during the same period:

• Manicurists/pedicurists: $21,790
• Massage therapists: $40,400
• Skincare specialists: $32,990

The top-paying states for cosmetologists, as of May 2013, were:

• District of Columbia: $43,830
• Hawaii: $36,080
• Delaware: $35,690
• Washington: $35,400
• Virginia: $33,930

The top-paying metropolitan areas for cosmetologists during the same period were:

• San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California: $39,220
• Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington: $39,180
• Springfield, Illinois: $37,220
• Bremerton-Silverdale, Washington: $36,710
• Honolulu, Hawaii: $36,380
• Yakima, Washington: $36,240
• Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD: $36,200
• Tacoma, Washington: $36,020
• Salinas, California: $35,730
• Richmond, Virginia: $35,550

The top-paying nonmetropolitan areas for cosmetologists were:

• North Central Colorado: $38,760
• Southeast Alaska: $38,050
• West Central North Dakota: $35,440
• Southwestern Wyoming: $33,720
• Northwest Massachusetts: $33,300

These kinds of salary surveys are available online (website below).  You may also want to look at the educational requirements to see what matches your background.  

The average rate for a Cosmetics Manager is $15.72 per hour. Pay for this job rises steadily for more experienced workers, but goes down significantly for the few employees with more than 20 years' experience.