Although cosmetologists are trained to beautify both hair and nails, salons frequently hire dedicated nail specialists such as manicurists and pedicurists. Because of this, both the Kansas Department of Labor and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report separate salary figures for these occupational categories.
The 2013 entry-level cosmetologist salaries in Kansas reported by the state’s Department of Labor were very similar to those of manicurists. However, cosmetologists in the average and experienced salary brackets had higher salaries than manicurists:
These values generally underestimate the take home pay of cosmetologists and manicurists, since tipping is customary in these fields.
Kansas Hair and Nail Professional Employment Levels
The employment levels for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Kansas were much higher than those for manicurists. In 2013, 3,420 cosmetology professionals practiced in the state. In contrast, 140 manicurists were employed in Kansas that year.
The cosmetologists in Kansas were mostly concentrated in the Kansas City area. Nearly 43% of these professionals were employed in this area. The metropolitan area with the next highest concentration of these hair and nail professionals was Wichita. It had 23.4% cosmetology professionals employed there.
Cosmetologist and Manicurist Job Growth Rates in Kansas
The field of providing manicures and pedicures in Kansas is expected to grow at a higher rate than that of cosmetology between 2012 and 2022. The number of jobs for manicurists is expected to grow at 0.9% a year, while the number of cosmetology jobs will grow at 0.6%.
Most of the new cosmetology jobs will be due to the need to replace professionals leaving the workforce. The number of average annual jobs that will become available during this time frame is expected to be 166 with 131 of them being replacement positions. In contrast, the number of predicted manicurist jobs is split evenly between openings due to growth and those due to replacement.
The BLS provides an analysis of 2013 cosmetology salary levels in Kansas by percentile:
In addition, the BLS provides 2013 salary data for Kansas’s manicurists and pedicurists: