Cosmetologists primarily provide hair care services like shampooing, cutting, coloring, styling, etc. The approximately 2,000 cosmetologists currently working in New Mexico are licensed and monitored by the State Board of Cosmetology. In order to become licensed it is necessary to graduate from a licensed school, complete state required training hours and pass the Board examination.
Beginning a Career in Cosmetology in New Mexico
The approximately 598 students who graduate from one of New Mexico’s beauty schools each year can expect to make an average annual salary of $24,580 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) – and this is before gratuity!
The number of available jobs in New Mexico is expected to increase about 10 percent by 2018. The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions maintains that this highly competitive field produces an average of 19 new job openings each year.
Cosmetologist Salaries in New Mexico and the Nation
The following is a breakdown of 2013 salary figures for cosmetologists in New Mexico:
- Mean Annual Salary – $26,570
- Mean Hourly Wage – $12.78
- Annual 10th Percentile – $18,060
- Hourly 10th Percentile – $8.68
- Annual 25th Percentile – $20,720
- Hourly 25h Percentile – $9.90
- Annual 90thPercentile – $36,370
- Hourly 90th Percentile – $17.49
Cosmetology salaries cited by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions shows that the national average is $23,140, while those in New Mexico earn $24,580.
Workforce Solutions cite additional cosmetology earnings in New Mexico as:
- Entry-level Annual Salary – $19,410
- Entry-level Hourly Wage – $9.33
- Experienced Annual Salary – $30,150
- Experienced Hourly Wage – $14.50
The Impact of Gratuity on Cosmetologist Earnings
An NBC report on the results of an informal poll conducted by the Aveda Institute indicated that it is common practice for beauty salon customers to tip the cosmetologist who works on their hair. Tipping ranges from 10 to 25 percent with an average of 20 percent. Gratuity is generally higher in large metropolitan areas while 15 percent is the norm in many small-town beauty shops. This would indicate that gratuities seriously impact the earnings of a cosmetologist.
Differences in Cosmetologist Salaries within New Mexico
Cosmetologist salaries differ depending on geographic location and especially between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Salaries in New Mexico’s Eastern nonmetropolitan region are as follows:
- Mean Annual Salary / Hourly Wage – $26,760 / $12.86
- Median Annual Salary / Hourly Wage – $23,900 / $11.54
- 10th Percentile Salary / Wage – $19,670 / $9.45
- 25th Percentile Salary / Wage – $21,330 / $10.25
- 75th Percentile Salary / Wage – $29,580 / $14.22
- 90th Percentile Salary / Wage – $40,630 / $19.54
The following table describes BLS salary and wage data for cosmetologists working as stylists, hairdressers, manicurists and skink care specialists in different areas of New Mexico: