Wisconsin Cosmetologist Salary

Because cosmetologists generally specialize in hair care rather than nails, salons typically hire separate professionals to provide nail treatments. Thus both Wisconsin and the federal government provide separate salary information for manicurists and cosmetologists. These official salary figures are likely to underestimate hair and nail professional take home pay, because they do not account for tips.

Cosmetologists in Wisconsin generally earned higher salaries than manicurists according to the state’s Department of Workforce Development. The average 2013 cosmetologist salary in Wisconsin was $25,270 while the average for manicurists was $23,640.

The average salary for Wisconsin’s cosmetologists was $29,510 in 2013, while nail technicians earned an average of $27,070. Entry-level salaries were almost identical with cosmetologists averaging $16,790 and manicurists making $16,800 on average.

Cosmetologist Salary Levels in Wisconsin’s Most Populated Counties

Average cosmetologist salaries in Wisconsin’s ten most populated counties differed by up to $6,000 depending on which county they were located in:

Wisconsin Hair and Nail Professional Job Growth and Employment Levels

The number of jobs for Wisconsin hairstylists, hairdressers and manicurists are expected to increase substantially between 2010 and 2020. Hairstylist, hairdresser and cosmetology jobs are expected to grow by 12.7%, while jobs for manicurists should increase by 13.7%.

Wisconsin had the fourth highest concentration of jobs for hairstylists, hairdressers and cosmetologists in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In particular, Racine had the fourth highest concentration of these jobs of any metropolitan area in the country. The northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area had the fifth highest concentration of hair professionals among all nonmetropolitan areas in the nation.

The BLS provides an analysis of 2013 cosmetology salary levels throughout Wisconsin:

The BLS also provides 2013 regional salary data for Wisconsin’s manicurists and pedicurists:

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