How to Maximize Your Esthetician Salary and Feel Like a Boss!

In this article I’m going to show you how you can maximize your esthetician salary and feel like a boss! I’m also going to show you:

The variations in esthetician salary according to job types
How your esthetician salary can vary greatly from state to state and city to city
The awesome job benefits you can expect to receive as an esthetician
The highest paying esthetician jobs currently available in your state (according to Glassdoor)
The different costs you can expect to incur if you decide to become a self-employed esthetician
Four things you can do to increase your esthetician salary and possibly even double it

But, first, let me show you what kind of esthetician salary you can expect to make depending on which sector of the esthetics field you choose to work in.

Let Esthetician Schooling Connect You With a High Quality Esthetician School in Your Area!

Are you ready to take the next step and begin your career as a well-paid esthetician? Esthetician Schooling has partnered with some of the best esthetician schools in the nation. Our huge network of nationally recognized esthetician schools will make it easy for you to find the right school and get started training immediately!

The beauty schools in our network contain one or more of the following high quality standards:

State Board Recognition
NACCAS Accreditation
Student Financial Aid
Job Placement Assistance for Those Who Qualify

To get started, simply fill out the quick 1-minute application below.

Esthetician Salary: The Future Looks Bright

While your passion for skin care, beauty, and helping people look and feel their best is what likely drew you to this profession, you are probably curious about esthetician salaries. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May of 2015, skincare specialists within the United States made a median wage of $30,090 per year, which equates to $14.47 per hour.

While the employment of cosmetologists, barbers, and manicurists will grow by about 10%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of skincare specialists will grow by about 12 percent between 2014 and 2024. That’s faster than average for all occupations! This is due to several factors, including an aging population, innovations in the industry to help people look and feel younger, and the rise of skin care and beauty routines in men. While you may not strike it rich as an esthetician, you can still make a great living and enjoy a rewarding career.

Variations in Esthetician Salary and Medical Esthetician Salary

Esthetician salary can vary widely depending on where you live, what type of industry you work in, whether you are a medical esthetician or not, and how much experience you have. According to BLS statistics, the lowest paid estheticians make just under $9 per hour while the highest make almost $30 per hour. In addition to their hourly wage, most estheticians are tipped. Believe it or not, tips can add an extra 10 to 25 percent onto your hourly income. There’s nothing like going home each day with some extra cash in your pocket!

Esthetician Salary Statistics from State to State

Surprisingly, estheticians in Wyoming are the highest paid estheticians in the country with a median annual wage of $55,330 and a median hourly wage of $26.60 (according to bls.gov). This is impressive, considering that Wyoming has one of the lowest cost of living expenses at $18,468 for a single adult after taxes (according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator).

In contrast, Indiana is the state with the lowest salary for estheticians at only $21,240 per year. The living expense for a single adult in Indiana is $20,637. Interestingly, estheticians in Puerto Rico are paid a higher salary on average than estheticians in Indiana with an annual wage of $21,770.

Esthetician Salary Map

The top-paying non-metropolitan area is that of Northern Colorado. Here estheticians can expect a median hour salary of $19 per hour which equates to $39,510 per year. In contrast, the highest-paying metropolitan area is the Burlington-South Burlington, VT area where estheticians have a median salary of $61,880 per year or nearly $30 per hour!

The table below shows you the number of estheticians that were employed in each state as of May 2015. It also shows you the mean (average) hourly wage for estheticians, the average monthly wage, the average yearly salary, location quotient, and the average living wage for single adults in each state, as well as the average living wage for 2 adults with 2 children.

Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist Job Statistics

State	School Hours	Apprenticeship Hours
Alabama	1500 hours	2000 hours
Alaska	350 hours	350 hours
Arizona	500 hours	N/A
Arkansas	600 hours	N/A
California	600 hours	3200 hours
Colorado	600 hours	N/A
Connecticut	N/A	N/A
Delaware	600 hours	1200 hours
District of Columbia	125 hours	N/A
Florida	260 hours	N/A
Georgia	1000 hours	2000 hours
Hawaii	600 hours	1200 hours
Idaho	600 hours	1200 hours
Illinois	750 hours	N/A
Indiana	700 hours	N/A
Iowa	600 hours	N/A
Kansas	1000 hours	N/A
Kentucky	1000 hours	N/A
Louisiana	750 hours	N/A
Maine	600 hours	1000 hours
Maryland	600 hours	12 months
Massachusetts	300 hours	N/A
Michigan	400 hours	6 months
Minnesota	600 hours	N/A
Mississippi	600 hours	N/A
Missouri	750 hours	1500 hours
Montana	650 hours	N/A
Nebraska	600 hours	N/A
Nevada	900 hours	N/A
New Hampshire	600 hours	1200 hours
New Jersey	600 hours	N/A
New Mexico	600 hours	N/A
New York	600 hours	N/A
North Carolina	600 hours	N/A
North Dakota	600 hours	N/A
Ohio	600 hours	N/A
Oklahoma	600 hours	1200 hours
Oregon	500 hours	N/A
Pennsylvania	300 hours	N/A
Rhode Island	600 hours	N/A
South Carolina	450 hours	N/A
South Dakota	600 hours	N/A
Tennessee	750 hours	N/A
Texas	750 hours	N/A
Utah	600 hours/1200 hours	800 hours/1500 hours
Vermont	600 hours	12 months
Virginia	600 hours	N/A
Washington	750 hours	800 hours
West Virginia	600 hours	N/A
Wisconsin	450 hours	450 hours
Wyoming	600 hours	N/A
State	School Hours	Apprenticeship Hours

Esthetician Salary by Experience

The amount of experience you have can make a significant difference in how much you get paid as an esthetician, just as it can in many other careers. Generally, the more experience you have, the more money you will make.

For those in the field with a year or less of experience, an entry-level esthetician salary starts at around $8 per hour and goes all the way up to nearly $20 per hour. For those estheticians with five to nine years of experience, the median esthetician salary is $12 per hour. For mid-career estheticians with nine to nineteen years of experience, the esthetician salary range is between $8 and $22 per hour with the median being $14 per hour. Experienced estheticians with twenty or more years of experience can expect to make between $9 and $26 per hour with a median salary of $16 per hour.

Salon and Spa Esthetician Salary

Out of the 55,000 estheticians employed in 2014, nearly half of them worked in personal care services such as salons and spas. In these settings, estheticians are either self-employed and renting booth space or they are an employee of the spa or salon making an hourly wage plus tips.

If you work in a salon or a spa you will see individual clients to perform skin care treatments. You may also have your own clientele or serve clients on a walk-in basis. Estheticians working in these types of establishments made a median wage of $14.47 per hour, not including tips or bonuses.

Job Expectations

In general, estheticians must be friendly and happy, always exuding a sunny disposition, no matter what is going on in their personal life. You may be required to stand for long periods of time and although much of the job is hands-on work with your clients, you will also need to spend time cleaning and disinfecting your tools and workspace. Most estheticians working in salons or spas will be required to work some evenings and on weekends.

You should enjoy meeting a variety of people from all walks of life and take their skin and beauty concerns seriously. You must also have the ability to treat other people with dignity and respect, no matter the condition of their skin as you will likely be aware of some of their most embarrassing flaws like severe acne or upper lip hair. Not keeping a poker face and reacting negatively to such situations is the quickest way to offend a client and lose your job.

Estheticians are armed with the knowledge and the tools to help make themselves look and feel good, which is one perk of working in this industry. Making others look and feel good is another. In addition, many estheticians trade services with other professionals in the beauty industry, such as cosmetologists or manicurists, in order to get out of paying for their hair color or french tips.

The Highest Paying Esthetician Jobs in Each State

To give you a closer look at the kind of salary you can make as an esthetician employee, we went to Glassdoor and dug up the information for esthetician jobs in each state. The table below shows you the state, city, and company where the employees work. The table below also shows you how much each esthetician makes per hour on average at that company, their average yearly salary, how many employees that company has working for them, the company’s quality rating (submitted by the employees), the company’s employee benefits quality rating (submitted by the employees), the total number of reviews submitted to Glassdoor for that company, and finally, the percentage of employees that would recommend that company to other people looking for a job.

State	Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Avg Monthly Wage	Annual Mean Wage	Location Quotient	ALW Single Adult	ALW Family of 4
Alabama	300	$17.14	$2,742.40	$35,640	0.54	$21,154	$29,370
Alaska	N/A	$15.74	$2,518.40	$32,740	N/A	$24,066	$33,155
Arizona	1,520	$16.99	$2,718.40	$35,340	2.02	$21,590	$32,531
Arkansas	50	$21.21	$3,393.60	$44,110	0.14	$19,760	$28,122
California	5,450	$16.49	$2,638.40	$34,300	1.21	$26,250	$35,048
Colorado	1,100	$16.18	$2,588.80	$33,650	1.54	$23,566	$33,800
Connecticut	500	$20.32	$3,251.20	$42,270	1.04	$25,210	$35,131
Delaware	N/A	$15.02	$2,403.20	$31,250	N/A	$24,440	$32,032
Florida	2,840	$16.42	$2,627.20	$34,150	1.23	$22,651	$29,619
Georgia	1,100	$14.48	$2,316.80	$30,120	0.92	$22,630	$29,890
Hawaii	320	$15.06	$2,409.60	$31,320	1.78	$29,598	$39,770
Idaho	100	$18.11	$2,897.60	$37,670	0.54	$20,571	$30,264
Illinois	1,990	$16.58	$2,652.80	$34,480	1.16	$23,816	$34,091
Indiana	920	$10.21	$1,633.60	$21,240	1.07	$20,634	$28,704
Iowa	110	$14.28	$2,284.80	$29,700	0.25	$20,342	$29,890
Kansas	200	$15.81	$2,529.60	$32,890	0.50	$20,197	$28,392
Kentucky	460	$16.69	$2,670.40	$34,720	0.86	$20,405	$29,578
Louisiana	230	$11.34	$1,814.40	$23,590	0.41	$21,299	$27,602
Maine	100	$15.65	$2,504.00	$32,550	0.59	$21,590	$30,701
Maryland	590	$19.33	$3,092.80	$40,210	0.78	$27,144	$34,653
Massachusetts	950	$21.22	$3,395.20	$44,140	0.96	$25,584	$34,008
Michigan	810	$14.41	$2,305.60	$29,970	0.67	$20,904	$30,035
Minnesota	590	$16.24	$2,598.40	$33,770	0.73	$22,214	$32,594
Mississippi	200	$12.26	$1,961.60	$25,510	0.61	$20,384	$26,707
Missouri	360	$17.07	$2,731.20	$35,510	0.46	$20,842	$28,621
Montana	N/A	$15.88	$2,540.80	$33,030	N/A	$20,966	$32,448
Nebraska	240	$14.68	$2,348.80	$30,540	0.86	$20,030	$30,618
Nevada	590	$15.67	$2,507.20	$32,590	1.65	$21,715	$33,155
New Hampshire	310	$14.30	$2,288.00	$29,750	1.65	$23,213	$31,512
New Jersey	1,500	$19.06	$3,049.60	$39,640	1.32	$26,291	$33,446
New Mexico	160	$22.40	$3,584.00	$46,590	0.70	$21,299	$29,744
New York	3,280	$19.15	$3,064	$39,830	1.25	$27,248	$38,397
North Carolina	890	$16.23	$2,596.80	$33,760	0.74	$21,902	$29,994
North Dakota	30	$15.40	$2,464.00	$32,040	0.24	$20,904	$29,640
Ohio	1,250	$18.67	$2,987.20	$38,830	0.81	$19,926	$29,411
Oklahoma	200	$12.32	$1,971.20	$25,630	0.42	$20,259	$28,475
Oregon	850	$25.26	$4,041.60	$52,550	1.67	$22,714	$32,386
Pennsylvania	1,110	$17.03	$2,724.80	$35,420	0.67	$21,278	$30,222
Rhode Island	110	$16.02	$2,563.20	$33,310	0.77	$23,234	$33,446
South Carolina	350	$13.62	$2,179.20	$28,330	0.62	$21,840	$27,456
South Dakota	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$19,843	$27,518
Tennessee	700	$17.51	$2,801.60	$36,410	0.85	$20,405	$26,624
Texas	4,430	$16.25	$2,600.00	$33,800	1.31	$21,112	$28,662
Utah	670	$13.49	$2,158.40	$28,070	1.73	$21,965	$31,595
Vermont	N/A	$24.92	$3,987.20	$51,830	N/A	$23,899	$32,594
Virginia	950	$20.75	$3,320.00	$43,160	0.88	$25,958	$32,386
Washington	710	$16.62	$2,659.20	$34,580	0.82	$23,358	$32,469
West Virginia	40	$24.03	$3,844.80	$49,980	0.20	$20,550	$29,328
Wisconsin	550	$15.09	$2,414.40	$31,380	0.68	$21,216	$33,613
Wyoming	40	$26.60	$4,256.00	$55,330	0.45	$20,862	$28,704
State	Employment	Hourly Mean Wage	Avg Monthly Wage	Annual Mean Wage	Location Quotient	ALW Single Adult	ALW Family of 4

Medical Esthetician Salary

Medical estheticians work in physician offices and medical spas and make up about 7 percent of employed estheticians, while 5 percent work in health and personal care stores. Estheticians working in doctor’s offices make the highest median wage out of the entire profession at $17.74 per hour. Those working in health and personal care stores received a median income of $11.89 per hour.

Like other esthetician salaries, your medical esthetician salary increases with experience. For medical estheticians with less than one year experience, an hourly wage just under $12 is average. With one to four years of work experience, your medical esthetician salary will likely be between $12 and $18 per hour. For medical estheticians with five to 19 years of work experience a salary of $12 to $25 can be expected on average. With 20 years or more of relevant work experience, your medical esthetician salary will be, on average, around $25 per hour.

Job Requirements and Benefits for Medical Estheticians

If you work in the field of medical esthetics, you will need to be compliant with additional requirements such as HIPPA, infection control/sanitation, as well as proper documentation. You should be friendly, welcoming, and sensitive to the skin problems your clients may be facing.

In addition to getting paid a medical esthetician salary, there are other benefits to this job. Depending on where you work, you may get free or reduced-fee services for yourself. Working in a medical type office will usually give you Sundays, evenings, and holidays off as well. Working as a medical esthetician can help you get your foot in the door if you aspire to work in the medical field.

Self-Employed Esthetician Salary

It is quite common for self-employed estheticians to work full-time. However, one benefit of being a self-employed esthetician is that you can generally set your own work hours. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not collect data on self-employed estheticians, many hard-working self-employed estheticians report making $50,000 to well over $100,000 per year, depending on the wealth of the clientele they serve, and the area in which they practice.

Some self-employed estheticians will set up shop in their own home, rent booth space in an already established salon or spa, or lease their own office space. They perform various skin treatments and hair removal, apply makeup, and educate their clients on how to keep their skin beautiful and healthy for years to come.

Job Requirements and Benefits

If you work in a hotel or at a health club you will likely be required to work some evenings, weekends, and on minor holidays. Working as an esthetician in this particular industry can also require you to be on a cruise ship for weeks at a time. You must be willing to travel and may be required to learn some foreign languages. You must also have a happy disposition and be willing to work with many different types of people from various cultures. While some estheticians consider the travel a benefit, others prefer to stay at home and work locally.

Not only will you need to like people and be sociable as a self-employed esthetician, but you must also have some business skills and high motivation. You must seek new clientele and build your own business. You will need to be flexible with your own schedule and be willing to work around the schedules of your clients. However, this can also be seen as a benefit that allows you to choose which days to take off. Other benefits include autonomy on the job and the potential to work from home to avoid a commute.

Costs Incurred by Self-Employed Estheticians

If you are considering starting your own business and becoming a self-employed esthetician, there are several out-of-pocket costs that you should be aware of. In addition to the licensing and continuing education fees you already pay in your state, you will also need to cover:

Monthly rent for a booth or office (usually includes a security deposit)
Additional licensing for operating your own business
Insurance
Salaries of other employees if your business grows
Supplies and Equipment
Marketing

These costs can quickly add up, so it’s a good idea to plan for the future and be well-prepared for any unforeseen business expenses that may arise.

While one of the main benefits of being a self-employed esthetician is that you don’t have to answer to anyone but yourself, the downside is you don’t have the cushion of a steady paycheck an employee has. Many times, the life of a self-employed esthetician is feast or famine, there is no middle-ground. It’s always a good idea to start out as an employee and hone your business skills before you venture out on your own.

Recreation and Amusement Estheticians

Estheticians also have the opportunity to work in hotels, on cruise ships, and in recreational facilities. Only about three percent of all employed estheticians work in these sectors of the skincare industry. In 2015, Estheticians working in the recreation or amusement industry, such as a health club or on a cruise ship, earned a median hourly income of $16.21.

Maximizing Your Esthetician Salary

Like many other wage-earning Americans, there are estheticians out there looking for ways to increase their earnings. While you could moonlight and drive for Uber, deliver pizza, or even pet sit, it would make much more sense to enrich your esthetician career and perfect your skills in the field that you already love and enjoy. Far too many estheticians sell themselves short, not realizing their earning potential.

Here are some ideas to help you put more money in your pocket while working as an esthetician:

Sell Products

If you are already employed at a salon or spa, you may be able to earn commissions or bonuses by selling skincare or makeup products. While this step may not be for everyone, you have significant potential to make more money by doing so. Your clients are already using a skin care and makeup line on their face, it might as well be the one you recommend and educate them about. Remember, if you aren’t willing to market these products to your clients, someone else will.

If you are a self-employed esthetician, you can also purchase skin care products and makeup lines at wholesale cost and sell them to your clients at a retail price. You may even find that many of your repeat clients come to you for product recommendations. Since these types of products are a consumable good, you will get repeat business from clients buying more once they have run out. Some industry experts believe you can increase your wages by as much as 50% if you apply yourself when it comes to selling products.

Find Your Niche… and Master It

If there is a service you provide that you love doing so much, that you would almost do it for free, that is the service you want to focus on. Find out if there are additional licenses or certifications to be obtained, specifically pertaining to that service. You can also attend seminars on it, or complete continuing education and training on that service.

Whatever that service is, make yourself an expert on it. Potential clients who need that service done are more likely to come to an experienced and specialized esthetician. For instance, some family doctors deliver babies. However, most expecting moms tend to go to an experienced OB/GYN due to their advanced knowledge and expertise. When it comes to estheticians, the same logic can be applied to microdermabrasion, waxing, or makeup application.

Attend Esthetics Trade Shows

Have you ever heard the business adage, “you have to spend money to make money”? while, the same thing can be said about the skincare industry. At trade shows, you can discover the latest and greatest procedures, treatments, and products to breathe new life into your business. Clients are always on the lookout for that next “miracle cream” or space-age treatment to make them look and feel their best. Attending trade shows can help you bring your clients whatever is new in the skincare industry… at a fair price, of course. Attending trade shows and staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends also shows that you take pride in and are passionate about your esthetics career.

Make Your Move

Depending on your current situation and your long-term career goals, you may even want to consider moving out of state to increase your earnings and decrease your cost of living… all at the same time. For example, if you were living and working as an esthetician in Indiana, moving to a state like Wyoming where the salary is higher and the cost of living is lower would increase your annual wage and overall cash flow.

Making this move would change your median salary from $21,240 (the mean annual wage in Indiana) to the Wyoming mean annual wage of $55,330. That’s a 62% increase in annual earnings! In addition, the annual cost of living prior to taxes for one adult in Wyoming is $20,867 and $42,689 for two adults and one child. Compare that to Indiana, where the annual cost of living before taxes for one adult is $20,637 and for two adults and one child it is $43,894 on a yearly esthetician salary of $21,240. What a difference!

Conclusion

No matter where you choose to live, or the environment you choose to practice in as an esthetician, you have the power to grow your own esthetician salary. By receiving the proper education and training, applying yourself, and working hard, you can determine how much money you make in this exciting and rewarding field.