Hair salon industry reference
Hair salon industry statistics, 2026.
Current U.S. and Houston workforce figures for writers, researchers and salon professionals. Every number below links to its original public source.
Last updated November 13, 2026
The quick read.
Hair care is a large, service-led profession with a distinctly independent structure. National employment is projected to grow through 2035, while nearly half of hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists are self-employed. Houston remains a substantial local market, with 6,160 workers in the occupation in the latest metropolitan estimate.
These figures describe occupations, not every role or every business in the broader beauty economy. Definitions and collection dates vary by source, so each stat keeps its own source date visible.
Citable figures
U.S. and Houston hair salon statistics.
595,000
hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists were employed in the U.S. in 2025.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook2025
8%
projected employment growth for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists from 2025 to 2035.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections2025–2035 projection
640,900
projected U.S. jobs for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists in 2035.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections2025–2035 projection
73,400
average annual openings projected for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists from 2025 to 2035.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections2025–2035 projection
$17.21
national median hourly wage for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook HandbookMay 2025
48%
of hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists were self-employed.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook2025
6,160
hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists employed across the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsMay 2023
$18.75
mean hourly wage for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists in the Houston metro area.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsMay 2023
How to read these numbers
A practical note on the data.
National employment and projected openings are from the federal occupational outlook for hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists. The Houston figures use the metropolitan occupational estimate published for May 2023, the latest Houston-specific source cited on this page.
Median pay is not a salon price or a measure of a stylist’s take-home income. It is an occupational wage statistic. Self-employment is reported as an employment setting, not a business-success measure.
Methodology and sources
Built for clear attribution.
This page uses public U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics sources only. We selected occupation-level figures that directly describe hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists, and retained the reporting date beside each number. The page is reviewed monthly, or sooner when a key source publishes updated data.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists, accessed November 13, 2026. Source for 2025 employment, growth, projected jobs, pay and self-employment context.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational projections and worker characteristics, accessed November 13, 2026. Source for annual openings.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2023. Source for Houston employment and mean hourly wage.