How much doestheticians make?
Skincare specialists — the BLS occupation for estheticians — earned a median of $45,330 a year in May 2025. Pay depends heavily on where they work: physician offices pay more than salons and spas. Here is the full range and pay in every state.
Updated October 28, 2026 · SOC 39-5094 (Skincare Specialists)
Pay at a glance
SOC 39-5094 (Skincare Specialists)
- $45,330median annual pay for skincare specialists, or $21.79 an hour.
May 2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook; BLS, OEWS May 2025[1][2]
- $82,050or more for the highest-paid 10% (90th percentile).
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
- $51,850mean (average) annual pay, or $24.93 an hour.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
- $79,320median annual pay in Washington, the highest of any state.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: highest of the state medians BLS released[2]
What estheticians earn, from lowest to highest
Esthetician pay spreads wider than nail or hair pay: the 90th percentile is more than double the 10th.
$45,330 median annual pay: half of skincare specialists earned more, half less. The 10th percentile was $29,580, the 25th $36,040, the 75th $59,700 and the 90th $82,050.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
$21.79 median hourly pay. The 10th percentile was $14.22 an hour, the 25th $17.33, the 75th $28.70 and the 90th $39.45.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
$51,850 mean annual pay, $6,520 above the median of $45,330: the highest earners pull the average above the middle.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: mean minus median[2]
88.9% of the median for all occupations: $45,330 compared with $50,980.
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: $45,330 ÷ $50,980, rounded to one decimal[2]
72,890 skincare specialists on payrolls — the workers these pay figures describe.
May 2025BLS, OEWS May 2025[2]
OEWS pay covers 72,890 skincare specialists on payrolls. It leaves out self-employed workers.
Physician offices pay more than salons
Where an esthetician works changes pay. Estheticians in physician offices — the closest official category to med spa work — have the highest median of the industries BLS lists.
$24.81 median hourly pay in offices of physicians, compared with $21.75 in traveler accommodation, $21.10 in personal care services and $20.15 in health and personal care retailers.
May 2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
29% of skincare specialists are self-employed; their earnings are not part of the pay numbers.
2025BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook[1]
BLS has no separate occupation for lash techs. The Handbook says skincare specialists may also provide eyelash services, so some lash work is counted here, but there is no official pay figure for lash techs alone.
Where estheticians earn the most
State medians for estheticians differ by more than double between the top and the bottom.
$79,320 in Washington, the highest state median. The top five: Washington ($79,320), District of Columbia ($77,480), Wyoming ($62,400), Montana ($58,500), Nebraska ($58,420).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state medians sorted from highest; states without a released estimate left out[2]
$34,130 in Idaho, the lowest state median. The lowest three: Idaho ($34,130), Arkansas ($36,520), Tennessee ($36,590).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state medians sorted from lowest[2]
11,360 skincare specialists on payrolls in California, the most of any state. The top five: California (11,360), Texas (6,160), Florida (5,270), New York (3,510), Illinois (2,960).
May 2025CalculationLuvira calculation from BLS, OEWS May 2025: state employment sorted from highest[2]
State medians are not adjusted for living costs. “—” in the table below means BLS did not release the estimate.
Estheticians pay by state
Median annual pay and the number of skincare specialists on payrolls, for every state.
| State | Median annual payMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] | Estheticians on payrollsMay 2025 · BLS, OEWS May 2025 [2] |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $39,260 | 590 |
| Alaska | $41,240 | 120 |
| Arizona | $50,470 | 1,710 |
| Arkansas | $36,520 | 340 |
| California | $38,770 | 11,360 |
| Colorado | $54,500 | 1,510 |
| Connecticut | $43,680 | 660 |
| Delaware | $50,820 | 130 |
| District of Columbia | $77,480 | 200 |
| Florida | $43,880 | 5,270 |
| Georgia | $48,660 | 2,230 |
| Hawaii | — | 140 |
| Idaho | $34,130 | 720 |
| Illinois | $45,330 | 2,960 |
| Indiana | $44,450 | 1,120 |
| Iowa | $37,080 | 710 |
| Kansas | $45,760 | 420 |
| Kentucky | $38,580 | 830 |
| Louisiana | $36,890 | 600 |
| Maine | $55,850 | 260 |
| Maryland | $46,590 | 1,130 |
| Massachusetts | $47,310 | 1,360 |
| Michigan | $45,240 | 1,510 |
| Minnesota | $44,430 | 920 |
| Mississippi | $41,160 | 320 |
| Missouri | $45,200 | 1,390 |
| Montana | $58,500 | 280 |
| Nebraska | $58,420 | 550 |
| Nevada | $38,660 | 1,540 |
| New Hampshire | $46,890 | 430 |
| New Jersey | $45,870 | 2,660 |
| New Mexico | $47,230 | 370 |
| New York | $42,910 | 3,510 |
| North Carolina | $39,120 | 2,680 |
| North Dakota | $58,160 | 190 |
| Ohio | $39,150 | 1,700 |
| Oklahoma | $37,340 | 680 |
| Oregon | $52,110 | 1,070 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,620 | 2,560 |
| Rhode Island | $43,880 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $39,670 | 1,210 |
| South Dakota | $38,230 | 150 |
| Tennessee | $36,590 | 1,710 |
| Texas | $49,250 | 6,160 |
| Utah | $45,490 | 1,160 |
| Vermont | — | — |
| Virginia | $39,350 | 1,970 |
| Washington | $79,320 | 2,200 |
| West Virginia | $38,030 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $46,220 | 1,190 |
| Wyoming | $62,400 | 100 |
“—” means BLS did not release the estimate for that state. Self-employed workers are not included.
Related numbers
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Sources and method
All sources accessed October 28, 2026. Each number above links to its source by number.
- [1]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Skincare SpecialistsNumber of jobs includes self-employed workers; projections cover 2025 to 2035. Pay is the May 2025 OEWS estimate for wage and salary workers.
- [2]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: national and state estimatesRead through the BLS Public Data API (series OEUN… for the nation, OEUS… for states). OEWS counts wage and salary jobs only, so self-employed workers are not included. Estimates BLS does not release are shown as “—”.
How we built this page
- Only official sources: the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No paid market research, no trade-group surveys, no job-board salaries.
- Numbers are written exactly as the agency published them. Numbers we worked out, such as shares, changes and averages per business, are labeled “Calculation” and show how they were calculated.
- Pay figures cover workers on a payroll. The self-employed are counted in the number of jobs but not in the pay data.
Left out on purpose
- A pay figure for lash techs, because BLS does not track them separately.
- Med spa salary surveys from trade groups, because they are not official statistics.
Common questions
About esthetician pay
The median annual pay for skincare specialists was $45,330 in May 2025 (BLS OEWS); the mean was $51,850. The highest-paid 10% earned $82,050 or more.
There is no official med spa category. In offices of physicians, the closest one, the median was $24.81 an hour in May 2025, against $21.10 in personal care services.
There is no official figure. BLS does not track lash techs as a separate occupation, and we do not publish an estimate. The closest official number is esthetician pay on this page.
Washington had the highest state median for skincare specialists in May 2025, at $79,320. The table above lists every state with a released estimate.
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