Indiana Cosmetologist Salary

While cosmetologists are trained to beautify both hair and nails, salons typically hire manicurists and pedicurists to treat their customers’ nails. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development provides salary information for both cosmetologist salaries in Indiana and for manicurists in the state.

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The 2013 salaries of Indiana cosmetologists and manicurists were similar for those entering these professions. However, experienced cosmetologists earned substantially more than experienced manicurists:

Profession
Entry
Experienced
Cosmetologists
$16453
$37627
Manicurists
$16016
$29827

These figures typically underestimate the actual take home pay, because customers generally tip 10 to 25%.

Employment Levels of Indiana’s Hair and Nail Professionals

Seven thousand cosmetologists working as hairdressers and hairstylists worked in Indiana in 2013 as compared to 380 manicurists.

Indiana’s cosmetologists were primarily concentrated in a few key metropolitan areas. There were 2,100 of these professionals employed in the Indianapolis area and 1,150 in the Gary metropolitan area. In contrast, Indianapolis had 150 manicurists while 70 were employed in Gary.

Hair and Nail Professional Job Growth in Indiana

The fields of both hair and nail care are growing rapidly in Indiana. Estimates indicate that the number of manicurist jobs will increase by 16.4% between 2010 and 2020, while those in the cosmetology field will increase at a rate of 15.2%.

Jobs for cosmetologists, hairdressers, and hairstylists are expected to increase more than the state’s average in the northwestern, northern, and central regions of the state. Manicurist job growth is expected to be exceptionally high in the eastern and southeastern parts of Indiana at 21.1%.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides an analysis of 2013 cosmetologist salary percentiles in Indiana:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Anderson IN
100
26230
Bloomington IN
210
24140
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN
4100
26250
Columbus IN
70
25520
Elkhart-Goshen IN
200
24680
Evansville IN-KY
350
23050
Fort Wayne IN
690
23480
Gary IN Metropolitan Division
1150
25310
Indianapolis-Carmel IN
2100
27420
Kokomo IN
100
21630
Lafayette IN
230
32730
Louisville-Jefferson County KY-IN
1210
27800
Michigan City-La Porte IN
80
27780
Muncie IN
80
28230
South Bend-Mishawaka IN-MI
600
22270
Terre Haute IN
Estimate not released
26680
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area
350
23010
Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area
210
24940
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area
180
23500

The BLS has separate tables for 2013 manicurist and pedicurist salaries:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Cincinnati-Middletown OH-KY-IN
350
23580
Fort Wayne IN
Estimate not released
19640
Gary IN Metropolitan Division
70
22110
Indianapolis-Carmel IN
150
19740
Louisville-Jefferson County KY-IN
70
23990

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