West Virginia Cosmetologist Salary

Although cosmetologists are trained to work on nails, salons typically assign this function to dedicated professionals licensed as nail technicians. Thus, separate salary information is available for each.

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The average 2014 cosmetologist salary in West Virginia was 36.6% higher than that for manicurists according to Workforce West Virginia. The entry-level salaries for cosmetologists and manicurists were very similar, but experienced cosmetologists earned an average of 52.1% more than experienced manicurists:

Profession
Average
Experienced
Cosmetologists
$26689
$31538
Manicurists
$19531
$20732

The actual take home pay of these professionals was higher than indicated here because of the prevalence of tipping.

Regional Cosmetology Salaries in West Virginia

Average cosmetologist salaries in West Virginia differed considerably depending on what region they were employed in. Experienced cosmetologists in the southwest region of the state earned salaries that were 86.7% higher than those in West Virginia area as a whole:

West Virginia Area
Average
Experienced
Southwest
$45844
$58866
Southeast
$26602
$31412
Kanawha County
$26136
$30723
North central
$25186
$29290
Northern Panhandle
$24717
$28512
Northeast
$22517
$25306
Northwest
$20344
$22022

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an analysis of 2013 cosmetology salary levels by percentile in West Virginia:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Charleston WV
370
30240
Cumberland MD-WV
210
22130
Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD-WV
420
27120
Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH
180
24590
Morgantown WV
160
22680
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna WV-OH
160
21090
Steubenville-Weirton OH-WV
130
26460
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division
6970
36200
Wheeling WV-OH
230
24430
Winchester VA-WV
130
33550
Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area
120
26290
North Central West Virginia nonmetropolitan area
190
26770

More than ten times as many hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists than manicurists were employed in West Virginia in 2014. One hundred manicurists practiced in the state that year, while there were 1,260 licensed cosmetologists.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also provides 2013 salary data for West Virginia’s manicurists and pedicurists:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Huntington-Ashland WV-KY-OH
30
17400
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division
1090
24250

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