Wisconsin Cosmetologist Salary

Because cosmetologists generally specialize in hair care rather than nails, salons typically hire separate professionals to provide nail treatments. Thus both Wisconsin and the federal government provide separate salary information for manicurists and cosmetologists. These official salary figures are likely to underestimate hair and nail professional take home pay, because they do not account for tips.

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Cosmetologists in Wisconsin generally earned higher salaries than manicurists according to the state’s Department of Workforce Development. The average 2013 cosmetologist salary in Wisconsin was $25,270 while the average for manicurists was $23,640.

The average salary for Wisconsin’s cosmetologists was $29,510 in 2013, while nail technicians earned an average of $27,070. Entry-level salaries were almost identical with cosmetologists averaging $16,790 and manicurists making $16,800 on average.

Cosmetologist Salary Levels in Wisconsin’s Most Populated Counties

Average cosmetologist salaries in Wisconsin’s ten most populated counties differed by up to $6,000 depending on which county they were located in:

Wisconsin City
Average
Experienced
Dane
$29010
$34880
Racine
$27760
$33220
Milwaukee
$27430
$32550
Waukesha
$26500
$31360
Outagamie
$25600
$29980
Kenosha
$25520
$28800
Brown
$24360
$28190
Rock
$23470
$26820
Winnebago
$23190
$26140
Marathon
$23060
$26100

Wisconsin Hair and Nail Professional Job Growth and Employment Levels

The number of jobs for Wisconsin hairstylists, hairdressers and manicurists are expected to increase substantially between 2010 and 2020. Hairstylist, hairdresser and cosmetology jobs are expected to grow by 12.7%, while jobs for manicurists should increase by 13.7%.

Wisconsin had the fourth highest concentration of jobs for hairstylists, hairdressers and cosmetologists in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In particular, Racine had the fourth highest concentration of these jobs of any metropolitan area in the country. The northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area had the fifth highest concentration of hair professionals among all nonmetropolitan areas in the nation.

The BLS provides an analysis of 2013 cosmetology salary levels throughout Wisconsin:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Appleton WI
550
25230
Duluth MN-WI
450
24050
Eau Claire WI
410
25190
Fond du Lac WI
220
23100
Green Bay WI
510
24360
Janesville WI
270
23470
La Crosse WI-MN
270
23820
Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division
1750
27140
Madison WI
1060
28610
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI
3280
26040
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI
7500
28620
Oshkosh-Neenah WI
360
23190
Racine WI
440
27760
Sheboygan WI
310
25030
Wausau WI
190
23060
Eastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
730
22450
West Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
610
23420
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
350
26010
Southwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
240
22900
Northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
270
23370

The BLS also provides 2013 regional salary data for Wisconsin’s manicurists and pedicurists:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Green Bay WI
Estimate not released
25510
Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division
330
19290
Madison WI
30
23530
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis WI
220
23420
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI
1270
22950

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