SOC 39-5011.00

    Barbers

    Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving shaves.

    Median pay
    $38,210
    Growth
    +3.3%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    6,900
    Typical education
    Postsecondary certificate

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $28,600
    Median
    $38,210
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $76,460
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    15,000 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Barbers provide hair and grooming services, including cutting, styling, and shaving. This career offers a median annual pay of $38,210, with opportunities for steady employment in a hands-on service field.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What barbers do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving shaves.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    Barbers spend their days working directly with the public to cut, trim, shampoo, and style hair. They also trim beards and provide shaves. This role is highly suited for individuals with realistic interests who enjoy practical, hands-on tasks. Success in this field requires strong active listening and social perceptiveness to understand what clients want, along with a service-oriented attitude.

    Daily tasks involve scheduling appointments, organizing work areas, and maintaining interpersonal relationships with a diverse clientele. Barbers must apply knowledge of customer service, public safety, and hygiene standards to ensure a clean and safe environment. They use creative thinking to design styles and must pay close attention to detail. Key work styles for this job include dependability, cooperation, empathy, and self-control, which help in managing client interactions and delivering high-quality grooming services.

    How to get there

    To enter this career, individuals typically need a postsecondary certificate. The occupation falls under a medium preparation level, which commonly involves vocational training, an associate degree, or related hands-on experience.

    Students preparing for this field often major in cosmetology and related personal grooming services. This training provides the necessary knowledge in hair styling, safety regulations, and customer service. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so aspiring barbers should check the specific regulatory guidelines in their local area to ensure they meet all regional qualifications.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for barbers was $38,210. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and location; the lowest 10% of workers earn less than $28,600, while the highest 10% earn more than $76,460.

    There are 15,000 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3.3%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Despite this modest growth rate, the field expects about 6,900 job openings each year to replace workers who leave the occupation or retire.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    73 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    0 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    28 / 100
    Social (S)
    43 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    43 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    48 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    88
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    77
    Getting Information
    74
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    73
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    71
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    70
    Thinking Creatively
    70
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    68
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    68
    Training and Teaching Others
    63
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Service Orientation
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Learning
    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Education and Training
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Law and Government
    • Administration and Management
    • Chemistry
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Communications and Media

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Near Vision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Oral Expression
    • Selective Attention
    • Speech Recognition
    • Visualization
    • Problem Sensitivity

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Optimism
    • Empathy
    • Sincerity
    • Self-Control
    • Self-Confidence
    • Cautiousness

    Also called

    Barber Shop Operator · Barber Stylist · Hair Cutter · Hair Stylist · Licensed Barber · Stylist · Tonsorial Artist

    Career pathway

    From your interests to barbers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Barbers$38,210 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Clover Park Technical College logo
      Clover Park Technical College

      Lakewood, WA · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $31,122
      4 yrs after
      $33,290
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2Douglas Education Center logo
      Douglas Education Center

      Monessen, PA · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,344
      4 yrs after
      $32,245
      Median debt
      $12,000
    3. 3Central New Mexico Community College logo
      Central New Mexico Community College

      Albuquerque, NM · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $22,359
      4 yrs after
      $27,398
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Central Piedmont Community College logo
      Central Piedmont Community College

      Charlotte, NC · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,015
      4 yrs after
      $26,550
      Median debt
      Not reported
    5. 5Bevill State Community College logo
      Bevill State Community College

      Jasper, AL · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $23,086
      Median debt
      Not reported
    6. 6
      Coahoma Community College

      Clarksdale, MS · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $22,918
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Houston Community College logo
      Houston Community College

      Houston, TX · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $24,421
      4 yrs after
      $22,631
      Median debt
      $18,626
    8. 8Gadsden State Community College logo
      Gadsden State Community College

      Gadsden, AL · Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Associate

      1 yr after
      $15,398
      4 yrs after
      $18,504
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What barbers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Barbering/Barber
    • Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor
    • Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design
    • Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    51 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about barbers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are the common job titles for this career?

    People in this profession are known by several names, including Barber Shop Operator, Barber Stylist, Hair Cutter, Hair Stylist, Licensed Barber, Stylist, and Tonsorial Artist.

    What college majors are related to barbering?

    Students interested in this career path typically enroll in programs focused on Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services.

    Do barbers need a license to practice?

    Yes, some states list a license for this work, so candidates should verify the specific requirements of the state where they plan to work.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.