SOC 39-5092.00Bright outlook

    Manicurists and Pedicurists

    Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails.

    Median pay
    $35,760
    Growth
    +9.2%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    21,900
    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
    $28,920
    Median
    $35,760
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $50,140
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    152,770 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Manicurists and pedicurists clean, shape, and decorate fingernails and toenails. The career offers a median annual pay of $35,760, with opportunities driven by much faster than average job growth.

    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 manicurists and pedicurists do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field, often called nail technicians or manicurists, spend their days working directly with the public to care for and beautify nails. Their main tasks include cleaning, shaping, polishing, and decorating fingernails and toenails. This work requires a strong realistic interest area, as it involves hands-on, practical tasks.

    To succeed, workers must excel at establishing interpersonal relationships, assisting clients, and providing consultation. Key skills include active listening, social perceptiveness, and clear speaking. Because they interact closely with clients, nail artists must rely on work styles like empathy, cooperation, dependability, and attention to detail. They also need knowledge in customer service, design, and sales to recommend products and create appealing nail art.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a postsecondary certificate. The most common college majors that lead to this occupation are in cosmetology and related personal grooming services. While the typical entry-level education is a certificate, the job is classified as requiring some preparation, meaning many workers also have a high school diploma and receive some on-the-job training or experience. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so aspiring nail technicians should check their local state guidelines.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for manicurists and pedicurists was $35,760. Earnings can vary, with the lowest 10% of workers earning less than $28,920 and the highest 10% earning more than $50,140.

    With 152,770 people employed in this field, the occupation is expanding rapidly. Employment is projected to grow by 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than average. This growth, combined with normal turnover, is expected to generate 21,900 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    77 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    5 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    22 / 100
    Social (S)
    34 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    23 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    45 / 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
    61
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    55
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    50
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    49
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    43
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    42
    Thinking Creatively
    42
    Getting Information
    42
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    42
    Providing Consultation and Advice to Others
    38
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Active Learning
    • Coordination
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management
    • Monitoring
    • Persuasion

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Production and Processing
    • Mathematics
    • Psychology
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Design

    Abilities

    • Near Vision
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Recognition
    • Control Precision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Selective Attention
    • Speech Clarity

    Work styles

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

    Also called

    Fingernail Former · Fingernail Sculptor · Fingernail Sculpturer · Fingernail Technician · Licensed Nail Technician (Licensed Nail Tech) · Manicurist · Nail Artist · Nail Technician (Nail Tech) · Pedicurist · Salon Nail Technician (Salon Nail Tech)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to manicurists and pedicurists

    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

      • Manicurists and Pedicurists$35,760 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 manicurists and pedicurists 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.

    • Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General
    • Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    45 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 manicurists and pedicurists

    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 some alternative job titles for manicurists and pedicurists?

    People in this profession are also known as nail technicians, nail artists, fingernail sculptors, and salon nail technicians.

    What subjects should I study to prepare for this career?

    Useful knowledge areas include customer and personal service, design, sales and marketing, and psychology. Students typically enroll in cosmetology and related personal grooming services programs.

    Do I need a license to work as a nail technician?

    Some states list a license for this work. It is important to research the specific requirements of the state where you plan to practice.

    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.