If you enjoy working with people and helping them look their best, you’ll find Louisiana’s beauty industry has a unique salon culture where clients and beauty professionals connect as friends and confidants. More than 6,500 people were employed as barbers or beauticians in the state in 2012 according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Whether you enjoy giving a great shave with a straight razor or skillfully applying makeup to improve a woman’s appearance, you’ll find a career you love and the income you deserve in Louisiana’s thriving resort spa and salon industry.
The salon industry offers different ways to be employed and compensated – working as an independent contractor renting a booth or chair, working as a traditional salaried employee, working on commission or even owning a shop of your own.
For the most part, reported salary figures represent base earnings for salaried or hourly employees and don’t include client tips, which typically add an additional 15% – 25% to a salon professional’s take home earnings.
Barber Salaries in Louisiana
Louisiana is a great choice, since its barbers had the fifth highest salaries in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Louisiana Workforce Commission reported that barbers in the state had a median salary of $30,000 that year. Shreveport is a particularly good place to work as a barber, since the median salary for these professionals was $41,571.
The amount of money you would take home as a barber should be even higher than these figures indicate, since most customers tip their barbers. You can expect to earn even more money once you have some experience, since the average salary for experienced barbers in Louisiana was $47,040. Barbers just starting out in Louisiana had an average salary of $21,010.
Salary Ranges for Estheticians in Louisiana
Getting training to be an esthetician in Louisiana and obtaining a license makes you eligible to join the ranks of skin care specialists in the state. Skin care specialty is a growing field, and there were 10 candidates for 37 job openings in early January 2015 according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
While this agency provides an estimate of how much money you could expect to earn, it does not account for tips. You should be able to earn even more by pleasing your customers, so they will give you tips. The median salary for estheticians in Louisiana was $19,780 in 2013. Skin care professionals just starting out made an average of $17,460.
As you gain experience, you can expect your level of income to increase. Experienced estheticians made $9,160 more a year on average than the median income and earned an average of $28,940.
Louisiana’s Cosmetology Salaries
If you enjoy styling hair, getting a cosmetology license in Louisiana will let you join the ranks of cosmetologists such as hair stylists and hairdressers. The median cosmetology salary was $22,110 in 2013 according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, although this figure does not include tips. Hair stylists and hairdressers earn more than what is commonly reported, because most customers tip 10 to 25%.
The average salary for entry-level cosmetologists in Louisiana was $18,390. As you gain experience and become an expert at pleasing your customers, you can expect a higher salary. The average salary for experienced hairdressers in Louisiana was 1.5 times higher than the average entry-level salary and was $27,450 a year.
Louisiana has a large number of cosmetologists, and more than 4,500 people had these types of jobs in 2012. You can expect an average of 171 jobs a year to become available between 2012 and 2022. The areas with the most cosmetologists in 2012 were the Baton Rouge and New Orleans regions.
The Salaries of Nail Technicians in Louisiana
Getting a manicurist license in Louisiana will let you use your nail technology training to beautify the nails of your customers. The median salary for a nail technician in Louisiana was $18,770 a year in 2013 according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. The Alexandria region is a particularly good place to work as a manicurist, since the median salary there was $22,026.
Since you will be pleasing your customers, they will tip you, and manicurists typically make 10-25% more than these figures indicate. As you get experience, you will be able to earn a higher salary. The average salary for experienced manicurists in Louisiana was $5,900 more than those just starting out. These salaries were $22,990 and $17,090 respectively.
Makeup Artist Salary in Louisiana
Being a makeup artist is a good way to combine your skill at beautifying people with your people skills. The best makeup artists are really good at listening to people to understand how they want to look.
The average salary for a makeup artist in Louisiana was $36,000 in 2013 according to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. This does not include tips, and makeup artists typically earn more than what is reported here.
Your salary as a makeup artist will depend a great deal on who you work for. Makeup artists who work in the theatre, films, or in television studies typically earn more than those who work with individual clients in their homes or salons.