Esthetician Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 2,376 US job postings by 617 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for estheticians: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 2,376 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for estheticians in US job postings is $47,000 a year (335 postings from 108 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $40,000 to $58,000.
- The skills that most set esthetician postings apart are chemical peels, customer service, friendly.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Esthetician job postings in the US, October 2026
- $47,000
- Median advertised pay (335 postings)
- $40,000–$58,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- 2,376
- US job postings from 617 employers
- 2 years
- Median experience asked
How much does an esthetician make?
The median advertised pay is $47,000 a year, from 335 US job postings by 108 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $71,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 335 US esthetician job postings: median $47,000 a year, middle half $40,000 to $58,000.
- Median: $47,000
- 25th percentile: $40,000
- 75th percentile: $58,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.3% |
| $20K–$30K | 2.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 22.9% |
| $40K–$50K | 31.9% |
| $50K–$60K | 20.2% |
| $60K–$70K | 10.6% |
| $70K–$80K | 4.8% |
| $80K–$90K | 3.4% |
| $90K–$100K | 0.7% |
| $100K–$110K | 0.3% |
| $110K–$120K | 0.7% |
| $130K–$140K | 1.0% |
| $160K–$170K | 0.3% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pay postings, annualised | $47,000 | $40K–$58K | 335 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Skincare Specialists (39-5094) at $45,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for an esthetician?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying esthetician jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Esthetician (general) | $47,000 | 250 | 72 |
Skills employers ask for in esthetician job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 41% |
| Customer service | 22% |
| Interpersonal skills | 16% |
| Attention to detail | 11% |
| Work independently | 9% |
| Organizational skills | 8% |
| Time management | 8% |
| Professionalism | 8% |
| Chemical peels | 7% |
| Dermaplaning | 7% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set estheticians apart
- Chemical peels1177.1× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Friendly5.4× as often as in all postings · 7%
- Positive4.7× as often as in all postings · 5%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a esthetician job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does an esthetician do?
Employers post these jobs as Licensed Esthetician, Nail Technician, Aesthetician, Spa Manager, Lash Artist and other titles. The largest specializations are Nail Technician (16%), Spa Manager (8%).
The closest official occupation is Skincare Specialists (39-5094.00). Its most important tasks:
- Sterilize equipment and clean work areas.
- Cleanse clients' skin with water, creams, or lotions.
- Demonstrate how to clean and care for skin properly and recommend skin-care regimens.
- Determine which products or colors will improve clients' skin quality and appearance.
- Keep records of client needs and preferences and the services provided.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be an esthetician?
Among 264 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. 0% say 0 years and 47% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 264 US esthetician job postings: median 2 years, and 47% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 2% |
| 1 yr | 45% |
| 2 yrs | 34% |
| 3-4 yrs | 10% |
| 5-7 yrs | 6% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | 2% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Other names for an esthetician: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Esthetician | 122 (19.8%) |
| Licensed Esthetician | 109 (17.7%) |
| Nail Technician | 92 (14.9%) |
| Aesthetician | 50 (8.1%) |
| Spa Manager | 39 (6.3%) |
| Lash Artist | 29 (4.7%) |
| Medical Aesthetician | 25 (4.0%) |
| Licensed Nail Technician | 19 (3.1%) |
| Spa Supervisor | 18 (2.9%) |
| Master Esthetician | 17 (2.8%) |
| Lash Technician | 16 (2.6%) |
| Assistant Spa Manager | 14 (2.3%) |
| Spa Esthetician | 14 (2.3%) |
| Lash Stylist | 13 (2.1%) |
| Medical Esthetician | 12 (1.9%) |
| WAX SPECIALIST | 12 (1.9%) |
| Make Up Artist | 12 (1.9%) |
| Lead Esthetician | 11 (1.8%) |
| Nail Tech | 11 (1.8%) |
| Licensed Aesthetician | 10 (1.6%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Esthetician job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nail Technician | 201 | 92 | – | – | – |
| Licensed Esthetician | 469 | 109 | – | – | – |
Esthetician compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esthetician | $47K | 2 years | 2,376 | – |
| Host | $16.58/hr | 1 year | 11,859 | 15 |
| Recreation Attendant | $17.13/hr | – | 2,760 | 18 |
| Server | $16.90/hr | 1 year | 28,843 | 15 |
| Retail Sales Associate | $17.24/hr | 1 year | 141,396 | 16 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Host | 15 | $16.58/hr |
| Recreation Attendant | 18 | $17.13/hr |
| Server | 15 | $16.90/hr |
| Retail Sales Associate | 16 | $17.24/hr |
| Customer Service Representative | 15 | $19.00/hr |
| Housekeeper | 16 | $17.75/hr |
Applying for esthetician jobs?
- Esthetician resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find esthetician jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does an esthetician make?
What are the highest-paying esthetician jobs?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 20 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.