Cosmetologist vs hair colorist

The differences between cosmetologists and hair colorists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cosmetologist and a hair colorist. Additionally, a cosmetologist has an average salary of $37,122, which is higher than the $35,934 average annual salary of a hair colorist.

The top three skills for a cosmetologist include TIP, customer service and retail sales. The most important skills for a hair colorist are front desk, client appointments, and product knowledge.

Cosmetologist vs hair colorist overview

	Cosmetologist	Hair Colorist
Yearly salary	$37,122	$35,934
Hourly rate	$17.85	$17.28
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	45,889	34,025
Job satisfaction	2	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Cosmetologist vs hair colorist salary

Cosmetologists and hair colorists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cosmetologist	Hair Colorist
Average salary	$37,122	$35,934
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $53,000	Between $22,000 And $57,000
Highest paying City	Duluth, MN	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Anthony	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between cosmetologist and hair colorist education

There are a few differences between a cosmetologist and a hair colorist in terms of educational background:

	Cosmetologist	Hair Colorist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Cosmetology	Cosmetology
Most common college	-	-

Cosmetologist vs hair colorist demographics

Here are the differences between cosmetologists' and hair colorists' demographics:

	Cosmetologist	Hair Colorist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 7.4% Female, 92.6%	Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between cosmetologist and hair colorist duties and responsibilities

Cosmetologist example responsibilities.

Manage beautiful hairstyles with the use of flat irons, curling irons, blow dryers, and other hair products.
Provide basic nail care service, sculpture nail and tip applications, oil and water pedicures
Apply sculptured nails, tip overlays, overlays, wraps, gel nails, manicures, and pedicures.
Used POS systems and software to track clients personal profiles.
Skil and master numerous techniques in the coloring field of cosmetology.
Present new products and selling products to customers using a pos system

Hair colorist example responsibilities.

Manage product inventory for cosmetology products, place product orders, maintain the inventory.
Provide hairstylist services/professional makeup/manicures/pedicures and modeling.
Perform cosmetology services on clients-scheduling appointments-Inventory

Cosmetologist vs hair colorist skills

Common cosmetologist skills

TIP, 21%
Customer Service, 14%
Retail Sales, 11%
Spa Services, 6%
Hair Color, 5%
Clips, 5%

Common hair colorist skills

Front Desk, 82%
Client Appointments, 13%
Product Knowledge, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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