Having talent at working with people to improve their appearance will let you join the creative salon professionals in Kansas. The state’s salon and spa industry offers a number of opportunities for you whether your artistic taste runs to hair styling, skin care, makeup, nail care or giving great shaves with a straight razor.
More than 3,500 people worked as barbers or beauticians in Kansas in 2014 according to the state’s Department of Labor.
You can start in a salaried, commissioned or hourly position and then work your way up to opening your very own salon once you have some experience. This guide provides salary information for a variety of salon professions, but you can expect to take home even more money than these figures indicate. They do not factor in tips, and your grateful clients will reward you for making them look and feel great – to the tune of 15% to 25%!
Range of Barber Salaries in Kansas
If your taste in clients runs towards men, you can have a rewarding career as a barber or tonsorial artist. Kansas City in particular is a good place for you to be a barber, since it had the fourth highest salaries for barbers in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Kansas Department of Labor provides salary information for barbers in Kansas in 2014. Those starting out earned an average of $16,720. You will earn more money as you master the art of providing what your clients want, and the average salary for an experienced barber in Kansas was $28,780. The average overall salary for the state was $24,760.
Salaries in Kansas City were much higher for barbers at all levels of experience:
- Entry-level $22,290
- Average $29,470
- Experienced $33,060
You can expect to take home even more money than these figures suggest, because they do not include tips. Your clients will tip you at least 10% for making them look so much better.
Kansas Manicurist Salaries
When your preference for beautifying people is to give them striking nail treatments, Kansas is a good state to work as a manicurist. It had the fourth highest salary for manicurists in the country in 2013 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The average salary for manicurists just starting out in Kansas was several thousand dollars higher than that for other beauticians. It was $20,820 in 2014 according to the state’s Department of Labor.
You can expect to make more money as you gain experience and get better at providing the nail treatments that your clients want. The average salary for an experienced nail technician was $30,820, while the average overall salary in Kansas was $27,490.
Your level of take home pay will be even higher than the values shown here, because your clients will happily tip your for making their nails look so pretty. Tips are usually at least 10%, and this will add significantly to your pay.
Cosmetology Salaries Throughout Kansas
People who love to cut and style and hair have a lot of opportunities for a rewarding career in Kansas, because most of the beauticians in this state are cosmetologists. Manhattan is a particularly good place for you to find a cosmetology job, because it had the eight highest concentration of these types of positions in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Kansas Department of Labor provides the salaries for cosmetologists in Kansas in 2014. While the average salary for a hairdresser just starting out was $16,800, gaining experience will make you better at providing the most flattering styles and cuts for your clients. Thus, the average salary for an experienced hair stylist in Kansas was nearly $10,000 more and was $26,490.
Experienced cosmetologists were particularly well paid in Topeka and Wichita:
- Wichita $34,280
- Topeka $28,630
You will take home more money than you might think after reading these figures, because they do not factor in tips. Your clients will tip you for being so artistic with their hair, and this can add 10 to 25% to your income.
Range of Esthetician Salaries in Kansas
If you are good at providing facials and body skin treatments, you can earn a good salary in Kansas. Estheticians were one of the more highly paid beautician specialties in Kansas in 2014 according to the state’s Department of Labor.
The average salary for a skin care specialist in Kansas was $30,410. Your salary will vary a great deal depending on how experienced you are. Estheticians starting out earned an average of $18,630. With experience, you will be better able to provide cutting edge skin treatments and can charge more. The average salary for an experienced skin care specialist in Kansas was $36,300.
Your clients will tip you for making you look and feel so much better, and this will add substantially to your level of take home pay. You can expect tips of 10 to 25% for your great service.
Kansas Makeup Artist Salary
Being talented at applying makeup will let you join the ranks of the specialized profession of makeup artists in Kansas. You can specialize even more and work with particular types of clients. This can range from training women to use makeup, so they look much prettier, to working with actors to make them fit their roles.
Your salary will vary a great deal depending on your specialty. Being able to make actors look different all the time requires a higher level of expertise and generally pays better.
You can get an idea of what to expect as a makeup artist in Kansas from the average starting salary for makeup positions during the year leading up to January 2015. The job site Indeed.com analyzes the salary for advertised positions during this time frame and gives an average value. This was $37,000 for makeup artists throughout Kansas.
If you work in an area with active theatre groups, you will increase your chances of getting one of these higher paying makeup artist positions.