Salaries

• As of May 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that estheticians earned an average salary of $32,030 annually. While salaries started at less than $17,090 in the 10th percentile, master estheticians with several years of experience may earn over $40,810 in the 75th percentile and over $50,890 in the 90th percentile.
  
  

Industry

• The industry of personal care services employed the highest number of estheticians as of 2010, offering an average salary of $30,410 a year. Master estheticians with the appropriate training found work in the offices of physicians, which offered the highest salary average of all industries at $39,540 a year. Higher than average wages were also found in outpatient care centers and hospitals at over $37,000 a year. Those working in health and personal care stores earned an average of $27,880, and those in the industry of traveler accommodation earned an average of $31,660. In amusement and recreation industries the average salary of an esthetician was $38,450 a year.
  
  

Location

• The state of Hawaii had the highest concentration of jobs for estheticians as of 2010, and also offered the second-highest salary in the nation at $42,810 annually. The only state with a higher average was Delaware at $46,130 a year. In Oregon, estheticians earned an average salary of $41,650 a year, in the District of Columbia the average was $41,580 and in Washington the average was $40,370. The cost of living and demand for estheticians in an area impacts salaries whether the specialist is a master or just beginning his career.
  
  

Outlook

• While the BLS predicts an employment growth rate of 20 percent between 2008 and 2018 for all personal appearance workers, estheticians will see an even larger growth at 38 percent, largely due to the popularity in using skin care treatments both for relaxation and medical purposes. Master estheticians should have both training and experience in the cosmetic and medical side of skin care, including advising clients on make-up and cosmetic products, removing body and facial hair, applying chemical peels and collaborating with plastic surgeons and dermatologists.