75,800
barber jobs in the U.S.
BLS estimate for 2025.
Source: Occupational Outlook HandbookReference desk
Barber industry
statistics.
Current U.S. employment, pay, and outlook figures for people following the barber industry. Every number below names its source and reporting date.
Last updated October 8, 2026
At a glance
The numbers that frame the trade.
These figures describe the barber occupation, not every service offered in a barbershop. That distinction matters: the federal job count and wage data track workers, while the industry itself includes independent owners, studios, schools, and the wider personal-care economy.
80%
of barbers are self-employed
BLS employment mix for 2025.
Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook$18.37
median hourly pay
U.S. barbers, May 2025.
Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook3%
projected job growth
From 2025 through 2035.
Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook760
employer-reported barber jobs in Florida
May 2023 wage survey estimate.
Source: Florida OEWSEmployment and ownership
Independent by design.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that barbers held about 75,800 jobs in 2025. Its breakdown shows 80% were self-employed, while 20% worked in personal care services. That makes barbering unusually shaped by independent work, booth rental, studio ownership, and personal client relationships.
The same source projects the occupation to grow from 75,800 jobs in 2025 to 78,300 in 2035, a gain of 2,500 jobs, or 3%. The projection is a national estimate, not a promise for any individual market.
Read the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation profile ↗Pay snapshot
What the national
median says.
Median hourly pay for U.S. barbers was $18.37 in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $13.75 per hour, while the highest 10% earned more than $36.76 per hour. The source notes that tips are included in these wage data.
State figures vary. In Florida’s May 2023 employer survey, the published estimate was 760 barbers with a mean hourly wage of $19.67 and a mean annual wage of $40,910. It is a wage-survey estimate, so it should not be compared as though it were a complete count of everyone working independently.
Methodology and sources
Built for a clean citation.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Used for national barber employment, self-employment, projected growth, and median-pay figures. The occupation profile was last modified August 27, 2026. Figures on this page use its stated 2025 reporting year and 2025–35 projection period.
View sourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida occupational wage estimates
Used for Florida’s employer-reported barber employment and mean-pay figures. The published table is for May 2023 and lists occupation 39-5011, Barbers.
View sourceHow to read the counts
The occupation profile’s job count includes self-employed workers. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey reports employer data and excludes self-employed people. This page labels those measures separately so they are not treated as the same number.
View wage-survey methodsCite this page
Profit Studios Tally. “Barber Industry Statistics: Jobs, Pay and Outlook.” Updated October 8, 2026. https://ps1stopshop.com/barber-industry-statistics
Profit Studios Tally
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