Barbers

Median salary

$38,210

Average salary

$47,070

Employment

15,000

Projected growth

4.1% growth

Annual openings

8,400

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

What Barbers Do

Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving shaves.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 75.6%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.4/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
English Languageimportance 3.1/5
Economics and Accountingimportance 3.0/5
Psychologyimportance 3.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.8/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.7/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.9/5
Contact With Others4.8/5
Physical Proximity4.8/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.8/5
Spend Time Standing4.6/5
Telephone Conversations4.6/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers89% skill match
Funeral Attendants89% skill match
Painters, Construction and Maintenance86% skill match
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers85% skill match
Embalmers85% skill match
Pharmacy Aides84% skill match
Word Processors and Typists84% skill match
Craft Artists83% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 2.6/5
Coordinationimportance 2.5/5
Persuasionimportance 2.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.3/5
Operations Analysisimportance 2.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Social Orientation
Dependability
Cooperation
Attention to Detail
Optimism
Empathy
Sincerity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
EnterprisingMedium
ArtisticLow
InvestigativeLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.