Cosmetology Careers Statistics
- Almost 50% of all barbers, cosmetologists, and personal appearance workers are self-employed.
- Approximately 30% of cosmetologists and 19% of barbers work part-time.
- There were about 754,000 personal appearance workers in 2002.
- Hairstylists and barbers made up 651,000 of these jobs.
- Manicurists and pedicurists held 51,000 jobs.
- Skin care specialists and shampooers each held about 25,000 jobs.
- The field is expected to grow at about average speed through 2012.
- Median annual earnings for hairdressers/cosmetologists were $18,960 in 2002. Median earnings for salaried barbers were $19,550.
- Skin care specialists made about $22,450, including tips. Manicurists made an average of $17,330. Shampooers earned about 14,360.
- The word "barber" comes from the Latin "barba," which means "beard."
- Barbers were important figures in many ancient cultures. In ancient Egypt, for example, the people kept their heads and faces shaved regularly. Their razors resembled small hatchets with curved handles.
- Elite Roman women from the Third Century BC and beyond always had a hairdresser among their slaves/attendants.
- During the Dark and Middle Ages, barbers were also surgeons, and one of their principles duties was bloodletting in an attempt to cure disease and improve overall health.
- The earliest known organization/association of barbers was formed in 1096 when William, Archbishop of Rouen in France, prohibited beards. Barber-surgeons began thriving all over Europe and became quite prosperous.
- The first known barber school was established by A.B. Moler in Chicago in 1893.
- The "Pompadour" hairstyle was named for the Marquise de Pompadour (or perhaps the Madame de Pompadour) in pre-Revolutionary France. The style came back into fashion in the rockabilly 1950s.
