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Role hub · Manicurists and Pedicurists

Nail Tech: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of nail techs earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$35,760
Hourly
$17.19
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Nail Techs clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. The median pay is $35,760 a year ($17.19 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$35,760
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
152,770
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2 of 5
very little to some preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Manicurists and Pedicurists (O*NET-SOC 39-5092.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Nail Techs at a glance

  • Manicurists and pedicurists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $35,760 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education for manicurists and pedicurists in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of manicurists and pedicurists in the United States to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 21,900 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 152,770 people were employed as manicurists and pedicurists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Nail Techs

SalaryNail Tech salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeNail Tech how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeNail Tech resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What nail techs do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
  2. Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
  3. Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
  4. Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
  5. Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
  6. Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
  7. Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
  8. Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all nail tech jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Personal and laundry services75.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $38,390
  2. Accommodation0.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $49,300
  3. Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries0.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $46,580
  4. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals0.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.9% projected change here 2025–35
  5. Ambulatory healthcare services0.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +10.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $44,940

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Social PerceptivenesscoreService OrientationcoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingCoordinationTime ManagementReading ComprehensionActive LearningPersuasion

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service.

Tools and technology

Software nail techs use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Aknaf ADVANTAGE Salon Software and Spa SoftwareData base user interface and query software
  • Appointment SearchCalendar and scheduling software
  • AppointmentQuest Online Appointment SchedulerCalendar and scheduling software
  • Customer information databasesCustomer relationship management CRM software
  • DaySmart Software Appointment-PlusCalendar and scheduling software
  • DaySmart Software Salon IrisData base user interface and query software

Also called: Manicurist, Nail Technician (Nail Tech), Pedicurist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.