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Salary · Nail Tech · United States

Nail Tech salary: $35,760 median, and how to negotiate yours.

The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · U.S. · BLS May 2025
$35,760median ($17.19/hr)

Hourly pay, BLS May 2025: 10th percentile $13.90 · 25th $16.35 · median $17.19 · 75th $20.03 · 90th $24.10.

Convert any salary or hourly rate at your own hours with the pay calculator.

Quick answer

The median annual wage for manicurists and pedicurists in the United States was $35,760 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,920 and the top 10% earned more than $50,140. That median is 0.7 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was Hawaii ($60,790).

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

10th percentile
$28,920
lowest-paid 10% earn less
25th percentile
$34,010
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$41,650
a quarter earn more
90th percentile
$50,140
top 10% earn more
Key facts

More on nail tech pay

  • The median hourly wage for manicurists and pedicurists in the United States was $17.19 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The middle half of manicurists and pedicurists in the United States earned between $34,010 and $41,650 a year in May 2025 (25th to 75th percentile, BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The lowest-paid 10% of manicurists and pedicurists in the United States earned less than $28,920 a year in May 2025, and the top 10% more than $50,140 (BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The mean annual wage for manicurists and pedicurists in the United States was $38,570 in May 2025, according to BLS; the mean is a different measure from the median.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • 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

Pay by state

Nail Tech salary in every state

Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 49 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.

Highest median pay
  1. Hawaii$60,790
  2. Nebraska$56,940
  3. Washington$49,900
  4. Maine$48,540
  5. Alaska$47,890
Most people employed
  1. California39,210
  2. New York19,710
  3. New Jersey11,520
  4. Pennsylvania9,610
  5. Washington5,570
Median annual wage by state
State10th–90th percentile
Hawaii$60,790$29,120–$79,73040
Nebraska$56,940$29,070–$100,610310
Washington$49,900$38,660–$63,4305,570
Maine$48,540$36,800–$81,490200
Alaska$47,890$28,020–$59,620180
Oregon$46,080$35,230–$77,4202,210
Iowa$45,420$15,800–$58,150190
Kentucky$45,310$31,480–$65,430240
South Dakota$45,310$34,280–$54,850250
Nevada$41,880$30,000–$78,3001,020
Missouri$39,100$28,600–$55,2401,630
West Virginia$38,260$27,470–$48,670120
Florida$37,840$28,730–$59,9404,470
Maryland$37,300$34,280–$48,3702,080
Mississippi$37,300$21,750–$82,040520
Colorado$37,110$32,030–$64,5903,970
Illinois$37,050$31,200–$48,8402,470
Michigan$36,890$27,740–$65,8801,020
Wisconsin$36,680$20,950–$54,4002,350
California$36,630$34,840–$47,26039,210
Virginia$36,630$29,370–$59,4304,230
District of Columbia$36,620$36,400–$50,620n/a
New Jersey$36,370$32,220–$39,39011,520
Indiana$36,140$21,580–$46,740510
Minnesota$36,040$27,550–$47,8003,260
Ohio$35,590$26,650–$53,2603,680
Massachusetts$35,470$33,510–$46,2104,660
Arizona$35,290$30,800–$51,7402,440
New Hampshire$35,100$29,410–$56,900490
Idaho$34,910$25,150–$51,440160
Rhode Island$34,910$31,200–$43,880n/a
Tennessee$34,810$20,450–$57,3401,200
North Carolina$34,740$22,150–$73,2601,900
Connecticut$34,720$34,010–$44,8604,490
New York$34,660$32,240–$35,73019,710
Texas$34,040$18,950–$48,5105,340
South Carolina$33,810$18,450–$62,550710
Montana$33,660$26,690–$43,880110
North Dakota$33,430$30,560–$76,120270
Oklahoma$31,330$22,290–$50,620480
Delaware$31,200$31,200–$38,060780
Kansas$30,930$21,320–$44,8201,510
Alabama$30,300$21,160–$57,370920
Utah$28,820$20,410–$42,5401,150
Louisiana$28,170$18,190–$45,8602,210
Pennsylvania$27,990$20,520–$43,8909,610
Arkansas$27,690$23,930–$49,060230
Georgia$26,910$21,390–$56,6401,710
New Mexico$25,720$25,720–$52,950n/a
Top-paying metro areas

Where the median is highest

Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.

  1. Portland-South Portland, ME$59,350
  2. Omaha, NE-IA$58,620
  3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$50,800
  4. Anchorage, AK$47,890
  5. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$47,280
  6. Kennewick-Richland, WA$46,840
  7. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$46,340
  8. Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA$46,050
  9. Rochester, MN$45,710
  10. Bend, OR$45,130
Similar roles

How the pay compares

Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).

  1. Makeup Artist$97,150
  2. Dental Laboratory Technician$49,610
  3. Painter$49,400
  4. Esthetician$45,330
  5. Barber$38,210
  6. Cosmetologist$35,790
  7. Nail Tech$35,760
Negotiation script builder

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Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.

Method

How this page is built

Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.

What this page can't tell you
  • Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
  • Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  2. 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.

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

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