Cosmetologist Licensing

States Licensed

51

of 50 states and D.C.

×

Burden Rank

24th

for average burdens 1st is worst

=

Combined Rank

5th

for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst

Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
Burden increased
Burden decreased
Mixed burden change
N
New license
E
Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
Lower Burden Rank
Higher Burden Rank
No state license

How does my state compare to others?

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Definition

Cosmetologists and hair stylists provide beauty services, such as shampooing, cutting, coloring and styling hair, and massaging and treating the scalp. They may also apply makeup, dress wigs, perform hair removal, and provide nail and skin care services.

2022 Snapshot

  • Days lost range from 233 (5 states) to 490 (Iowa)
  • Fees range from $60 (Oklahoma) to $450 (Alaska)
  • 51 states require 1+ exam
  • 39 states set minimum age
  • 35 states set minimum grade

Changes Since 2017

  • No licenses created or removed
  • Fees changed most often and usually increased; 15 states decreased days lost to education and experience
  • Burden rank worsened 6 spots, largely because other occupations improved more; combined rank improved 1 spot, largely because of education and experience reductions

2022 Licensing Burden in Detail

N New License
E Eliminated License
Increase
Decrease

Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.

Additional Resources