Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists in Connecticut
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,274
after federal, FICA and Connecticut tax
Tax takes
$8,346
18.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,984
Connecticut costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Connecticut — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$44,620
Kept after tax
$36,274
Worth in national money
$34,984
State rank
6
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Connecticut is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $44,620, which ranks 6 of 50 states with published figures. That is about 24.67% above the national middle.
- Measured against other jobs in Connecticut, this one sits low: 397 of 482 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $44,620 the take-home is $36,274. But Connecticut costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $34,984 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $49,130, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Connecticut ranks 6 of 50 states publishing a median for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, at $44,620 — about 24.67% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists occupies position 397 of 482 in Connecticut's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and Connecticut income tax is $36,274 for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, from $44,620. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $34,984. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $49,130 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,010 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,620 |
| Top tenth earn over | $72,620 |
| This salary | $44,620 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Connecticut | $36,274 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,032 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,154 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $42,432 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$5,024 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 104 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Connecticut earn less than $44,620. The published range is $34,010 up to $72,620, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Connecticut's $36,274, worked from $44,620. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 397 of 482.
- One number stands for prices across all of Connecticut, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $34,984, the adjusted value of that $44,620 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 397 of 482 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Connecticut the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $34,010 to $72,620. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Connecticut take-home of $36,274, on $44,620 for work ranking 397 of 482 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 397 of 482 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Connecticut, so $34,984 — the adjusted value of that $44,620 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 397 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
No — it is the middle. Half of these workers earn more and half earn less. The average is $49,130, pulled upward by the top of the range, which is why the middle is the fairer number to plan against.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
Because one job title covers very different work. The bottom tenth here earn $34,010 and the top tenth $72,620 — experience, employer and specialism separate them, and a single figure hides all three.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $34,984 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Connecticut adds its own income tax on top — which is why $36,274 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Connecticut is $49,130. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($34,010) and the ninetieth ($72,620) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Connecticut's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $34,984 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,274 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Connecticut income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.