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Job outlook for salon managers in the United States
Salon manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected salon manager job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 189,200 new jobs for salon managers are projected over the next decade.
Salon manager salaries have increased 4% for salon managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 10,239 salon managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 347,470 active salon manager job openings in the US.
The average salon manager salary is $43,893.
Are salon manager jobs in demand?
Salon Manager job and salary trends over time
Salon Manager jobs over time
Salon Manager job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,239 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 8,052 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 8,234 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 7,855 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 7,588 | 0.00% |
Average salon manager salary over time
Salon Manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $43,893 | $21.10 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $42,677 | $20.52 | --0.1% |
| 2023 | $42,741 | $20.55 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $42,521 | $20.44 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $42,055 | $20.22 | +1.6% |
Salon Manager jobs by state
Most common states for salon managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 543 | 78% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,682 | 36% |
| 3 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 210 | 36% |
| 4 | California | 39,536,653 | 13,147 | 33% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,596 | 32% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 197 | 32% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,759 | 30% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,664 | 29% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 500 | 28% |
| 10 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 7,185 | 25% |
| 11 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 331 | 23% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 0 | 0% |
| 13 | New York | 19,849,399 | 0 | 0% |
| 14 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 0 | 0% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 0 | 0% |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 0 | 0% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 0 | 0% |
| 19 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 0 | 0% |
Most common cities for salon managers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greenville | 27 | 40% | $35,007 |
| 2 | Chandler | 47 | 19% | $40,779 |
| 3 | Glendale | 45 | 18% | $40,943 |
| 4 | Tampa | 62 | 16% | $39,030 |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 28 | 14% | $34,097 |
| 6 | Tempe | 25 | 14% | $40,826 |
| 7 | Overland Park | 24 | 13% | $38,530 |
| 8 | Orlando | 33 | 12% | $39,081 |
| 9 | Gilbert | 28 | 12% | $40,760 |
| 10 | Scottsdale | 28 | 11% | $40,922 |
| 11 | Phoenix | 129 | 8% | $40,933 |
| 12 | Mesa | 37 | 8% | $40,784 |
| 13 | Tucson | 38 | 7% | $40,297 |
| 14 | San Antonio | 77 | 5% | $35,018 |
| 15 | Portland | 30 | 5% | $39,640 |
| 16 | Austin | 42 | 4% | $35,096 |
| 17 | Dallas | 43 | 3% | $35,326 |
| 18 | Houston | 31 | 1% | $34,831 |
Salon Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of salon manager experts
Murray State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
San Francisco State University
Montgomery College
Creighton University
Pepperdine University, Seaver College
Sam Houston State University
Houston Baptist University
Farmingdale State College
Appalachian State University
SUNY Potsdam
The City College of New York
University of Cincinnati
Belmont University
Sonoma State University
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Orfalea College of Business
Dr. Ben Littlepage
ProfessorMurray State University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What will help Salon Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ben Littlepage: Salary is maximized when leaders are sought after. Leaders who pursue meaningful experiences and remain 'market ready' are viewed as an asset to any organization. Leaders must carefully consider where the field is moving and respond.
What general advice would you give to a Salon Manager?
Jaunelle Celaire: Leadership - the world needs more of these; the ability to lead, craft and grow. Digital literacy - this world is definitely turning digital and virtual is the new trend. Emotional intelligence - there is a vast number of personalities in our world today; individuals grow and it is our job to stay emotionally connected, so we can operate more effectively.
What Salon Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jaunelle Celaire: Never stop learning! This may consist of going back to school, earning new certifications in your field of study, attending conferences and seminars, and making sure that your time management is always at its finest level of excellence.
What will help Salon Managers increase their earning potential?
Jaunelle Celaire: 2. Leadership - the world needs more of these; the ability to lead, craft and grow. Digital literacy - this world is definitely turning digital and virtual is the new trend. Emotional intelligence - there is a vast number of personalities in our world today; individuals grow and it is our job to stay emotionally connected, so we can operate more effectively.
Bruce Heiman Ph.D.
Professor of International BusinessSan Francisco State University
Department of International Business
What hard/technical skills are most important for Salon Managers?
Bruce Heiman Ph.D.: -Analytical skills (ability to gather data, clean it, analyze it, write-up results and present on what the meaning of the analysis suggests for action (the last one is most important--"what does it really mean?"
-Some experience and skills with coding in any language (at the moment, Python or C++ are preferred, though Ruby on Rails is also good)
-Deep spreadsheet skills (pivot tables and macros, as examples).
-Relational database skills, including programming (e.g., MySQL)
-Data mining
-AI/Machine Learning experience
R. Scott Hengen
Technical Theatre Faculty/Production CoordinatorMontgomery College
Department of Performing Arts
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Salon Managers in the next 3-5 years?
R. Scott Hengen: Our technology will be advancing into a more wireless and digital environment. Components and accessories will be smaller, lighter, less hard-wired, and more remotely accessed, portable, and digital.
What general advice would you give to a Salon Manager?
R. Scott Hengen: Your studies and time in school are a good base and support for your production in the industry. As you begin, please consider that you will still be learning and, even though you have learned the essentials, you will be asked to apply your skills and experience in new ways and in a more competitive and practical atmosphere. Deadlines must be met, and the economy of time and effort will be crucial. Work hard, but try to keep a balance between time in the industry and your home life.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Salon Managers?
Ravi Nath Ph.D.: Clearly, having professional licenses/certificates distinguishes a graduate from others in searching and securing a position in the MIS and Analytics fields. Thus, I would highly recommend that students craft a professional portfolio of accomplishments, such as certificates, unique courses taken, class project details, and other extra curricula activities in order for them to stand out. Further, there is no substitute for internship experiences while in college as this proves to a prospective employer that the candidate demonstrates a proven record of real-world experience.
What soft skills should all Salon Managers possess?
Ravi Nath Ph.D.: Good communication skills, both written and oral, always serve well. Unless a graduate is able to effectively communicate and share their ideas and thoughts with others, their technical skills alone will not be sufficient in having a rewarding professional career.
The ability to successfully adapt to changing environments is also pivotal as the half-life of technology is quickly shrinking.
I will also add "resiliency' to this list of soft skills. Recovering from setbacks and quickly getting back on your feet has become a mantra particularly in the tech fields such as MIS and Data Science.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Salon Managers?
Steven Bauer: The coronavirus has accelerated the transformation to a digital world, and this effect will continue after the pandemic is behind us. Graduates will need to be able to navigate a hybrid business environment, with in-person and virtual meetings, interactions and platforms. There will also be increased opportunities to be entrepreneurial and innovative in the digital area. In addition, graduates will have to become more skilled at navigating a global environment since greater digitization will draw countries closer to each other.
What soft skills should all Salon Managers possess?
Steven Bauer: The new hybrid world will make leading teams more challenging. This reality will put a premium on interpersonal skills. When the NASA astronaut, Richard Arnold, spoke at Pepperdine in 2019, he mentioned that team building was the single most important ability undergraduates could develop to become a good astronaut. The same holds for graduates wanting to go into business, particularly in the post coronavirus era. As part of their skills in this area, graduates will also need to be able and committed to addressing issues in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Salon Managers?
Steven Bauer: Business Analytics is becoming increasingly important across all functions in order to be able to identify and capture value. Thus a certification in this area, e.g., in Python, is particularly impactful. As far as courses, students should make sure they gain an exposure to all aspects of the business world, e.g., marketing, management, finance, accounting, strategic planning, law, etc., in order to prepare them for the wide array of challenges they will face.
Carliss Miller Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of ManagementSam Houston State University
Department of Management & Marketing
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Salon Manager job market given the pandemic?
Carliss Miller Ph.D.: Flexible working arrangements were considered a perk or benefit, but given the pandemic more and more jobs will be designed with flexible work arrangements in mind. We will continue to see trends in the labor market with a push towards personal services (e.g. virtual assistants, professional organizers) and professional services. There will also continue to be a demand for knowledge work. More and more, employers are looking to hire applicants that can provide concrete evidence of being "Day 1" ready.
Employers will focus more on identifying prospects with certain "soft skills" which were a nice-to-have pre-pandemic, but are now critical for organizational survival. These skills include: critical thinking, agility, ability to adapt to change, resilience, virtual team effectiveness, crisis management, emotional intelligence, empathy, and inclusive leadership. Additionally, data analysis and interpretation is a highly sought after skill even for jobs that historically did not require analytical ability.
What's a good job out of college for Salon Managers?
Carliss Miller Ph.D.: Good jobs out of college are those that offer structured training, development, and job rotation. While some college students identified their career at age 5 and never veered away, some are still figuring out what they want to do after college. A job opportunity that recognizes the potential of new talent, willing to invest in training and development, and provides opportunities for new employees to experience different job functions enables new graduates to gain a realistic job preview that pays and allows them to identify an opportunity within the company that best aligns with skills and interests. Positions that are for a specific job function but have an apprenticeship model, like a "sales trainee" position, are also great for career stepping stones right out of college.
Michael Kraten Ph.D.
Professor of Accounting, Chair, Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Program Coordinator, Accounting, BBAHouston Baptist University
Accounting, Economics and Finance Department
What technical skills for a Salon Manager stand out to employers?
Michael Kraten Ph.D.: Short-term skills like data analytics establish college graduates as credible staff professionals. Long-term skills like critical thinking and persuasive communication can place graduates on long-term career paths to senior management.
Xu Zhang Ph.D.
ChairFarmingdale State College
Department of Economics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Salon Manager job market given the pandemic?
Xu Zhang Ph.D.: There are a few trends in the current job maket.
- Slow recovery. Based on the December job market reports released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market slowly recovered since April, but about 44% of the prepandemic jobs have not been gained back. Between March and April, about 22.16 million jobs were lost. The U.S. labor market started to revive in May, and since then until December the market experienced 23.32 million job gains, roughly 56% of pre-pandemic level. The unemployment rate decreased gradually from April (14.8%) to December (6.7%), but still almost twice its pre-pandemic level in February (3.5%). Additionally, although the number of unemployed persons dropped from 23.11million in April to 10.74 million in December 2020, there is still a huge gap compared to 5.72 million in February.
- Uneven impacts by industries. While overall economy was hard hit by the pandemic, the job losses disproportionally impacted industry sectors. Service industries such as educational service, elective healthcare, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services, have been hurt the most due to social distancing. Other job losses in retail service sector were related to a boom on online shopping. In addition, teenagers experienced record high unemployment rate which is associated with lack of experiences and working in hard-hit service industries.
- More employers embracing remote work. The perception of remote work has totally changed during the pandemic. After experiencing sudden changes to remote work and managing the obstacles working at home, more and more workers and employers embrace remote work, which would expand the layouts of job hunting and talent search to larger geographic areas.
What skills stand out on Salon Manager resumes?
Xu Zhang Ph.D.: I believe the most important attributes employers seek on a resume remain the same-problem solving skills, team work skills, analytical/quantitative skills, verbal and written communication skills. However, given the pandemic or any other unexpected shock to work environment, how to quickly and efficiently adapt to new work modes can be a very valuable attribute standing out on resume.
What Salon Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lubna Nafees Ph.D.: If a graduate needs to take a gap year, they could do what some of the companies who lost business during the pandemic are doing. They are in an introspection and "reset" mode. Sometimes to move forward, you first need to step back. Graduates can use this time to better understand the transition happening in the marketplace so that when they do join the workforce, they are a good fit for the new workplace. There is definitely merit in aligning with the growing market trends and focussing on Digital Marketing and business analytics skills.
What general advice would you give to a Salon Manager?
Lubna Nafees Ph.D.: Be flexible and adapt to change. Enjoy the ambiguity and that will help you thrive in these uncertain times. Most importantly stay positive and focussed.
What skills stand out on Salon Manager resumes?
Karen Kus: Employers hiring candidates with a history degree are seeking transferable skills that can be applied in various roles and settings. These skills include writing, communication, research, organization, computer-based skills, and problem-solving. The best thing a candidate can do to increase marketability is to elaborate on how they obtained or utilized those skills, rather than simply listing them. Employers need to have an understanding of how you made use of your skill and what results came from your actions. Make these skills shine on your resume by giving them substance.
What type of skills will young Salon Managers need?
Prabal Kumar De Ph.D.: I think the necessary skills remain the same. One modification that would stay is greater virtual engagement. Therefore, newly essential skills such as acing a virtual interview, making a mark during a Zoom meeting, or managing or being a valuable part of a remote working group would be useful long after the immediate threats from the COVID-19 crisis be gone.
Christine Tonnis
Assistant Professor, Educator, Electrical Engineering Co-op Adviser, Electrical Engineering Technology Co-op AdviserUniversity of Cincinnati
Division of Experience Based Learning & Career Education
What general advice would you give to a Salon Manager?
Christine Tonnis: Be Flexible! These are uncertain times, but often there are unexpected, positive outcomes when we allow ourselves to explore options that we were not open to initially! Statistically, the more positions/job postings to which you are willing to apply, the better your odds for getting an interview.
Stay active! Keep up with the job search, stay in touch with your personal and professional network of people, keep learning, and stay physically active-proven to lift your mood! Energetic, curious and happy people are more likely to find work.
Nina Woodard
Senior Career Development SpecialistBelmont University
Office of Career & Professional Development
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Salon Manager job market given the pandemic?
Nina Woodard: The pandemic hasn't impacted all areas of the entertainment industry in the same way. Anything related to live events and touring has been placed on an extended pause, which has been very difficult for graduates hoping to work in those fields. On an encouraging note, consumers will always find a way back to live experiences, so that segment of the industry will absolutely recover; the timing is just still a bit unknown. Other areas such as record or publishing companies have held steady. And, digital marketing and content creation companies are as busy, if not busier, than they've ever been as artists seek alternative ways to stay connected to their fans. Technology has intersected with entertainment in exciting, creative ways that will continue even as some of the more traditional avenues become available again. For many companies, ideas that started as pivots are now vibrant components of their long-term strategies.
The way we work may have also permanently changed. Companies have realized that remote working is a truly viable option for most businesses. While maintaining company culture, and the social nature of an entertainment-based organization, may still require some level of in-person interaction, it seems likely that many organizations may continue with remote/hybrid office models.
What Salon Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nina Woodard: For entertainment, digital marketing and content creation skills are critical. Even if a role isn't specifically connected to digital marketing, social media is almost always involved in most entry-level roles. We strongly encourage students and recent graduates to learn basic graphic design platforms, video editing and audio editing. Learning how to maximize impact on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok is also a worthy investment of time. There's a wide range of self-paced training resources online, many available for free or at reduced costs for students.
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.
Adjunct LecturerSonoma State University
School of Business & Economics
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Salon Managers?
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.: I expect that companies will reduce their hiring plans initially in the first half of the year out of caution but gradually resume typical hiring trends by next fall. As a result, this is a good time for graduates to build a work-life portfolio with multiple streams of income and work-focused on the alignment of their abilities and deep interests.
What type of skills will young Salon Managers need?
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.: I see the essential human skills gaining importance to build a new post-covid work life. These include creativity, leading and working in teams, writing, speaking, being self-aware, and lowering bias and networking; career branding as critical areas for graduates to focus on now.
What experience really stands out on Salon Manager resumes?
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.: Most important on resumes to only show accomplishments you are proud of and reflect measurable success and completion of past work. These accomplishments should be a snapshot of what we have done and can do in the future. The most important two lines of a resume are in the objectives, to list what the person is seeking. These two lines give the reader a quick view of what the person wants.
Now is a great time to start the new year to build a portable work portfolio to represent an alignment of what a person is excited about and enjoys in their work.
What skills stand out on Salon Manager resumes?
Dr. Timothy Edwards: Writing and research skills. Analytical and critical thinking skills. Technical skills such as web design, graphic design, audio and video production skills. Employers are interested in potential employees knowledge, intelligence and skills.
Eric Olsen
Professor, Industrial Technology and PackagingOrfalea College of Business
Industrial Technology & Packaging
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Salon Managers?
Eric Olsen: Students graduating today are going to start with virtual as the norm. I hope that they recognize and understand the good bits and carry those forward. I like the "build back better" paradigm. Our graduates can make that happen. It is exciting.