Hairdresser: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Hairdressers and barbers (SOC 6221)
About £21,873 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +5.5% on last year
£2,124 a month About £1,823 a month after tax 14 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £15,397 in 2021 to £25,491 in 2026 (+66%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £8,752 | £12,991 | £15,397 | £18,120 | x |
| 2022 | £12,512 | £14,931 | £18,044 | £20,951 | x |
| 2023 | £12,283 | £15,558 | £19,460 | £23,924 | x |
| 2024 | £14,526 | £18,213 | £21,789 | £25,155 | x |
| 2025 | £14,887 | £19,626 | £24,158 | £27,666 | x |
| 2026 | £15,623 | £19,936 | £25,491 | £29,495 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £25,491 a year and half earn more. That is 38% less than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £19,936 and £29,495; one in ten earns less than £15,623.
Ranked by median, it is number 351 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £1,823 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £1,826 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £15,623 | £1,302 |
| 20th | £18,583 | £1,549 |
| 25th (P25) | £19,936 | £1,661 |
| 30th | £20,664 | £1,722 |
| 40th | £24,161 | £2,013 |
| Median (50th) | £25,491 | £2,124 |
| 60th | £27,218 | £2,268 |
| 70th | £28,464 | £2,372 |
| 75th (P75) | £29,495 | £2,458 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | x | £28,080 | x |
| Women | £25,286 | £25,087 | 12 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £21,873 | £1,823 |
| Scotland | £21,912 | £1,826 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £25,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 29 job titles to SOC 6221 Hairdressers and barbers. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Art director
- Artistic director
- Barber
- Barber's assistant
- Barbering assistant
- Colour technician
- Colourist
- General assistant
- Hair and beauty technician
- Hair and beauty therapist
- Hair designer
- Hair dresser
- Hair stylist
- Hair technician
- Hairdresser
- Hairdresser's assistant
- Hairdressing assistant
- Hairdressing stylist
- Hairdressing technician
- Hairstylist
- Junior stylist
- Salon assistant
- Salon controller
- Shampooer
- Shampooist
- Style director
- Stylist
- Technician
- Tonsorial artist
Similar occupations
All jobs in Caring, leisure and other service occupations
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.