What is a Manicurist or Pedicurist?
Career Description Clean and shape customers’ fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
Manicurist or Pedicurist Responsibilities
- Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
- Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions.
- Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
- Prepare customers’ nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
- Extend nails using powder, solvent, and paper forms attached to tips of customers’ fingers to support and shape artificial nails.
- Assess the condition of clients’ hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.
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What Every Manicurist or Pedicurist Should Know
These are the skills Manicurists and Pedicurists say are the most useful in their careers:
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Types of Manicurist or Pedicurist Jobs
- Nail Artist
- Fingernail Former
- Fingernail Sculptor
- Salon Manager
- Nail Technician
Manicurist or Pedicurist Employment Estimates
There were about 126,300 jobs for Manicurist or Pedicurist in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 13.2% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 16,700 new jobs for Manicurist or Pedicurist by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 16,600 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Manicurist or Pedicurist are Washington, New Jersey, and Tennessee. Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Maine, or Kentucky. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Manicurist or Pedicurist Make?
The average yearly salary of a Manicurist or Pedicurist ranges between $19,700 and $33,490.

Manicurists and Pedicurists who work in New Hampshire, Montana, or Wisconsin, make the highest salaries.
How much do Manicurists and Pedicurists make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $24,500 |
Alaska | $24,670 |
Arizona | $26,640 |
Arkansas | $29,970 |
California | $26,260 |
Colorado | $30,180 |
Connecticut | $24,910 |
Delaware | $24,900 |
District of Columbia | $32,400 |
Florida | $27,170 |
Georgia | $30,430 |
Hawaii | $28,360 |
Idaho | $32,870 |
Illinois | $23,740 |
Indiana | $27,000 |
Iowa | $34,010 |
Kansas | $25,190 |
Kentucky | $26,660 |
Louisiana | $22,040 |
Maine | $23,540 |
Maryland | $24,670 |
Massachusetts | $27,570 |
Michigan | $27,350 |
Minnesota | $37,170 |
Mississippi | $24,140 |
Missouri | $25,150 |
Montana | $29,880 |
Nebraska | $24,480 |
Nevada | $22,900 |
New Hampshire | $34,160 |
New Jersey | $24,520 |
New York | $24,970 |
North Carolina | $23,680 |
North Dakota | $29,910 |
Ohio | $26,290 |
Oklahoma | $24,360 |
Oregon | $27,440 |
Pennsylvania | $21,230 |
Rhode Island | $25,420 |
South Carolina | $32,490 |
Tennessee | $24,350 |
Texas | $24,190 |
Utah | $27,550 |
Virginia | $24,050 |
Washington | $31,460 |
West Virginia | $22,120 |
Wisconsin | $29,670 |
Wyoming | $22,100 |
What Tools do Manicurists and Pedicurists Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Manicurists and Pedicurists may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Customer information databases
- Appointment-Plus
- DaySmart Software Salon Iris
Becoming a Manicurist or Pedicurist
Learn what Manicurist or Pedicurist education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Manicurist or Pedicurist?

Where Manicurists and Pedicurists Are Employed

The table below shows the approximate number of Manicurists and Pedicurists employed by various industries.

References:
Image Credit: Tiffany Bumgardner via Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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