Best Beauty Schools in Alabama (2026)

Quick answer: Cosmetologists in Alabama earn a median of $29,150 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited cosmetologist schools in Alabama with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

This guide rounds up cosmetologist schools serving Alabama and the local job-market figures worth checking first. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $29,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Alabama Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$29,150BLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$21,300 to $56,700BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Alabama metro for this fieldMontgomery, AL, $30,530BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+5.6% growth, about 75,800 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment3,300 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama location quotient0.79BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Cosmetologist Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Alabama figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University Academy of Hair Design

Tuscaloosa, AL 52.7 miles away BOC Score 62.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 80.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 3
  • Annual completions: 34
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $15,367 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

George C Wallace State Community College-Hanceville

Hanceville, AL 87.5 miles away BOC Score 52.6
Tuition $5,220 - $19,008
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 49.7%
  • Programs offered: 46
  • Annual completions: 2010
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,276 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Southern Union State Community College

Wadley, AL 74.1 miles away BOC Score 51.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 31.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 33
  • Annual completions: 1131
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,973 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

George C Wallace State Community College-Selma

Selma, AL 28.5 miles away BOC Score 44.0
Tuition $4,740 - $19,175
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 40.0%
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 372
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,578 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Reid State Technical College

Evergreen, AL 93.4 miles away BOC Score 41.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 57.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 238
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,929 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Central Alabama Community College

Alexander City, AL 49.6 miles away BOC Score 39.3
Tuition $5,110 - $21,413
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 28.4%
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 402
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,615 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, AL 44.8 miles away BOC Score 38.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 43
  • Annual completions: 463
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,506 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Paul Mitchell the School-Birmingham

Hoover, AL 40.1 miles away BOC Score 32.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 60.4%
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 108
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $23,564 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Cosmetologist Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile - Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $27040, P25 $30120, P50 $35790, P75 $48830, P90 $71190.10th$27,04025th$30,12050th (median)$35,79075th$48,83090th$71,190
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$27,040
25th$30,120
50th (median)$35,790
75th$48,830
90th$71,190
Projected employment growth, Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists, 2024-2034
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 575200; 2034 projected employment 607400; percent change +5.6%.2024575,200 jobs2034 (proj.)607,400 jobsChange: +5.6%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024575,200
2034 projected607,400
Percent change+5.6%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does cosmetologist training take in Alabama?

Cosmetologist certificate programs in Alabama typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do cosmetologists earn in Alabama?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), cosmetologists in Alabama earned a median annual wage of approximately $29,150. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $21,300 to $56,700 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many cosmetologist schools are in Alabama?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)