Best Esthetician Schools in North Carolina (2026)

Quick answer: Estheticians in North Carolina earn a median of $39,120 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited esthetician schools in North Carolina with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Choosing an esthetician program in North Carolina comes down to accreditation, schedule, and how each school prepares you for the field. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $39,120 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

North Carolina Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$39,120BLS OEWS, May 2025
North Carolina pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$25,570 to $96,660BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying North Carolina metro for this fieldHickory, NC, $44,730BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+6.7% growth, about 14,500 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment2,680 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
North Carolina location quotient1.16BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Esthetician 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 North Carolina figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 82 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 11 of them carry a score. 1 does not have enough federal outcome data to score, and appears last rather than being hidden.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Central Carolina Community College

Sanford, NC 34.4 miles away BOC Score 60.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 65
  • Annual completions: 1072
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,844 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Leons Beauty School Inc

Greensboro, NC 41.8 miles away BOC Score 59.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 79.2%
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 239
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $27,403 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Wake Technical Community College

Raleigh, NC 60.6 miles away BOC Score 55.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 64
  • Annual completions: 5606
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,034 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Davidson-Davie Community College

Thomasville, NC 37.2 miles away BOC Score 51.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 44.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 46
  • Annual completions: 1662
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,533 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Alamance Community College

Graham, NC 47.8 miles away BOC Score 50.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 1011
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,411 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Mitchell Community College

Statesville, NC 67.9 miles away BOC Score 50.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 22.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 34
  • Annual completions: 538
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,465 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 50.4 miles away BOC Score 48.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 201 S. Estes Drive, Space 200 B Chapel Hill, NC 27514-7001
  • (919) 960-4769
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 78.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 303
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $32,524 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Salisbury, NC 42.7 miles away BOC Score 47.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 32.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 50
  • Annual completions: 2086
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,916 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology-Rock Hill

Rock Hill, SC 77.7 miles away BOC Score 46.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 68.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 326
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $25,218 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Fayetteville Technical Community College

Fayetteville, NC 53.8 miles away BOC Score 45.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 22.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 66
  • Annual completions: 4671
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,138 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Esthetician Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Skincare Specialists
Skincare Specialists annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $29580, P25 $36040, P50 $45330, P75 $59700, P90 $82050.10th$29,58025th$36,04050th (median)$45,33075th$59,70090th$82,050
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Skincare Specialists annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$29,580
25th$36,040
50th (median)$45,330
75th$59,700
90th$82,050
Projected employment growth, United States, Skincare Specialists, 2024-2034
Skincare Specialists employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 97400; 2034 projected employment 103900; percent change +6.7%.202497,400 jobs2034 (proj.)103,900 jobsChange: +6.7%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Skincare Specialists employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
202497,400
2034 projected103,900
Percent change+6.7%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does esthetician training take in North Carolina?

Esthetician certificate programs in North Carolina 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 estheticians earn in North Carolina?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), estheticians in North Carolina earned a median annual wage of approximately $39,120. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $25,570 to $96,660 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many esthetician schools are in North Carolina?

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)