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Cosmetology schools in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has 60 accredited campuses awarding cosmetology credentials. If you finish and work as a cosmetologist in Pennsylvania, expect to start around $23,700–$29,050 and reach a median of $36,790 with experience; the top quarter earn $55,360 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Pennsylvania). Graduates of these Pennsylvania programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $17,460 in their first year, against $17,178 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists earn in Pennsylvania
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 19,350 employed in Pennsylvania. National median: $35,790.
Campuses in Pennsylvania, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AllentownAltoonaAmblerBeaver FallsBethlehemButlerCollegevilleErieFeastervilleHanoverHarrisburgHermitageIndianaJohnstownKittanningLancasterLansdaleLebanonLeesportMonessenMonroevilleMoosicNew CastleNewtown SquarePhiladelphiaPittsburghPleasant GapPottsvilleReadingShamokin DamSharon HillSomersetSpringfieldSpringvilleStroudsburgUniontownWashingtonWest MifflinWhitehallWyncote
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster School of Cosmetology & Therapeutic Bodywork | Lancaster | for-profit career school | 43 | $21,790 | $3,167 | 70% | $15,359 |
| Douglas Education Center | Monessen | for-profit career school | 74 | $21,002 | $8,750 | 88% | not reported |
| South Hills Beauty Academy | Pittsburgh | for-profit career school | 52 | $20,121 | $3,431 | 94% | not reported |
| Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology | Pittsburgh | for-profit career school | 26 | $19,691 | $6,333 | 25% | $30,225 |
| Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | for-profit career school | 20 | $19,690 | $4,236 | 96% | $11,710 |
| Bucks County School of Beauty Culture Inc | Feasterville | for-profit career school | 26 | $19,238 | $8,189 | 91% | $22,258 |
| Laurel Business Institute | Uniontown | for-profit career college | 69 | $19,020 | $12,000 | 69% | not reported |
| Metro Beauty Academy | Allentown | for-profit career school | 84 | $18,788 | $9,583 | 96% | $24,416 |
| Penn Commercial Business/Technical School | Washington | for-profit career school | 29 | $18,686 | $7,638 | 84% | not reported |
| Bella Capelli Academy | Monroeville | for-profit career school | 150 | $18,609 | $8,028 | 76% | $24,531 |
| The Salon Professional Academy-Altoona | Altoona | for-profit career school | 45 | $18,382 | $8,028 | 91% | $21,441 |
| Venus Beauty Academy | Sharon Hill | for-profit career school | 42 | $18,262 | $8,027 | 85% | $20,751 |
| Empire Beauty School-Harrisburg | Harrisburg | for-profit career school | 82 | $18,217 | $11,743 | 72% | $23,486 |
| Empire Beauty School-Center City Philadelphia | Philadelphia | for-profit career school | 73 | $18,217 | $11,743 | 36% | $23,460 |
| Empire Beauty School-North Hills | Pittsburgh | for-profit career school | 25 | $18,217 | $11,743 | 47% | $23,433 |
| Empire Beauty School-Lebanon | Lebanon | for-profit career school | 23 | $18,217 | $11,743 | 68% | $23,524 |
| The Beauty Institute | Whitehall | for-profit career college | 15 | $18,035 | $10,726 | 68% | $20,568 |
| Empire Beauty School-Pottsville | Pottsville | for-profit career school | 33 | $17,698 | $12,500 | 60% | $22,087 |
| Altoona Beauty School Inc | Altoona | for-profit career school | 29 | $17,626 | $4,750 | 92% | $30,490 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Technology | Erie | for-profit career college | 33 | $17,460 | $11,906 | 64% | $23,028 |
| Empire Beauty School-Wyoming Valley | Moosic | for-profit career school | 83 | $17,189 | $12,090 | 77% | $21,949 |
| Empire Beauty School-Cheltenham | Wyncote | for-profit career school | 74 | $17,189 | $12,090 | 51% | $23,983 |
| Empire Beauty School-York | York | for-profit career school | 45 | $17,189 | $12,090 | 74% | $23,432 |
| Empire Beauty School-Reading | Reading | for-profit career school | 30 | $17,189 | $12,090 | 82% | $23,600 |
| Butler Beauty Academy | Butler | for-profit career school | 15 | $17,163 | $8,000 | 77% | $15,972 |
| Butler Beauty Academy-New Castle Beauty Academy | New Castle | for-profit career school | 9 | $17,163 | $8,000 | 57% | $14,972 |
| Butler Beauty Academy-Kittanning Beauty Academy | Kittanning | for-profit career school | 8 | $17,163 | $8,000 | 71% | $14,115 |
| Empire Beauty School-NE Philadelphia | Philadelphia | for-profit career school | 57 | $16,897 | $13,583 | 82% | $23,322 |
| Empire Beauty School-Hanover | Hanover | for-profit career school | 34 | $16,897 | $13,583 | 84% | $21,479 |
| Empire Beauty School-Springfield | Springfield | for-profit career school | 93 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 64% | $23,312 |
| Empire Beauty School-Lancaster | Lancaster | for-profit career school | 52 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 85% | $22,572 |
| Empire Beauty School-Shamokin Dam | Shamokin Dam | for-profit career school | 49 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 83% | $22,006 |
| Empire Beauty School-Lehigh Valley | Whitehall | for-profit career school | 47 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 67% | $22,928 |
| Empire Beauty School-Monroeville | Monroeville | for-profit career school | 44 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 71% | $22,608 |
| Empire Beauty School-West Mifflin | West Mifflin | for-profit career school | 36 | $16,444 | $13,000 | 52% | $22,852 |
| Laurel Technical Institute | Hermitage | for-profit career college | 22 | $16,336 | $7,971 | 73% | not reported |
| Jean Madeline Aveda Institute | Philadelphia | for-profit career college | 179 | $16,302 | $9,588 | 80% | $23,886 |
| The Beauty Institute-Ambler | Ambler | for-profit career college | 26 | $15,276 | $10,556 | 68% | $21,752 |
| The Beauty Institute | Stroudsburg | for-profit career college | 28 | $11,721 | $11,436 | 76% | $23,390 |
| American Barber and Beauty Academy | Reading | for-profit career school | 54 | not reported | $11,346 | 88% | not reported |
| Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center | Springville | Public technical college | 23 | not reported | not reported | 97% | $11,847 |
| The Salon Professional Academy | Collegeville | for-profit career school | 21 | not reported | not reported | 89% | $19,655 |
| Lansdale School of Cosmetology Inc | Lansdale | for-profit career school | 19 | not reported | not reported | 71% | $18,041 |
| PMCA Pittsburgh Multicultural Cosmetology Academy | Pittsburgh | for-profit career school | 12 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap | Public technical college | 11 | not reported | not reported | 95% | $15,817 |
| Beaver Falls Beauty Academy | Beaver Falls | for-profit career school | 9 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Lehigh Valley Barber School | Bethlehem | for-profit career school | 9 | not reported | not reported | 86% | $19,130 |
| Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center | Johnstown | Public technical college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 79% | $19,100 |
| Indiana County Technology Center | Indiana | Public technical college | 7 | not reported | not reported | 71% | $24,599 |
| York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education | York | Public technical college | 6 | not reported | not reported | 90% | $17,765 |
| Fayette County Career & Technical Institute Practical Nursing Program | Uniontown | Public technical college | 5 | not reported | not reported | 74% | $30,669 |
| Lebanon County Area Vocational Technical School | Lebanon | Public technical college | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Somerset County Technology Center | Somerset | Public technical college | 3 | not reported | not reported | 87% | $20,610 |
| Berks Career & Technology Center | Leesport | Public technical college | 1 | not reported | not reported | 63% | $23,912 |
| Cutting Edge Barber Academy | Lancaster | for-profit career school | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $24,930 |
| Chrome Institute of Cosmetology | Newtown Square | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| KAT Beauty School | Philadelphia | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Noe' Noonan School of Cosmetology | Erie | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| The Beauty Institute | Stroudsburg | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| The Salon Professional Academy | Collegeville | career school | — | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.