Best Hairdresser programs in Iowa, ranked by enrollment
Provide beauty services, such as cutting, coloring, and styling hair, and massaging and treating scalp.
18 schools in Iowa run programs that feed this job, graduating 631 people a year. The job pays a median of $35,700 in Iowa across about 2,930 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Iowa that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Iowa that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Iowa (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Iowa page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, Generalmain feeder CIP 12.0401In Iowa → | 552 | 87.5% | 17 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
| 2 | CIP 12.0499In Iowa → | 56 | 8.9% | 1 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
| 3 | CIP 12.0413In Iowa → | 23 | 3.6% | 3 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
Top 18 schools in Iowa
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 18 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aveda Institute - Des Moines West Des Moines, IA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 86 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $27,081 | 88% | $15,384 | — |
| 2 | PCI Academy - Ames Ames, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 70 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $24,178 | 77% | $18,518 | — |
| 3 | Capri College - Dubuque Dubuque, IA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $19,651 | 74% | $14,156 | — |
| 4 | Capri College - Davenport Davenport, IA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 57 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $22,161 | 82% | $12,631 | — |
| 5 | Capri College - Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 56 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $23,586 | 65% | $14,239 | — |
| 6 | Iowa School of Beauty - Sioux City Sioux City, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 56 | Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts, Other | $20,000 | 72% | $10,184 | — |
| 7 | La James International College - Johnston Johnston, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $17,464 | 88% | $18,168 | — |
| 8 | PCI Academy - Iowa City Iowa City, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $24,178 | 71% | $18,336 | — |
| 9 | SOHO Hair Academy Council Bluffs, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $16,234 | 76% | $12,747 | — |
| 10 | La James International College - Davenport Davenport, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $18,120 | 91% | $21,957 | — |
| 11 | Iowa School of Beauty - Des Moines Des Moines, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $20,355 | 81% | $10,335 | — |
| 12 | American Hair Academy Mt. Pleasant, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $10,853 | 44% | $11,892 | — |
| 13 | La James International College - Cedar Falls Cedar Falls, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | — | 71% | $19,265 | — |
| 14 | Faust Institute of Cosmetology - Spirit Lake Spirit Lake, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $20,098 | 92% | $5,488 | — |
| 15 | La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology Mason City, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | $23,313 | 76% | $10,069 | — |
| 16 | Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | — | 50% | — | — |
| 17 | La James International College - Ft Dodge Fort Dodge, IA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | — | 90% | $18,046 | — |
| 18 | Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General | — | 42% | — | — |
All 18 schools in Iowa
Every school in Iowa with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aveda Institute - Des Moines | West Des Moines | Private for-profit | 86 | 2 |
| PCI Academy - Ames | Ames | Private for-profit | 70 | 1 |
| Capri College - Dubuque | Dubuque | Private for-profit | 58 | 2 |
| Capri College - Davenport | Davenport | Private for-profit | 57 | 2 |
| Capri College - Cedar Rapids | Cedar Rapids | Private for-profit | 56 | 1 |
| Iowa School of Beauty - Sioux City | Sioux City | Private for-profit | 56 | 1 |
| La James International College - Johnston | Johnston | Private for-profit | 46 | 1 |
| PCI Academy - Iowa City | Iowa City | Private for-profit | 40 | 1 |
| SOHO Hair Academy | Council Bluffs | Private for-profit | 40 | 1 |
| La James International College - Davenport | Davenport | Private for-profit | 27 | 1 |
| Iowa School of Beauty - Des Moines | Des Moines | Private for-profit | 25 | 1 |
| American Hair Academy | Mt. Pleasant | Private for-profit | 20 | 1 |
| La James International College - Cedar Falls | Cedar Falls | Private for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Faust Institute of Cosmetology - Spirit Lake | Spirit Lake | Private for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology | Mason City | Private for-profit | 9 | 1 |
What hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn in Iowa
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $35,790. Iowa pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Iowa
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists page.
How to become a Hairdresser
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Iowa
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 8 majors mapped to Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 12.0401Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General
- 12.0404Electrolysis/Electrology and Electrolysis Technician
- 12.0406Make-Up Artist/Specialist
- 12.0407Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design
- 12.0411Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing
- 12.0412Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager
- 12.0413Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor
- 12.0499Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists programs in Iowa.
What degree do you need to become a Hairdresser?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General, which awarded 552 degrees in Iowa in 2024-25, 87.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Hairdresser?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. Together they graduate about 631 people a year in Iowa.
How much do hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn in Iowa?+
The median is $35,700 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.3% below the U.S. median of $35,790. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists growing?+
BLS projects a +5.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 75,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Iowa?+
18 institutions in Iowa reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Hairdresser, Hairstylist, Hair Stylist, Cosmetologist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 39-5012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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