Louisiana·Personal Care and Service Occupations·SOC 39-5092

Best Manicurist programs in Louisiana, ranked by enrollment

Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails.

28 schools in Louisiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,803 people a year. The job pays a median of $28,170 in Louisiana across about 2,210 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledManicuristPedicuristNail Technician (Nail Tech)Nail ArtistFingernail FormerFingernail SculptorFingernail SculpturerFingernail Technician
Graduates / yr
1,803
in Louisiana
Median pay · Louisiana
$28,170
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,210
people employed
Schools
28
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
62%
across those schools
Median net price
$14,290
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Louisiana that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

2 programs in Louisiana that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Louisiana (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 Louisiana page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 12.0401In Louisiana
1,693
93.9%
28$17,113$10,000
2
CIP 12.0410In Louisiana
110
6.1%
8$17,113$10,000

Top 25 schools in Louisiana

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 23 of the 28 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - Covington
Covington, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
863Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,60580%$24,644
2Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
84Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$17,92964%$23,165
3My Le's Beauty College
Gretna, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
75Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$17,98085%$12,990
4Paul Mitchell the School - New Orleans
Metairie, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
59Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$16,70176%$20,495
5Paul Mitchell the School - Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
57Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$16,70175%$15,535
6Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - Lafayette
Lafayette, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
48Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$14,3970%
7Denham Springs Beauty School
Denham Springs, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
47Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$11,47160%$11,373
8Blue Cliff College - Lafayette
Lafayette, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
44Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,71950%$19,164
9Blue Cliff College - Alexandria
Alexandria, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
42Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,71934%$22,106
10Delta College West
Lake Charles, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
42Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$11,71829%$18,575
11Compass Career College
Hammond, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
39Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$12,31859%$13,404
12Cosmetology Training Center
Lafayette, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
38Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$14,05283%$11,759
13John Jay Beauty College
Kenner, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
38Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$17,49390%$7,093
14Bossier Parish Community College
Bossier City, LA Public · 1 feeder programs
36Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General15%
15Blue Cliff College - Metairie
Metairie, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
35Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,71956%$23,631
16Stage One - The Hair School
Lake Charles, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
35Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$17,39572%$13,869
17Belbo Beauty Institute
Shreveport, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
32Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$16,84278%$24,554
18Omega Institute of Cosmetology
Houma, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$12,52497%$11,623
19Delgado Community College
New Orleans, LA Public · 1 feeder programs
24Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,27824%
20Cloyd's Beauty School 1 Inc
West Monroe, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
22Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General58%$5,902
21LaSalle Tech
Houma, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
22Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$15,61788%$10,899
22Pineville Beauty School
Pineville, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
19Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,09371%$13,040
23Cloyd's Beauty School 3 Inc
Monroe, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
15Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,18463%$4,693
24Opelousas School of Cosmetology
Opelousas, LA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$12,71180%$18,081
25Celebrity Stylist Beauty School
Monroe, LA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
14Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$14,178100%$14,290

All 28 schools in Louisiana

Every school in Louisiana 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.

All schools in Louisiana that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - CovingtonCovingtonPrivate for-profit8631
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - Baton RougeBaton RougePrivate for-profit841
My Le's Beauty CollegeGretnaPrivate for-profit752
Paul Mitchell the School - New OrleansMetairiePrivate for-profit591
Paul Mitchell the School - Baton RougeBaton RougePrivate for-profit571
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - LafayetteLafayettePrivate for-profit481
Denham Springs Beauty SchoolDenham SpringsPrivate for-profit471
Blue Cliff College - LafayetteLafayettePrivate for-profit441
Blue Cliff College - AlexandriaAlexandriaPrivate for-profit421
Delta College WestLake CharlesPrivate for-profit422
Compass Career CollegeHammondPrivate for-profit391
Cosmetology Training CenterLafayettePrivate for-profit381
John Jay Beauty CollegeKennerPrivate for-profit381
Bossier Parish Community CollegeBossier CityPublic361
Blue Cliff College - MetairieMetairiePrivate for-profit351

What manicurists and pedicurists earn in Louisiana

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Louisiana
$28,170
Mean annual
$29,890
Jobs in state
2,210
What the range looks like
10th pct$18,190Median$28,17090th pct$45,860
Versus the national median
-21.2%

U.S. median $35,760. Louisiana pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.16×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Louisiana

New Orleans-Metairie, LA
$28,680median
750 jobs
Baton Rouge, LA
$28,620median
530 jobs
Lafayette, LA
$26,830median
110 jobs
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
$26,840median
110 jobs
Alexandria, LA
$26,540median
160 jobs
Monroe, LA
$26,330median
120 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+7.0%
Faster than average
Openings per year
24,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
14,700
210,100 → 224,800
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award

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 Manicurists and Pedicurists page.

How to become a Manicurist

Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingActive LearningReading ComprehensionMonitoringCritical Thinking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Louisiana

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 2 majors mapped to Manicurists and Pedicurists2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 12.0401Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General
  • 12.0410Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist

Common questions

Answers for people weighing manicurists and pedicurists programs in Louisiana.

What degree do you need to become a Manicurist?+

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 1,693 degrees in Louisiana in 2024-25, 93.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Manicurist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. Together they graduate about 1,803 people a year in Louisiana.

How much do manicurists and pedicurists earn in Louisiana?+

The median is $28,170 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 21.2% below the U.S. median of $35,760. 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 manicurists and pedicurists growing?+

BLS projects a +7.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 24,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Louisiana?+

28 institutions in Louisiana reported graduates from at least one of the 2 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 manicurists and pedicurists work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Manicurist, Pedicurist, Nail Technician (Nail Tech) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 39-5092.

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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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