Oklahoma·Personal Care and Service Occupations·SOC 39-5011

Best Barber programs in Oklahoma, ranked by enrollment

Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving.

27 schools in Oklahoma run programs that feed this job, graduating 226 people a year. The job pays a median of $34,860 in Oklahoma across about 170 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledBarberStylistBarber StylistBarber Shop OperatorHair CutterHairstylistLicensed BarberTonsorial Artist
Graduates / yr
226
in Oklahoma
Median pay · Oklahoma
$34,860
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
170
people employed
Schools
27
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
70%
across those schools
Median net price
$16,086
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Oklahoma that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Oklahoma that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Oklahoma (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 Oklahoma page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 12.0402In Oklahoma
188
83.2%
18$17,113$10,000
2
CIP 12.0413In Oklahoma
38
16.8%
18$17,113$10,000

Top 25 schools in Oklahoma

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 27 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Clary Sage College
Tulsa, OK Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
42Barbering/Barber$16,94880%$23,767
2JB's Hair Design and Barber College
Oklahoma City, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
24Barbering/Barber$11,60274%$18,127
3Broken Arrow Beauty College
Broken Arrow, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
20Barbering/Barber$14,42184%$13,030
4Hair Arts Institute
Oklahoma City, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Barbering/Barber75%$25,447
5Eves College of Hairstyling
Lawton, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
17Barbering/Barber$17,70264%$16,086
6Hello Gorgeous Barbers Stillwater's School of Barbering
Stillwater, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
17Barbering/Barber
7Metro Technology Centers
Oklahoma City, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
17Barbering/Barber35%
8Shawnee Beauty College
Shawnee, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Barbering/Barber$16,57783%$8,994
9Ponca City Beauty College
Ponca City, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
10Barbering/Barber$13,83882%$8,793
10Central Oklahoma College
Oklahoma City, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
9Barbering/Barber$19,14953%
11Formations Institute
Enid, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
8Barbering/Barber$11,05064%$19,396
12Tulsa Technology Center
Tulsa, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
7Barbering/Barber$26,71381%
13Durant Institute of Hair Design
Durant, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Barbering/Barber61%$15,709
14Francis Tuttle Technology Center
Oklahoma City, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
3Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor$15,76552%
15Wade Gordon Hairdressing Academy - Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Barbering/Barber
16Academy of Cosmetology, Barbering, and Esthetics
Oklahoma City, OK Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
2Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor$8,517
17Northwest Technology Center - Alva
Alva, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
2Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor77%
18Central Technology Center
Drumright, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor85%
19Formations Institute of Cosmetology & Barbering
Woodward, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Barbering/Barber47%$18,166
20Jenks Beauty College
Jenks, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor$15,77172%$12,805
21Kiamichi Technology Center - McAlester
McAlester, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Barbering/Barber$9,07045%
22Meridian Technology Center
Stillwater, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor48%
23Moore Norman Technology Center
Norman, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor91%
24Paul Mitchell the School - Tulsa
Tulsa, OK Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor$18,11956%$21,109
25Pontotoc Technology Center
Ada, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Barbering/Barber83%

All 27 schools in Oklahoma

Every school in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Clary Sage CollegeTulsaPrivate not-for-profit422
JB's Hair Design and Barber CollegeOklahoma CityPrivate for-profit241
Broken Arrow Beauty CollegeBroken ArrowPrivate for-profit202
Hair Arts InstituteOklahoma CityPrivate for-profit181
Eves College of HairstylingLawtonPrivate for-profit172
Hello Gorgeous Barbers Stillwater's School of BarberingStillwaterPrivate for-profit172
Metro Technology CentersOklahoma CityPublic171
Shawnee Beauty CollegeShawneePrivate for-profit112
Ponca City Beauty CollegePonca CityPrivate for-profit102
Central Oklahoma CollegeOklahoma CityPrivate for-profit92
Formations InstituteEnidPrivate for-profit82
Tulsa Technology CenterTulsaPublic71
Durant Institute of Hair DesignDurantPrivate for-profit61
Francis Tuttle Technology CenterOklahoma CityPublic31
Wade Gordon Hairdressing Academy - OklahomaOklahoma CityPrivate for-profit31

What barbers earn in Oklahoma

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

Median annual in Oklahoma
$34,860
Mean annual
$34,400
Jobs in state
170
What the range looks like
10th pct$29,340Median$34,86090th pct$35,820
Versus the national median
-8.8%

U.S. median $38,210. Oklahoma pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.01×

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

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.1%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
8,400
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
3,100
76,000 → 79,200
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 Barbers page.

How to become a Barber

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

Active ListeningSpeakingMonitoringCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionActive Learning

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Oklahoma

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Barbers4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 12.0402Barbering/Barber
  • 12.0407Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design
  • 12.0412Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager
  • 12.0413Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor

Common questions

Answers for people weighing barbers programs in Oklahoma.

What degree do you need to become a Barber?+

Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Barbering/Barber, which awarded 188 degrees in Oklahoma in 2024-25, 83.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Barber?+

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 226 people a year in Oklahoma.

How much do barbers earn in Oklahoma?+

The median is $34,860 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.8% below the U.S. median of $38,210. 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 barbers growing?+

BLS projects a +4.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 8,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

27 institutions in Oklahoma 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 barbers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Barber, Stylist, Barber Stylist, Barber Shop Operator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 39-5011.

Programs in OklahomaBarbering/Barber

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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