Best Barber programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Provide barbering services, such as cutting, trimming, shampooing, and styling hair; trimming beards; or giving.
46 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 397 people a year. The job pays a median of $36,920 in Pennsylvania across about 530 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 12.0402In Pennsylvania → | 276 | 69.5% | 15 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
| 2 | CIP 12.0413In Pennsylvania → | 114 | 28.7% | 33 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
| 3 | CIP 12.0407In Pennsylvania → | 7 | 1.8% | 2 | $17,113 | $10,000 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 32 of the 46 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barber School of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 53 | Barbering/Barber | $17,890 | 65% | $21,614 | — |
| 2 | Premier Barber Institute Norristown, PA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 46 | Barbering/Barber | $18,424 | 70% | $21,154 | — |
| 3 | Lehigh Valley Barber School Bethlehem, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Barbering/Barber | — | 86% | $14,915 | — |
| 4 | Champ's Barber School Lancaster, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Barbering/Barber | — | 71% | $17,381 | — |
| 5 | American Barber and Beauty Academy Reading, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Barbering/Barber | $12,155 | 88% | — | — |
| 6 | World A Cuts Barber Institute York, PA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | $25,059 | — |
| 7 | Cutting Edge Barber Academy Lancaster, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | $22,647 | — |
| 8 | Final Touch Barber Academy Philadelphia, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Barbering/Barber | — | 24% | — | — |
| 10 | Modern Male Barber Academy Lansdale, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Barbering/Barber | — | 90% | — | — |
| 11 | Empire Beauty School - Springfield Springfield, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $16,429 | 63% | $19,065 | — |
| 12 | Metro Beauty Academy Allentown, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $21,226 | 96% | $20,001 | — |
| 13 | Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania Harrisburg, PA Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 9 | Barbering/Barber | $14,803 | 96% | $10,014 | — |
| 14 | Empire Beauty School - Center City Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $16,062 | 36% | $19,549 | — |
| 15 | Champ's Barber School - Lebanon Lebanon, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | $17,646 | — |
| 16 | Empire Beauty School - Cheltenham Wyncote, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $15,679 | 51% | $19,916 | — |
| 17 | Empire Beauty School - Lehigh Valley Whitehall, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $16,429 | 67% | $20,060 | — |
| 18 | Altoona Beauty School Inc Altoona, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $18,188 | 92% | $28,134 | — |
| 19 | Champ's Barber School - York York, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Empire Beauty School - NE Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $17,113 | 82% | $18,788 | — |
| 21 | Jean Madeline Aveda Institute Philadelphia, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $14,081 | 80% | $21,196 | — |
| 22 | Laurel Technical Institute Uniontown, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design | $15,447 | 69% | $10,693 | 77% |
| 23 | Metropolitan Barber Academy Enola, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Barbering/Barber | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Empire Beauty School - Harrisburg Harrisburg, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $16,062 | 72% | $18,667 | — |
| 25 | Empire Beauty School - Reading Reading, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor | $15,679 | 82% | $19,947 | — |
All 46 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barber School of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh | Private for-profit | 53 | 1 |
| Premier Barber Institute | Norristown | Private for-profit | 46 | 2 |
| Lehigh Valley Barber School | Bethlehem | Private for-profit | 36 | 1 |
| Champ's Barber School | Lancaster | Private for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| American Barber and Beauty Academy | Reading | Private for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| World A Cuts Barber Institute | York | Private for-profit | 19 | 2 |
| Cutting Edge Barber Academy | Lancaster | Private for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Final Touch Barber Academy | Philadelphia | Private for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Modern Male Barber Academy | Lansdale | Private for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Empire Beauty School - Springfield | Springfield | Private for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Metro Beauty Academy | Allentown | Private for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| Barber and Beauty Academy of Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | Private for-profit | 9 | 3 |
| Empire Beauty School - Center City Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Private for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Champ's Barber School - Lebanon | Lebanon | Private for-profit | 8 | 1 |
What barbers earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $38,210. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.
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 276 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 69.5% 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 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. Together they graduate about 397 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do barbers earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $36,920 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.4% 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 Pennsylvania?+
46 institutions in Pennsylvania 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 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.
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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