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

Best Manicurist programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment

Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails.

132 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 8,043 people a year. The job pays a median of $34,040 in Texas across about 5,340 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledManicuristPedicuristNail Technician (Nail Tech)Nail ArtistFingernail FormerFingernail SculptorFingernail SculpturerFingernail Technician
Graduates / yr
8,043
in Texas
Median pay · Texas
$34,040
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
5,340
people employed
Schools
132
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
61%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,936
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job

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

2 programs in Texas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas 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 Texas
6,728
83.7%
132$17,113$10,000
2
CIP 12.0410In Texas
1,315
16.3%
48$17,113$10,000

Top 25 schools in Texas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 97 of the 132 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1San Jacinto Community College
Pasadena, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
254Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$15,65530%
2Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Ft Worth
Fort Worth, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
210Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,10682%$20,903
3Trinity Valley Community College
Athens, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
196Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$10,38127%
4Milan Institute of Cosmetology - El Paso
El Paso, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
182Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$14,94354%$27,271
5Paul Mitchell the School - Houston
Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
171Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$19,03681%$22,605
6Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Dallas
Dallas, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
165Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,10669%$22,117
7Milan Institute - San Antonio Ingram
San Antonio, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
164Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$13,38662%$29,049
8Tint School of Makeup and Cosmetology - Dallas
Grand Prairie, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
159Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$23,22550%$23,080
9Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Stafford
Stafford, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
157Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,91681%$22,650
10Vogue College of Cosmetology - McAllen
McAllen, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
153Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$14,64263%$26,326
11Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - San Antonio
San Antonio, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
152Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,02076%$21,751
12Paul Mitchell the School - Arlington
Arlington, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
142Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,50062%$24,350
13Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Willowbrook
Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
129Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,91670%$22,580
14Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Arlington
Arlington, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
128Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,02072%$23,423
15Avenue Five Institute
Austin, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
122Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$23,14477%$28,462
16Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - North Dallas
Dallas, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
121Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,10674%$22,744
17South Plains College
Levelland, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
121Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$11,55729%
18Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Hurst
Hurst, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
119Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$18,91675%$21,019
19Palo Alto College
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
118Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General33%
20Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Denton
Denton, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
111Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,02083%$20,781
21Lee College
Baytown, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
110Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$14,72753%
22Milan Institute of Cosmetology - San Antonio Military
San Antonio, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
110Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist$14,94355%$20,584
23Central Texas Beauty College - Temple
Temple, TX Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
108Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$16,07258%$10,868
24Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - San Antonio
San Antonio, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
103Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$17,37881%$24,217
25Paul Mitchell the School - Dallas
Carrollton, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
103Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General$20,50068%$28,646

All 132 schools in Texas

Every school in Texas 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 Texas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
San Jacinto Community CollegePasadenaPublic2542
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - Ft WorthFort WorthPrivate for-profit2101
Trinity Valley Community CollegeAthensPublic1962
Milan Institute of Cosmetology - El PasoEl PasoPrivate for-profit1822
Paul Mitchell the School - HoustonHoustonPrivate for-profit1711
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - DallasDallasPrivate for-profit1651
Milan Institute - San Antonio IngramSan AntonioPrivate for-profit1642
Tint School of Makeup and Cosmetology - DallasGrand PrairiePrivate for-profit1592
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - StaffordStaffordPrivate for-profit1571
Vogue College of Cosmetology - McAllenMcAllenPrivate for-profit1532
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - San AntonioSan AntonioPrivate for-profit1521
Paul Mitchell the School - ArlingtonArlingtonPrivate for-profit1422
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - WillowbrookHoustonPrivate for-profit1291
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails - ArlingtonArlingtonPrivate for-profit1281
Avenue Five InstituteAustinPrivate for-profit1222

What manicurists and pedicurists earn in Texas

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

Median annual in Texas
$34,040
Mean annual
$35,540
Jobs in state
5,340
What the range looks like
10th pct$18,950Median$34,04090th pct$48,510
Versus the national median
-4.8%

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

Job concentration
0.39×

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

Metro areas in Texas

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$37,740median
900 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$33,800median
1,500 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$35,080median
1,490 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$31,250median
420 jobs
El Paso, TX
$28,350median
80 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 Texas

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 Texas.

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 6,728 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 83.7% 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 8,043 people a year in Texas.

How much do manicurists and pedicurists earn in Texas?+

The median is $34,040 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.8% 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 Texas?+

132 institutions in Texas 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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