Makeup artist earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level makeup artist earnings begin at:

$62.19 per hour

$129,360 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level makeup artist earnings begin at:

$49.37 per hour

$102,680 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level makeup artist earnings begin at:

$48.79 per hour

$101,480 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level makeup artist earnings begin at:

$48.77 per hour

$101,450 per year

10th percentile

Starting level makeup artist earnings begin at:

$38.68 per hour

$80,450 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Makeup artist salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Tennessee $77,560
Florida $75,670
Georgia $58,000
Hawaii $47,720
Colorado $45,980
Pennsylvania $45,350
Texas $42,550
New Jersey $41,000
Puerto Rico $38,610
Illinois $30,100
Louisiana $28,620
Nevada $23,730
California $164,090
New York $129,500
District of Columbia $101,480

How do makeup artist salaries compare to similar careers?

Makeup artists earn about the same as related careers in District of Columbia. On average, they make less than detectives but more than film directors.

Career Median Salary
Detective salary $134K
Arbitrator salary $102K
Architect salary $100K
Art director salary $103K
Makeup artist salary $101K
American sign language interpreter salary $123K
Multimedia animator salary $99K
Filmmaker salary $81K
Film director salary $81K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)