The average wage for a make-up artist in California is around $34.69 per hour.
Avg Wage
Make-Up artists earn an average hourly wage of $34.69.
Salaries typically start from $10.91 per hour and go up to $66.11 per hour.
7% above national average Updated in 2018
Make-Up artist earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level make-up artist earnings begin at:
$66.11 per hour
$137,510 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level make-up artist earnings begin at:
$57.21 per hour
$119,000 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level make-up artist earnings begin at:
$34.69 per hour
$72,160 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level make-up artist earnings begin at:
$13.57 per hour
$28,220 per year
10th percentile
Starting level make-up artist earnings begin at:
$10.91 per hour
$22,700 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Make-Up artist salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $86,060 |
| Tennessee | $77,560 |
| California | $72,160 |
| Florida | $68,770 |
| New York | $64,760 |
| Georgia | $58,000 |
| Hawaii | $47,720 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,350 |
| Texas | $42,550 |
| New Jersey | $41,000 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,610 |
| Louisiana | $28,620 |
| Nevada | $23,730 |
How do make-up artist salaries compare to similar careers?
Make-Up artists earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than firefighters but more than illustrators.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Firefighter salary | $75K |
| Librarian salary | $79K |
| Correctional officer salary | $78K |
| Mail superintendent salary | $80K |
| Camera operator salary | $68K |
| Make-Up artist salary | $72K |
| Industrial designer salary | $70K |
| Healthcare social worker salary | $74K |
| Insurance sales agent salary | $55K |
| Illustrator salary | $65K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)