Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance Salary in Georgia
SOC 39-5091 · Georgia · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$143,229
$68.86/hr
47.4% higher than the US national median ($97,157)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Makeup Artists salary in Georgia in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$64K
P25$100K
P50$143K
P75$160K
P90$162K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- retail openings are at 4.7% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in retail trade are rising about 3.4% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.0-3.5% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $143,229 to $160,181 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Makeup Artists pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
BLS's May 2025 median estimate for this role is 93.3% above its May 2024 estimate. A swing that large usually reflects survey sampling or classification changes between OEWS vintages rather than actual pay changes, so lean on the sector wage-growth benchmark (3.4% per year, BLS ECI) for planning.
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Retail Trade is running a 4.7% job-openings rate with quits at 3.0% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 4.5% to 4.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 7.2 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings rose to 4.7% (up 54K), the highest this year. Quits held at 3.0% (July revised from 3.1%). Hourly churn pressure persists.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings held at 4.5% (June revised down from 4.8%); quits crept up to 3.1%, the highest of the year. Hourly churn pressure persists.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings climbed to 4.8% and quits returned to 3.0%. Frontline churn pressure is building again.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance in Georgia is $143,229 per year ($68.86/hr). This is 47.4% higher than the national median of $97,157.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Wage Percentiles: Georgia
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$31.00
$64,480
+176.0%
P25
$48.29
$100,443
+190.9%
P50MEDIAN
$68.86
$143,229
+47.4%
P75
$77.01
$160,181
+11.8%
P90Top earners
$77.98
$162,198
-3.1%
How Georgia compares for Makeup Artists
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Makeup Artists in Georgia is above national (+176.0%) at entry but below national (-3.1%) at the top, so local pay sits relatively lower toward the senior end of the range.
An offer at the national median of $97,157 would sit at about the 23rd percentile in Georgia.
The top of the range earns 2.52 times the bottom here against 7.17 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Georgia.
Georgia employs 200 people in this role, 8.5% of the national total.
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P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Makeup Artists
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Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+8.1%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
7K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
1K
$140,870
Amusement Parks and Arcades
NAICS 713100
140
N/A
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median makeup artists, theatrical and performance salary in Georgia?
The median (P50) annual salary for Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance in Georgia is approximately $143,229, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 47.4% higher than the national median of $97,157. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
