Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for makeup artists, theatrical and performance in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of makeup artists, theatrical and performance among California cities is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$46,030
25th Percentile Wage
$74,620
50th Percentile Wage
$97,220
75th Percentile Wage
$104,210
90th Percentile Wage
$179,050

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for makeup artists, theatrical and performance in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $179,050. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $97,220. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $46,030.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of makeup artists, theatrical and performance from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$97,220
-68.78% 25.23%
2021
$164,090
27.08% -
2020
$119,660
20.65% -
2019
$94,950
24.00% -
2018
$72,160
9.01% -
2017
$65,660
-14.24% -
2016
$75,010
-2.11% -
2015
$76,590
21.80% -
2014
$59,890
-28.07% -
2013
$76,700
5.23% -
2012
$72,690
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of makeup artists, theatrical and performance in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of makeup artists, theatrical and performance in state of California ranges from $35,240 to $106,590. The highest paying area for makeup artists, theatrical and performance in California is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont with a median annual salary of $106,590. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (mean annual salary $97,860). The lowest paying area is Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine with a median annual salary of $35,240.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$106,590
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$97,860
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$67,440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$62,290
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$35,240