Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

Minimal Risk
Low High

Alternative careers

Related career paths that build on similar skills and experience

Fashion Designers
25% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
View career
Why it fits

Uses period style, color palettes, performer image, materials, production collaboration, visual research, and client presentation.

Self-Enrichment Teachers
25% automation risk | Low Risk
More jobs
View career
Why it fits

Applies demonstrations, makeup workshops, learner feedback, product explanation, safety, lesson planning, and practical coaching.

Compare this job with others
or search for another job
Share your results with friends and family.

Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
6.5/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

16% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): This occupation appears difficult to replace end-to-end with current or near-future automation, including AI software and robotics. Roles in this range usually depend on human judgement, creativity, care, leadership, specialist expertise, or adapting to messy real-world situations. AI and machines may still change parts of the work, but the occupation is likely to remain a distinct human role.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Very important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Very important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
Jobs that also use this strength

Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
Jobs that also use this strength

Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
Jobs that also use this strength
Show 3 more strengths

Coaching and developing others

Quite important
Why this matters
Helps people learn and improve through coaching, mentoring, and feedback. This relies on trust, motivation, and adapting guidance to each person—work that’s hard to replace end-to-end with automation.
Jobs that also use this strength

Communicating with people outside the organization

Quite important
Why this matters
Represents the organization to customers, the public, or government—handling questions, concerns, and relationship-building through conversations, writing, calls, or email.
Jobs that also use this strength

Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 108 votes

25% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 16% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance was $50,280 ($24 per hour).

The median annual wage for Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance was 1.6% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance' job openings is expected to rise 8.1% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 3,320 people employed as 'Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 46 thousand people are employed as 'Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance'.

People also viewed

Actors Lawyers Computer Programmers Graphic Designers Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

What people are saying (7)

Leave a comment
Nicki
23 Nov 2023 07:57
AI and CGI have come along way since the previous comments.
Anjali Tater (Low)
08 Aug 2023 20:33
Because each person as a different demand and outlook , how much understanding can someone provide in a robot and the comfort provided.. Sudden demand of changes in the look.. Take care of some skin conditions or wounds while creating the look/doing makeup.. All this is possible whilst an actually human not robot.
azzy (Low)
01 Feb 2021 18:56
it would be hard and expensive to do this don't think its worth it :)
Sein
02 Sep 2020 03:36
a job that requires a relationship with a person. Makeup artists need emotion and thought.
Charlie
03 Dec 2019 09:56
Make up is really skill-full.
ZeniNab
03 Apr 2019 12:15
Automatic makeup, based on an initial setting
Mark
04 Apr 2019 14:44
Maybe one day, but it's not quite there yet, as this quite funny article highlights :) https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/robot-makeup-beautification/185217
Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.

O*NET-SOC code: 39-5091.00