# First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers

US SOC code 39-1022. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/39-1022

Also called: Salon manager, Spa manager, Personal service supervisor, Beauty salon supervisor, Fitness center supervisor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **114,110** US first-line supervisors of personal service workers, with median pay of **$48,590** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml) of **18,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Cloud-based SaaS management platforms, 2010 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 6.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-1022&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **36.2%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1888
- Latest US employment: 114,110 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $48,590 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: +6.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [15]

### All 9 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 18,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [1] |
| 1992 | 65,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IHRSA [2] |
| 2000 | n/a | $27,000 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [4] |
| 2002 | 105,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ClubReady / IHRSA [2] |
| 2021 | 101,030 | $40,390 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 104,480 | $43,680 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 106,440 | $46,690 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 107,060 | $47,080 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 114,110 | $48,590 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (40)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA — 1950 Occupations documentation and BLS industry data (service-sector supervisor estimate)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [IHRSA — "Evolution of the Fitness Industry: A Brief History of the Public Gym" (1992 employment statistics)](https://www.clubready.club/blog/evolution-of-the-fitness-industry-a-brief-history-of-the-public-gym/), ClubReady / IHRSA
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [University of Missouri Libraries — BLS Area Wage Surveys, 1990s-2000s (service occupations historical wages)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1990-1999), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

6. [Ogle School — "A History of Beauticians" (Martha Harper 1888, early salon operations)](https://www.ogleschool.edu/blog/a-history-of-beauticians/), Ogle School
7. [Wikipedia — Martha Matilda Harper (salon franchise history, 1888-1921)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Matilda_Harper), Wikipedia
8. [North Dakota State Historical Society — State Board of Cosmetology history (1927 licensing act)](https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/stateagencies/cosmetology.html), State Historical Society of North Dakota
9. [Louisville Beauty Academy — "The Journey to Professionalism: Evolution of Cosmetology" (state licensing history)](https://louisvillebeautyacademy.net/the-journey-to-professionalism-a-look-at-the-evolution-of-cosmetology-esthetics-and-nail-technology/), Louisville Beauty Academy
10. [campus.edu — "The History of Hair Salons and Beauty Shops" (20th-century salon operations)](https://campus.edu/blog/cosmetology/history-of-beauty-salons), campus.edu
11. [American Spa — "Learning from the Past, Applying to the Future: 30 Years in the Fitness Industry"](https://www.americanspa.com/news/learning-from-past-applying-to-future-30-years-fitness-industry), American Spa
12. [Zenoti — Company page (founded 2010, cloud-based spa and salon management)](https://www.zenoti.com/company), Zenoti
13. [Zenoti — "Zenoti launches industry's first AI Workforce for beauty, wellness, and fitness" (PR Newswire, Sept 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenoti-launches-industrys-first-ai-workforce-for-the-beauty-wellness-and-fitness-industries-302570261.html), Zenoti / PR Newswire
14. [Homebase — "AI Scheduling Assistant" (Dec 2025)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202531091/en/Homebase-Brings-AI-to-Main-Street-with-Smart-Tools-That-Reduce-Admin-Work-and-Save-Time), Homebase / BusinessWire

### Forecasts and exposure studies

15. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 39-1022 First-line supervisors of personal service workers (2025: 122.5 thousand; 2035: 130.2 thousand; +6.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-1022&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
16. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 39-1022.00, human-rated β 0.362)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

17. [Wikipedia — Martha Matilda Harper (salon history and franchise pioneer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Matilda_Harper), Wikipedia
18. [North Dakota State Historical Society — State Board of Cosmetology archives (1927 legislative act)](https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/stateagencies/cosmetology.html), State Historical Society of North Dakota
19. [ClubReady / IHRSA — "Evolution of the Fitness Industry: A Brief History of the Public Gym" (US fitness club growth 1978-2006)](https://www.clubready.club/blog/evolution-of-the-fitness-industry-a-brief-history-of-the-public-gym/), ClubReady / IHRSA
20. [BLS — "Recovering from the pandemic: A bright outlook for the personal care service industry" (Beyond the Numbers, 2022)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-11/recovering-from-the-pandemic-a-bright-outlook-for-the-personal-care-service-industry.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Global Wellness Institute — "Global Wellness Economy Hits a Record $6.8 Trillion" (press release, 2024)](https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/press-room/press-releases/the-global-wellness-economy-hits-a-record-6-8-trillion-and-is-forecast-to-reach-9-8-trillion-by-2029/), Global Wellness Institute

### Predecessors & successors

22. [BLS OOH — Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists (career advancement paths)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/barbers-hairstylists-and-cosmetologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Wikipedia — Martha Matilda Harper (pioneer of modern hair salon franchising, 1888)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Matilda_Harper), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers (39-1022.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/39-1022.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [My Next Move — First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers (39-1022.00)](https://www.mynextmove.org/profile/summary/39-1022.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Zenoti launches industry's first AI Workforce for beauty, wellness, and fitness (PR Newswire, Sept 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenoti-launches-industrys-first-ai-workforce-for-the-beauty-wellness-and-fitness-industries-302570261.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Zenoti 2025 consumer trends survey — 81% of clients want 24/7 booking access](https://www.zenoti.com/thecheckin/salon-spa-booking-communication-trends), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Homebase — AI Scheduling Assistant (Dec 2025)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202531091/en/Homebase-Brings-AI-to-Main-Street-with-Smart-Tools-That-Reduce-Admin-Work-and-Save-Time), accessed 2026-06-05
- [GlossGenius — Salon Analytics and AI Growth Analyst](https://glossgenius.com/ai-business-tools), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Zenoti — AI Workforce Agents for beauty and wellness](https://www.zenoti.com/blog/zenoti-ai-workforce-a-team-of-ai-agents-for-your-salon-spa-or-medspa), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.