A nail technician works on a client's nails at a salon table

Nail tech school by state

191 nail technician programs in 32 states and 1 territory, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

177 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Compare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

Nail technicians clean, shape and decorate fingernails and toenails. A license usually takes a state-approved nail technician or cosmetology program and a state exam.¹

Compare nail tech school by state: cost, pay and results

Nail tech school by state
State	Programs	Most cost	Earned a year, estimated	Working 6 months later	Finished
Alaska	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arizona	7	$6,218 to $9,031	Not reported	Not reported	79%
California	18	$3,051 to $4,711	about $33,300	50%	87%
Colorado	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Connecticut	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Indiana	7	$3,731 to $8,944	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Iowa	6	$4,263 to $4,840	Not reported	Not reported	98%
Maine	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maryland	6	$3,112 to $3,675	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Massachusetts	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Michigan	5	$3,995 to $7,010	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Minnesota	9	$2,297 to $2,665	about $21,200	68%	73%
Missouri	7	$3,092 to $5,280	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Montana	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nevada	9	$6,500 to $7,943	about $21,700	Not reported	80%
New Jersey	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New York	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Carolina	6	$194 to $951	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Dakota	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Ohio	16	$2,002 to $3,724	Not reported	Not reported	95%
Oregon	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Pennsylvania	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Puerto Rico	10	$6,829 to $8,122	about $11,600	Not reported	95%
Rhode Island	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Tennessee	5	$6,250 to $8,070	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Texas	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Utah	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Vermont	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Virginia	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Washington	26	$5,895 to $8,924	about $31,000	67%	83%
West Virginia	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Wisconsin	9	$1,560 to $3,500	about $23,000	76%	80%
Wyoming	5	$4,000 to $6,000	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer nail tech school too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Is there free nail tech school in the US?

WIOA funding can pay for nail tech school in the US

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Or pay for nail tech school yourself

Without funding, prices differ by state: most nail technician programs cost $194 to $951 in North Carolina and $5,895 to $8,924 in Washington. Each state's page lists every program with its price.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the nail technician program numbers by state come from

Which nail technician programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁵ Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where too few programs report a figure, the table says "Not reported".

Other training by state

Approved programs per field across every state. Each opens that field's comparison by state.

Sources for the facts about nail tech school

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