Data report · Updated October 2026
Fade haircut statistics: America's favorite men's cut, first in 23 states
How popular the fade is, which fade barbers cut most, what it costs and where search interest is heading.
The fade is the most popular men's hairstyle in the US, named by 14% of 7,100 adults in a January 2025 survey and the top style in 23 states[1]. Among UK barbers polled in Winter 2023/24, 48% said the skin fade was their most requested cut, ahead of the taper fade at 41%[2].
14%
of US adults name the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle (2025)[1]
23
states where the fade is the number one men's style[1]
48% vs 41%
UK barbers naming the skin fade vs the taper fade as most requested (Winter 2023/24)[2]
$40–$75
typical US price range for a premium skin fade on Booksy[3]
+764%
rise in Pinterest searches for "beard fade men" (2026 report)[4]
By Jessica Hamilton, Editor · Published · Updated · Free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0)
Key findings
- The fade is the most popular men's hairstyle in the US, chosen by 14% of respondents in a January 2025 survey of 7,100 adults, just ahead of the buzz cut at 12%[1].
- The fade was the top men's style in 23 of 50 states, more than any other cut[1].
- In four UK barber polls during 2023, the skin fade led every time, but its share of "most requested" answers slipped from 55% in summer and autumn 2023 to 48% in Winter 2023/24 while the taper fade rose from 35% to 41%[5][2].
- The share of UK barbers getting burst fade requests rose from 59% in autumn 2023 to 72% in Winter 2023/24[5][2].
- "Low fade haircut men" was the fourth fastest-rising haircut search in the US on Google in 2024[6].
- Booksy lists a typical US price of $30 to $65 for a classic or fade haircut and $40 to $75 for a premium skin fade[3].
- Pinterest searches for "beard fade men" rose 764% and "Italian beard fade" 725% in its 2026 Men's Trend Report[4].
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How popular is the fade haircut?
The fade is the single most popular men's hairstyle in the most recent national US survey. In a January 2025 online survey of 7,100 people aged 18 to 65, run by Culture Co-op for Hims, 14% named the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle[1]. The buzz cut came second at 12%, and together the two clipper-based styles accounted for 26% of answers[1].
Those figures are for preference, and both men and women took part. No public dataset yet counts how many American men actually wear a fade on a given day. Booksy, one of the larger US booking apps, calls the fade and taper the most requested men's haircut style in the US, but it does not publish the booking counts behind that statement[3].
The fade has also been a steady riser in search for a decade. In Google's 2015 Beauty Trends report for the US, "fade haircuts", "mid fade haircut", "afro fade" and "afro taper" were all classed as sustained risers, meaning searches had grown steadily over several years[7].
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Fade | 14% |
| Buzz cut | 12% |
| Classic boy cut | 10.5% |
| Long layers | 8% |
| Side part | 7% |
In which states is the fade the most popular haircut?
The fade ranked first in 23 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia[1].
California, Texas and Florida are all on that list, while New York chose the buzz cut[1]. The buzz cut won 16 states in total, spread from Maine and Massachusetts to Oregon, Utah and Wyoming[1]. The fade's map leans South, where it won 10 states, with a run across the Sun Belt from Arizona to the Carolinas (menhaircuts.net count using US Census regions).
| Region | States |
|---|---|
| South | Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia |
| Midwest | Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio |
| West | Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico |
| Northeast | Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island |
Skin fade or taper fade: which do barbers cut more?
UK trade magazine Modern Barber asked its barber audience the same question four times across 2023. In spring, 76% said skin fades were still dominating[8]. In summer, 55% said they got more requests for skin fades and 45% for taper fades[9]. In autumn, with the burst fade added as an option, the split was 55% skin, 35% taper and 10% burst[5].
By Winter 2023/24 the skin fade was still first, but the gap had narrowed to 48% against 41% for the taper fade, with the burst fade at 11%[2]. The direction is the useful part here: the taper fade, which leaves more hair at the bottom and keeps a natural neckline, gained ground through the year. Our guide to the taper fade and the skin fade explains how the two differ in the chair.
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Skin, summer 2023 | 55% |
| Taper, summer 2023 | 45% |
| Skin, autumn 2023 | 55% |
| Taper, autumn 2023 | 35% |
| Skin, winter 23/24 | 48% |
| Taper, winter 23/24 | 41% |
| Poll | Skin fade | Taper fade | Burst fade | Getting burst fade requests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2023 | 55% | 45% | Not asked | Not asked |
| Autumn 2023 | 55% | 35% | 10% | 59% |
| Winter 2023/24 | 48% | 41% | 11% | 72% |
Is the burst fade getting more popular?
Yes, at least among the barbers Modern Barber polls. In autumn 2023, 59% said they had been getting requests for burst fades[5]. By Winter 2023/24 that figure was 72%[2]. The burst fade curves around the ear and is often paired with a mullet or a mohawk, and 89% of the same barbers said they were still getting mullet requests that winter[2].
The burst fade is still a niche choice as a main request, at 10% to 11% of "most requested" answers across the two polls that offered it[5][2]. Our burst fade guide covers the shapes barbers cut most.
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Autumn 2023 | 59% |
| Winter 2023/24 | 72% |
How much does a fade haircut cost?
Booksy's US men's haircut page lists typical price ranges by service. A men's haircut, classic or fade, runs $30 to $65 and takes 30 to 60 minutes[3]. A premium skin fade runs $40 to $75 and takes 45 to 60 minutes[3]. A line up or edge up on its own costs $15 to $30[3].
Booksy suggests a tip of 15% to 20%, or 20% to 25% for an exceptional cut or a regular barber[3]. It also recommends a cut every 2 to 4 weeks to keep a fade or short style sharp, against every 4 to 6 weeks for longer styles[3]. At that pace a fade wearer books 13 to 26 cuts a year (52 weeks divided by 4 or by 2, menhaircuts.net calculation). For a full price breakdown see our guide on how much a skin fade costs.
| Service | Typical price | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Men's haircut (classic or fade) | $30–$65 | 30–60 min |
| Skin fade (premium) | $40–$75 | 45–60 min |
| Haircut and beard trim | $45–$90 | 45–75 min |
| Buzz cut | $20–$40 | 15–30 min |
| Line up or edge up | $15–$30 | 15–20 min |
Which fade styles are trending in search?
In Google's 2024 Year in Search list of fastest-rising US haircut searches, "low fade haircut men" ranked fourth[6]. Several other entries on that list, including the alpaca, warrior, broccoli head and textured crop haircuts, are usually cut with faded sides[6]. NPR described the alpaca as a close shave on the sides and back with a lot of curly volume on top[10].
Pinterest's 2026 Men's Trend Report shows fades moving into beards and blends. Searches for "beard fade men" rose 764%, "Italian beard fade" 725% and "low taper x two block" 72%[4]. A year earlier, Pinterest reported a 205% rise in searches for "faded beard styles for men" between February 2024 and February 2025[11].
Fades sat at the center of men's search interest a decade ago too. In Google's 2015 report, the top words searched alongside "comb over" included fade, taper, low fade, high fade, skin fade and mid fade, and "lower taper fade" and "mohawk fade" were listed as rising stars[7].
Show the numbers
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Beard fade men | 764% |
| Italian beard fade | 725% |
| Low taper x two block | 72% |
| Beard fade | 14% |
Will fades still be popular in 2026 and beyond?
The evidence points to the fade staying the default men's cut, with the action shifting to the top and the blend. It leads the national preference survey[1], barbers name some form of fade as their most requested cut[2], and the newest search risers mostly sit on faded sides[6][4].
Within the family, the taper fade and the burst fade are the ones gaining, at least in barber polls[2]. The skin fade remains the single biggest request. For help choosing between them, our fades and tapers guide and low taper fade guide walk through each option.
Frequently asked questions
Is the fade the most popular men's haircut?
How many states have the fade as their top haircut?
Which is more popular, the skin fade or the taper fade?
How much does a fade cost in the US?
How often should you get a fade touched up?
Methodology and limitations
This report was compiled October 1 to 15, 2026. Popularity figures come from the Hims and Culture Co-op survey of 7,100 US adults (January 2025). Barber request data comes from Modern Barber's four 2023 trend polls. Prices and maintenance intervals come from Booksy's US men's haircut page as published in October 2026. Search trends come from Google's 2015 Beauty Trends report, Google's 2024 Year in Search haircut list (as reproduced by Fashion Trendsetter) and Pinterest's 2025 and 2026 men's trend reports. The regional grouping of fade states uses US Census regions and is a menhaircuts.net arrangement of the published state list. The cuts-per-year range is a menhaircuts.net calculation from Booksy's recommended interval.
Limitations
The Hims survey measures favorite style, not what men wear, and includes women's answers. Modern Barber's polls are informal Instagram polls of UK barbers with no published sample size, and the answer options changed between polls. Booksy's prices are typical ranges, not averages from bookings, and its "most requested" statement is not backed by published counts. Google and Pinterest publish growth rates without base volumes. No source here breaks fade popularity down by age, race or hair type, which matters because fades are cut differently on straight, wavy, curly and coily hair.
Every figure on this page links to its source. Numbers are reported as published; any menhaircuts.net calculation is labelled and shows its inputs. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it.
Sources
- This is the most popular men's hairstyle in every state, Stacker (data: Hims, Culture Co-op) (2025). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Modern Barber Trend Report: Winter 23/24, Modern Barber (2024). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Haircut Near Me, Booksy (2026). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- 2026 Men's Trend Report, Pinterest Newsroom (2026). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Modern Barber Trend Report: Autumn 2023, Modern Barber (2023). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Google Year in Search: Top Trending Data 2024, Fashion Trendsetter (reproducing Google Year in Search 2024) (2024). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Beauty Trends 2015: Hair Care Edition (U.S.), Google (Think with Google) (2015). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Modern Barber Trend Report: Spring 2023, Modern Barber (2023). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Modern Barber Trend Report: Summer 2023, Modern Barber (2023). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- The 'alpaca' haircut teenage boys and young men are obsessed with, explained, NPR (2024). Accessed October 15, 2026.
- Pinterest launches first men's trend report revealing new demographics, PPC Land (data: Pinterest) (2025). Accessed October 15, 2026.
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This report, its charts and its infographic are free to reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Credit menhaircuts.net with a link to this page.
Cite this report (APA)
Hamilton, J. (2026, October 15). Fade Haircut Statistics 2026: Popularity, Cost, Trends. menhaircuts.net. https://menhaircuts.net/stats/fade-haircut-statistics/
Link to this report
<a href="https://menhaircuts.net/stats/fade-haircut-statistics/">Fade Haircut Statistics 2026: Popularity, Cost, Trends</a> (menhaircuts.net, CC BY 4.0)Share the headline number
14%: of US adults name the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle (2025) (Stacker (data: Hims, Culture Co-op), via menhaircuts.net/stats/fade-haircut-statistics/)
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Related data
- 14%picked the fade as their favorite men's hairstyle (US, January 2025)Most Popular Men's Haircuts 2026
- #2 and #3the mullet's and undercut's rank among most-searched haircuts since 2004Men's Haircut Trends Over Time
- 16%of UK men wear a buzz cut, the most common style (2025)Buzz Cut Statistics 2026
- $43Average barbershop haircut, SQUIRE data May 2025 to April 2026Barbershop vs Salon vs Chain Prices 2026
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