How Much Does a Painter Make?
How much does a painter make? See May 2025 hourly and annual pay, wage percentiles, salaries by state, job scope, seasonality, and RRP rules for employees.
The national median wage for Painters, Construction and Maintenance was $23.75 per hour, or $49,400 per year, in May 2025. The official annual median equals about $950 per week or $4,117 per month.
These figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for SOC 47-2141. They cover employees who paint buildings and other structural surfaces. They do not cover fine artists, vehicle painters, production coating-machine operators, self-employed painters, or owners and partners of unincorporated businesses. If you own the company, use the painting business owner earnings guide to model collected jobs, business costs, owner compensation, and retained cash instead of treating an employee wage as owner income.
| Pay period | National median |
|---|---|
| Hourly | $23.75 |
| Weekly | $950 |
| Monthly | $4,117 |
| Annual | $49,400 |
The weekly and monthly figures are conversions from the official annual median. They do not account for seasonal gaps, overtime, travel pay, bonuses, or benefits.
Painter hourly pay and wage percentiles
The median is the 50th percentile: half of the employees in this occupation earned less, and half earned more.
| Wage percentile | Hourly wage | Annual wage | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $18.00 | $37,440 | 10% earned this amount or less |
| 25th | $21.46 | $44,640 | 25% earned this amount or less |
| 50th | $23.75 | $49,400 | National median |
| 75th | $29.65 | $61,660 | 25% earned this amount or more |
| 90th | $37.89 | $78,810 | 10% earned this amount or more |
The middle half of employee wages ran from $21.46 to $29.65 per hour. These percentiles are not career stages. The 10th percentile is not a universal apprentice rate, and the 90th percentile is not a universal master-painter rate. The dataset does not connect each wage to experience, union status, project type, certifications, or tenure.
Highest painter salaries by state
Hawaii had the highest published state median at $68,220 per year. The top 10 states and districts were:
| Rank | State or district | Median hourly | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $32.80 | $68,220 |
| 2 | Illinois | $29.45 | $61,260 |
| 3 | Alaska | $29.32 | $60,980 |
| 4 | Washington | $28.68 | $59,650 |
| 5 | New York | $28.64 | $59,570 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $28.61 | $59,520 |
| 7 | Maine | $28.50 | $59,270 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $28.49 | $59,250 |
| 9 | California | $28.38 | $59,020 |
| 10 | Delaware | $28.14 | $58,530 |
The ranking does not adjust for cost of living, seasonal work, union coverage, travel, or benefits. It also does not prove what caused the differences.
Painter salary by state
Every row below uses the May 2025 median for the same construction and maintenance painting occupation.
| Rank | State or district | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $68,220 | $32.80 |
| 2 | Illinois | $61,260 | $29.45 |
| 3 | Alaska | $60,980 | $29.32 |
| 4 | Washington | $59,650 | $28.68 |
| 5 | New York | $59,570 | $28.64 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $59,520 | $28.61 |
| 7 | Maine | $59,270 | $28.50 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $59,250 | $28.49 |
| 9 | California | $59,020 | $28.38 |
| 10 | Delaware | $58,530 | $28.14 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $58,480 | $28.12 |
| 12 | Montana | $58,290 | $28.03 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $57,510 | $27.65 |
| 14 | Missouri | $57,510 | $27.65 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $57,270 | $27.54 |
| 16 | Nevada | $56,390 | $27.11 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $54,870 | $26.38 |
| 18 | Vermont | $53,120 | $25.54 |
| 19 | Colorado | $52,970 | $25.47 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $52,120 | $25.06 |
| 21 | Michigan | $50,650 | $24.35 |
| 22 | Indiana | $50,260 | $24.16 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $50,090 | $24.08 |
| 24 | Iowa | $49,710 | $23.90 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $49,670 | $23.88 |
| 26 | Ohio | $49,450 | $23.77 |
| 27 | Maryland | $49,120 | $23.62 |
| 28 | Oregon | $48,900 | $23.51 |
| 29 | Georgia | $48,340 | $23.24 |
| 30 | Arizona | $48,250 | $23.20 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $48,160 | $23.15 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $48,110 | $23.13 |
| 33 | Florida | $47,530 | $22.85 |
| 34 | Virginia | $47,470 | $22.82 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $47,280 | $22.73 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $47,220 | $22.70 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $46,410 | $22.31 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $46,240 | $22.23 |
| 39 | Utah | $46,050 | $22.14 |
| 40 | Kansas | $45,510 | $21.88 |
| 41 | Texas | $45,460 | $21.86 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $44,900 | $21.59 |
| 43 | Idaho | $44,880 | $21.58 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $44,800 | $21.54 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $44,230 | $21.26 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $44,110 | $21.21 |
| 47 | Alabama | $43,930 | $21.12 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $43,230 | $20.78 |
| 49 | Rhode Island | $41,590 | $20.00 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $40,840 | $19.64 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $40,090 | $19.28 |
Which jobs are included in painter salary data?
SOC 47-2141 covers construction and maintenance painters who apply coatings and finishes to walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces. The work can include preparing surfaces, removing old paint, mixing finishes, and applying coatings with brushes, rollers, or spray guns.
It does not cover fine artists, automotive or transportation-equipment painters, or production workers who operate painting and coating machines. Self-employed painters and owners or partners of unincorporated businesses are also outside the OEWS employee population.
Most painters learn on the job. The BLS also describes 3- or 4-year apprenticeships that combine paid work with technical instruction, although apprenticeship availability and requirements vary. Outdoor painting may be seasonal, so expected working weeks matter when comparing annual pay.
OEWS reports straight-time gross wages. It excludes items such as overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance, employer benefit costs, and tuition reimbursement.
How to compare a painter job offer
- Confirm the occupation. The duties should match construction or maintenance painting, not fine art, vehicle finishing, or a production coating-machine role.
- Compare base pay with the right medians. Put the offer beside the $23.75 national hourly median and the May 2025 median for your state.
- Check the expected working year. Outdoor seasonality, weather downtime, project gaps, and guaranteed hours can change annual earnings without changing the posted hourly rate.
- Compare extra compensation separately. Ask about overtime, travel or per-diem pay, bonuses, health coverage, retirement contributions, and paid time off instead of assuming they are included in the median.
For lead-safe work, avoid blanket statements about a national painter license. The EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requires certification and training for paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in covered pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, subject to the rule’s scope and authorized programs. State and local contractor requirements are a separate check.
Frequently asked questions
How much do house painters make?
The closest official figure used here is the May 2025 median for Painters, Construction and Maintenance: $23.75 per hour or $49,400 per year. The occupation includes residential, commercial, and maintenance work, so it is not a residential-only house-painter median.
Are self-employed painters included in painter salary data?
No. OEWS salary data exclude self-employed painters and owners or partners of unincorporated businesses. Their answer has to come from collected job revenue, labor, materials, overhead, owner compensation, and retained cash.
Sources
- BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
- My Next Move national wage table for Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- O*NET occupation profile for Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for Painters
- BLS OEWS technical notes
- EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program
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- painter-salary
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