How To Become An Auto Painter: What It Is and Career Path

What is an auto painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average auto painter salary is $41,337. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an automotive technology major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become an auto painter. Auto painters with a Master Collision Repair & Refinishing Technician certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 2,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreAuto PainterUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,337

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 3.42%

Black or African American 12.20%

Hispanic or Latino 22.13%

Unknown 4.03%

White 57.67%

Gender

female 4.18%

male 95.82%

Age - 41.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41.5

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an auto painter

Explore auto painter education requirements

Most common auto painter degrees

High School Diploma

57.3 %

Associate

15.5 %

Diploma

10.0 %

Start to develop specific auto painter skills

Skills	Percentages
Coats	33.41%
Mask	13.97%
Auto Body Painting	8.59%
Customer Service	8.02%
Painting Process	5.07%

Complete relevant auto painter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New auto painters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an auto painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real auto painter resumes.

Research auto painter duties and responsibilities

Paint and/or refinish repair areas on vehicle to achieve a better than factory finish.
Paint steam and water treatment piping using scaffolding, safety harnesses, and follow refinery safety protocols
Operate strriping machines, sandblasters and spray equipment.
Entrust to paint luxury cars, including Ferrari, BMW, and Maserati.

Prepare your auto painter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your auto painter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an auto painter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable auto painter resume templates

Build a professional auto painter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your auto painter resume.