Automotive painter vs production painter

The differences between automotive painters and production painters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an automotive painter and a production painter. Additionally, an automotive painter has an average salary of $40,894, which is higher than the $32,193 average annual salary of a production painter.

The top three skills for an automotive painter include spray guns, OEM and coats. The most important skills for a production painter are safety regulations, paint guns, and spray guns.

Automotive painter vs production painter overview

	Automotive Painter	Production Painter
Yearly salary	$40,894	$32,193
Hourly rate	$19.66	$15.48
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	36,719	55,575
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Automotive painter vs production painter salary

Automotive painters and production painters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Automotive Painter	Production Painter
Average salary	$40,894	$32,193
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $53,000	Between $23,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Cedar Rapids, IA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	General Electric
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between automotive painter and production painter education

There are a few differences between an automotive painter and a production painter in terms of educational background:

	Automotive Painter	Production Painter
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Automotive Technology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Automotive painter vs production painter demographics

Here are the differences between automotive painters' and production painters' demographics:

	Automotive Painter	Production Painter
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%	Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 3.7% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between automotive painter and production painter duties and responsibilities

Automotive painter example responsibilities.

Paint and/or refinish repair areas on vehicle to achieve a better than factory finish.
Set up ladders, and scaffolding according to regulation.
Use of relate PPE and knowledge of hazardous waste disposal procedures.
Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding.
Sand vehicle surfaces between coats of paint or primer to remove flaws and enhance adhesion for subsequent coats.
Work with PPG waterborne paint and primers.

Production painter example responsibilities.

Execute production activities as directed by supervisor, including performing GMP cell culture of biologic products using closed-system device.
Entrust to paint luxury cars, including Ferrari, BMW, and Maserati.

Automotive painter vs production painter skills

Common automotive painter skills

Spray Guns, 18%
OEM, 13%
Coats, 10%
Hazardous Waste, 9%
Stencils, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

Common production painter skills

Safety Regulations, 31%
Paint Guns, 18%
Spray Guns, 8%
Coats, 7%
Surface Preparation, 5%
Painting Operations, 4%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Automotive Painter
Automotive Painter vs Production Painter

Updated January 8, 2025

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