Best states for a journeyman painter

Q: What is the best state for journeyman painters?

The best state to be a journeyman painter is Minnesota based on journeyman painter salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for journeyman painters?

The highest paying state for journeyman painters is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for journeyman painters?

The worst state for journeyman painters is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and construction and extraction careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to journeyman painter jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for journeyman painters.As journeyman painters are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for journeyman painters. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a journeyman painter, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

We figured that the best places for journeyman painter jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that Minnesota is the best state for journeyman painter jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.

10 best states for journeyman painters in 2026

1. Minnesota
Total journeyman painter jobs: 120
Average annual salary: $48,513
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $65,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Journeyman painter jobs in Minnesota
2. District of Columbia
Total journeyman painter jobs: 28
Average annual salary: $56,158
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
Journeyman painter jobs in District of Columbia
3. Wisconsin
Total journeyman painter jobs: 188
Average annual salary: $42,610
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.97
Journeyman painter jobs in Wisconsin
4. Pennsylvania
Total journeyman painter jobs: 189
Average annual salary: $47,920
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Journeyman painter jobs in Pennsylvania
5. New Jersey
Total journeyman painter jobs: 84
Average annual salary: $55,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Journeyman painter jobs in New Jersey
6. Vermont
Total journeyman painter jobs: 16
Average annual salary: $45,211
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Journeyman painter jobs in Vermont
7. Massachusetts
Total journeyman painter jobs: 96
Average annual salary: $53,405
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
0.6
Journeyman painter jobs in Massachusetts
8. West Virginia
Total journeyman painter jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $49,612
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Location Quotient:
0.64
Journeyman painter jobs in West Virginia
9. North Dakota
Total journeyman painter jobs: 17
Average annual salary: $43,733
Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Journeyman painter jobs in North Dakota
10. Missouri
Total journeyman painter jobs: 107
Average annual salary: $44,446
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Journeyman painter jobs in Missouri

Journeyman painter jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a journeyman painter

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a journeyman painter

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Minnesota	$48,513	$35,000	5,576,606	120
2	District of Columbia	$56,158	$35,000	693,972	28
3	Wisconsin	$42,610	$29,000	5,795,483	188
4	Pennsylvania	$47,920	$31,000	12,805,537	189
5	New Jersey	$55,195	$36,000	9,005,644	84
6	Vermont	$45,211	$33,000	623,657	16
7	Massachusetts	$53,405	$37,000	6,859,819	96
8	West Virginia	$49,612	$32,000	1,815,857	17
9	North Dakota	$43,733	$33,000	755,393	17
10	Missouri	$44,446	$30,000	6,113,532	107
11	Michigan	$42,004	$28,000	9,962,311	163
12	Wyoming	$42,027	$31,000	579,315	15
13	Maine	$41,769	$31,000	1,335,907	39
14	Ohio	$42,857	$28,000	11,658,609	185
15	Connecticut	$47,165	$31,000	3,588,184	56
16	Illinois	$49,672	$34,000	12,802,023	89
17	Washington	$44,281	$34,000	7,405,743	157
18	Virginia	$44,294	$28,000	8,470,020	198
19	California	$49,998	$33,000	39,536,653	434
20	Iowa	$39,023	$27,000	3,145,711	94
21	New York	$47,091	$30,000	19,849,399	155
22	North Carolina	$39,682	$25,000	10,273,419	177
23	Maryland	$45,222	$28,000	6,052,177	106
24	Colorado	$41,838	$30,000	5,607,154	118
25	Delaware	$44,448	$28,000	961,939	14
26	Indiana	$40,414	$27,000	6,666,818	99
27	Oklahoma	$37,411	$25,000	3,930,864	83
28	Alaska	$37,828	$33,000	739,795	36
29	Montana	$38,101	$29,000	1,050,493	40
30	Arizona	$40,275	$27,000	7,016,270	99
31	New Hampshire	$40,525	$28,000	1,342,795	27
32	Louisiana	$38,698	$25,000	4,684,333	55
33	Rhode Island	$39,132	$26,000	1,059,639	19
34	Oregon	$37,633	$28,000	4,142,776	101
35	Utah	$36,525	$27,000	3,101,833	84
36	Kansas	$36,644	$25,000	2,913,123	67
37	South Dakota	$35,882	$26,000	869,666	25
38	Hawaii	$34,227	$29,000	1,427,538	29
39	South Carolina	$37,374	$24,000	5,024,369	81
40	Nebraska	$36,325	$26,000	1,920,076	47
41	Texas	$36,937	$24,000	28,304,596	352
42	Tennessee	$36,766	$24,000	6,715,984	89
43	Idaho	$34,647	$26,000	1,716,943	43
44	Mississippi	$36,226	$24,000	2,984,100	33
45	Nevada	$36,677	$25,000	2,998,039	35
46	Kentucky	$36,447	$24,000	4,454,189	41
47	Georgia	$37,335	$24,000	10,429,379	138
48	New Mexico	$36,439	$24,000	2,088,070	32
49	Florida	$32,834	$21,000	20,984,400	325
50	Alabama	$35,750	$23,000	4,874,747	66
51	Arkansas	$34,098	$23,000	3,004,279	33

Highest paying states for journeyman painters

Rank	State	Avg. Journeyman Painter Salary
1	Minnesota	$48,513
2	District of Columbia	$56,158
3	Wisconsin	$42,610
4	Pennsylvania	$47,920
5	New Jersey	$55,195
6	Vermont	$45,211
7	Massachusetts	$53,405
8	West Virginia	$49,612
9	North Dakota	$43,733
10	Missouri	$44,446
11	Michigan	$42,004
12	Wyoming	$42,027
13	Maine	$41,769
14	Ohio	$42,857
15	Connecticut	$47,165
16	Illinois	$49,672
17	Washington	$44,281
18	Virginia	$44,294
19	California	$49,998
20	Iowa	$39,023
21	New York	$47,091
22	North Carolina	$39,682
23	Maryland	$45,222
24	Colorado	$41,838
25	Delaware	$44,448
26	Indiana	$40,414
27	Oklahoma	$37,411
28	Alaska	$37,828
29	Montana	$38,101
30	Arizona	$40,275
31	New Hampshire	$40,525
32	Louisiana	$38,698
33	Rhode Island	$39,132
34	Oregon	$37,633
35	Utah	$36,525
36	Kansas	$36,644
37	South Dakota	$35,882
38	Hawaii	$34,227
39	South Carolina	$37,374
40	Nebraska	$36,325
41	Texas	$36,937
42	Tennessee	$36,766
43	Idaho	$34,647
44	Mississippi	$36,226
45	Nevada	$36,677
46	Kentucky	$36,447
47	Georgia	$37,335
48	New Mexico	$36,439
49	Florida	$32,834
50	Alabama	$35,750
51	Arkansas	$34,098

Journeyman painter best states FAQs

What is the best state for journeyman painters?

What is the highest paying state for journeyman painters?

What is the worst state for journeyman painters?

Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.

Search for journeyman painter jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse construction and extraction jobs

Total journeyman painter jobs:	120
Average annual salary:	$48,513
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$35,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$65,000
Location Quotient:	1.04

Best states for a journeyman painter

10 best states for journeyman painters in 2026

1. Minnesota

2. District of Columbia

3. Wisconsin

4. Pennsylvania

5. New Jersey

6. Vermont

7. Massachusetts

8. West Virginia

9. North Dakota

10. Missouri