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The differences between painters and painter apprentices can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a painter and a painter apprentice. Additionally, a painter has an average salary of $42,339, which is higher than the $37,030 average annual salary of a painter apprentice.
The top three skills for a painter include ladders, coats and safety procedures. The most important skills for a painter apprentice are work ethic, coats, and scaffolding.
| Painter | Painter Apprentice | |
| Yearly salary | $42,339 | $37,030 |
| Hourly rate | $20.36 | $17.80 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 4,482 | 9,612 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Painters are skilled professionals who handle the painting needs of clients. They work closely with their clients to ensure that they will be able to do what is expected of them. Painters are responsible for preparing paints needed for the project. They mix and swatch paints to determine which would be the best fit for the clients' needs. Painters are expected to be experts on different types of surfaces and paint bases that work on each type. As such, painters are responsible for preparing the surface for paint jobs. This may include the removal of previous paints or wallpapers. Once they have prepared the surface, they then start putting on coats of paint until the desired color or effect is met.
Painter Apprentices work for an organization either full time or part-time while undertaking formal training on the job. Their duties include working out needed materials quantity through job specifications, drawings, or surface measurements, and erecting structures to protect the area from paint such as ladders, scaffoldings, and drop sheets. Painter Apprentices are responsible for removing old paint, preparing surfaces, selecting paints, rolling, brushing, and spraying paint, wallpapering, and putting on decorative finishes such as marbling, color glaze, and stencils.
Painters and painter apprentices have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Painter | Painter Apprentice | |
| Average salary | $42,339 | $37,030 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $59,000 | Between $28,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Dell | Comtech Telecommunications |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Construction |
There are a few differences between a painter and a painter apprentice in terms of educational background:
| Painter | Painter Apprentice | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Fine Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between painters' and painter apprentices' demographics:
| Painter | Painter Apprentice | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.2% Female, 13.8% | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 28.6% Asian, 2.1% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 32.1% Asian, 2.5% White, 51.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |