How much does a painter make?

The average painter salary in the United States is $42,339. Painter salaries typically range between $30,000 and $59,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for painters is $20.36 per hour. Painter salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Painters earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Painter salary

Q: What state pays Painters the most?

New Jersey pays Painters the most in the United States, with an average salary of $57,328 per year, or $27.56 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a painter?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a painter if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $56,758 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Painter?

A good starting salary for a painter is $27,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a painter in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for painters is $34,885, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a painter can vary by state.

Q: How to price a painting job

To price a painting job, you should detail exactly what you plan on doing and then give an exact price. You can walk the area with the client to ensure you both know exactly what needs to be done and how it will be completed, including things like whether or not you include washing the area down or painting trim.

Average painter salary

$42,339

$20.36 hourly rate

Entry-level painter salary

$30,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Painter Salaries

The average painter salary in the United States is $42,339 per year, which translates to approximately $20 per hour. Various factors influence this salary, including experience level, location, and the specific industry in which a painter works.

Experience Impact

Entry-level painters may earn less than those with several years of experience. For example, painters with over ten years in the field can see significant salary increases, often exceeding $50,000 annually.

Regional Differences

Painters in states such as California and New York tend to earn higher salaries compared to those in states with a lower cost of living. Understanding where to apply can greatly enhance your earning potential.

Industry Variations

Painters may find better compensation in commercial sectors versus residential. Specializing in certain techniques or materials can also open doors to higher-paying opportunities.

For a detailed breakdown, explore our state-by-state analysis and salary estimates from various sources.

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Painter salary by:

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Where can a Painter earn more?

Compare salary by location

69k

49k

29k

Columbus, OH$58,537

Indianapolis, IN$39,175

Compare salary by company

107k

87k

67k

47k

27k

Dell$84,043

NCH Healthcare System$56,559

Painter salaries by experience level

Painter salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a painter typically falls between $41,990 and $54,188.

zippia

$42,339yearly

glassdoor[1]

$44,175yearly

indeed[2]

$41,990yearly

comparably[3]

$50,375yearly

Salary.com[4]

$46,048yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$45,538yearly

SalaryExpert[6]

$54,188yearly

CareerExplorer[7]

$45,590yearly

Average painter salary by state

The highest-paying states for painters are New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California. The lowest average painter salary states are Arkansas, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for painters

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Jersey	$56,758	$27.29
2	Wisconsin	$44,115	$21.21
3	Pennsylvania	$46,070	$22.15
4	Minnesota	$47,150	$22.67
5	Vermont	$47,352	$22.77
6	West Virginia	$50,311	$24.19
7	Massachusetts	$55,761	$26.81
8	New York	$51,997	$25.00
9	Maine	$43,804	$21.06
10	Missouri	$45,336	$21.80
11	District of Columbia	$57,328	$27.56
12	Ohio	$41,665	$20.03
13	California	$54,515	$26.21
14	North Dakota	$43,289	$20.81
15	Illinois	$48,696	$23.41
16	Connecticut	$48,733	$23.43
17	Rhode Island	$40,770	$19.60
18	Wyoming	$43,435	$20.88
19	Washington	$44,456	$21.37
20	Virginia	$44,242	$21.27
21	New Hampshire	$42,521	$20.44
22	Delaware	$45,718	$21.98
23	Alabama	$41,228	$19.82
24	Michigan	$41,473	$19.94
25	Indiana	$39,198	$18.85
26	Arizona	$41,019	$19.72
27	Georgia	$40,879	$19.65
28	Iowa	$37,878	$18.21
29	Tennessee	$38,561	$18.54
30	Nevada	$41,706	$20.05
31	Mississippi	$38,557	$18.54
32	Oregon	$40,219	$19.34
33	Utah	$38,949	$18.73
34	Oklahoma	$37,670	$18.11
35	Maryland	$44,323	$21.31
36	South Dakota	$36,344	$17.47
37	Louisiana	$39,464	$18.97
38	Hawaii	$34,924	$16.79
39	New Mexico	$39,426	$18.95
40	Alaska	$30,989	$14.90
41	Nebraska	$36,704	$17.65
42	Florida	$37,498	$18.03
43	North Carolina	$35,279	$16.96
44	South Carolina	$35,231	$16.94
45	Colorado	$39,939	$19.20
46	Texas	$36,885	$17.73
47	Arkansas	$35,656	$17.14
48	Montana	$37,567	$18.06
49	Kentucky	$37,471	$18.01
50	Kansas	$36,368	$17.48
51	Idaho	$32,873	$15.80

Top painter jobs near you

Highest paying cities for painters

The highest-paying cities for painters are Sacramento, CA, Boston, MA, and New York, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Sacramento, CA	$58,537	$28.14
2	Boston, MA	$55,612	$26.74
3	New York, NY	$52,312	$25.15
4	Chicago, IL	$48,947	$23.53
5	Saint Paul, MN	$47,230	$22.71
6	Philadelphia, PA	$46,612	$22.41
7	Saint Louis, MO	$45,945	$22.09
8	Tacoma, WA	$44,806	$21.54
9	Baltimore, MD	$44,502	$21.40
10	Portland, ME	$44,434	$21.36
11	Milwaukee, WI	$44,424	$21.36
12	Virginia Beach, VA	$44,307	$21.30
13	Madison, AL	$41,244	$19.83
14	Phoenix, AZ	$41,083	$19.75
15	Atlanta, GA	$40,946	$19.69
16	Grand Rapids, MI	$40,520	$19.48
17	Cincinnati, OH	$40,423	$19.43
18	Aurora, CO	$40,003	$19.23
19	Portland, OR	$39,595	$19.04
20	Indianapolis, IN	$39,175	$18.83

Painters are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Painter salary details

A painter's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $59,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average painter salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a painter's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$59,000	$4,917	$28
75th Percentile	$50,000	$4,167	$24
Average	$42,339	$3,528	$20
25th Percentile	$35,000	$2,917	$17
10th Percentile	$30,000	$2,500	$14

Highest paying painter jobs

The highest paying types of painters are painter foreman, interior decorator, painting, and mason.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Mason	$43,974	$3,664	$21.14	15,057
Industrial Painter	$40,076	$3,340	$19.27	12,353
Journeyman Painter	$40,885	$3,407	$19.66	8,020
Painter Apprentice	$37,030	$3,086	$17.80	9,612
Blaster/Painter	$41,168	$3,431	$19.79	4,146
Painter Helper	$32,449	$2,704	$15.60	17,183

Top companies hiring painters now:

Which companies pay painters the most?

Painter salaries at Dell and Memorial Health are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average painter salary at companies like Nabholz and Forum Energy Technologies are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Dell	$84,043	$40.41
2	Memorial Health	$77,956	$37.48
3	Nabholz	$75,793	$36.44
4	Forum Energy Technologies	$70,987	$34.13
5	Softpath System	$67,345	$32.38
6	Siemens	$66,696	$32.07
7	Aqua	$63,101	$30.34
8	Cudd Energy Services	$60,972	$29.31
9	VSR Industries	$60,926	$29.29
10	Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare	$60,798	$29.23
11	Irving Isd	$60,303	$28.99
12	Fortune Brands Home & Security	$59,770	$28.74
13	HTH Companies	$59,671	$28.69
14	Rockford Construction	$59,020	$28.38
15	Middlesex Water	$58,828	$28.28
16	NHC	$58,048	$27.91
17	Peterson Holding	$57,909	$27.84
18	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$57,072	$27.44
19	Alfa Laval	$56,678	$27.25
20	NCH Healthcare System	$56,559	$27.19

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$43,000$42,200$41,400$40,600$39,800$39,000

MaleFemale

Painter salary by industry

The average painter salary varies across industries:

The average painter salary in the energy industry is $45,790, the highest of any industry.
The average painter salary in the finance industry is $45,118.
Painters in the education industry earn an average salary of $39,748, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for painters

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Energy	$45,790	$22.01
2	Construction	$45,118	$21.69
3	Automotive	$44,872	$21.57
4	Technology	$44,218	$21.26
5	Manufacturing	$43,835	$21.07
6	Professional	$41,567	$19.98
7	Education	$39,748	$19.11

High paying painter jobs

Painter salary trends

The average painter salary has risen by $6,733 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average painter earned $35,606 annually, but today, they earn $42,339 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for painters over the last decade.

Compare painter salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average painter salary over time

Compare painter salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Painter salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$42,300	$20.36	+4.4%
2024	$40,500	$19.46	+3.3%
2023	$39,100	$18.81	+2.5%
2022	$38,100	$18.34	+1.0%
2021	$37,800	$18.15	+2.6%

Recently added painter salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Donaldson Company	Painter	Baldwin, WI	06/30/2025	$49,545
Banner Health	Painter	Fort Collins, CO	06/30/2025	$50,756
Dr Power LLP	Painter-1St. Shift	Whitewater, WI	06/29/2025	$40,905
Legislative Branch	Painter	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$67,869
Woodbine Manufacturing	Painter (2ND Shift)	Woodbine, IA	06/29/2025	$45,914
Aerotek	Painter	Mead, WA	06/28/2025	$41,740
Multicare Health System	Painter II	Spokane, WA	06/28/2025	$51,465
Pierce Manufacturing	Robotic Painter, 1St. Shift Manufacturing Paint	Dodge Center, MN	06/28/2025	$47,751
Pierce Manufacturing	Painter)	Kewaunee, WI	06/28/2025	$54,158
Staffmark Group	Manufacturing Painter	Dothan, AL	06/28/2025	$26,025

Painter salary FAQs

What state pays Painters the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a painter?

What is a good starting salary for a Painter?

How to price a painting job

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

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Updated December 15, 2025

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