How To Become A Sign Painter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sign painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a sign painter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $20.56 an hour? That's $42,767 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 4,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSign PainterUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,767

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.88%

Asian 2.10%

Black or African American 9.13%

Hispanic or Latino 28.46%

Unknown 4.61%

White 54.83%

Gender

female 26.18%

male 73.82%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sign painter

Explore sign painter education requirements

Most common sign painter degrees

Bachelor's

33.0 %

Associate

26.8 %

High School Diploma

24.7 %

Start to develop specific sign painter skills

Skills	Percentages
Stencils	31.32%
Hand Tools	21.37%
MUTCD	19.17%
Motor Vehicle	15.67%
Traffic Signs	11.36%

Complete relevant sign painter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sign 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 a sign painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sign painter resumes.

Research sign painter duties and responsibilities

Paint steam and water treatment piping using scaffolding, safety harnesses, and follow refinery safety protocols
Operate compressors, sandblasters and spray equipment.

Prepare your sign painter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sign 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 a sign 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 sign painter resume templates

Build a professional sign 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 sign painter resume.

Apply for sign painter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sign painter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sign painters rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Sign painter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Fun "family like" atmosphere Flexible scheduling Advancement opportunities Learning opportunities for those looking to get into the trades Broad spectrum of types of jobs taken on Leadership opportunities Make what you're worth mentality