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Role hub · Painters, Construction and Maintenance

Painter: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of painters earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$49,400
Hourly
$23.75
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Painters paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. The median pay is $49,400 a year ($23.75 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$49,400
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
225,190
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2 of 5
very little to some preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Painters, Construction and Maintenance (O*NET-SOC 47-2141.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Painters at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Painters, Construction and Maintenance” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $49,400 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Painters, Construction and Maintenance” in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Painters, Construction and Maintenance” in the United States to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,900 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 225,190 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Painters, Construction and Maintenance” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Painters

SalaryPainter salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumePainter resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsPainter interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changePainter career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What painters do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
  2. Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements.
  3. Apply paint, stain, varnish, enamel, or other finishes to equipment, buildings, bridges, or other structures, using brushes, spray guns, or rollers.
  4. Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
  5. Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
  6. Erect scaffolding or swing gates, or set up ladders, to work above ground level.
  7. Wash and treat surfaces with oil, turpentine, mildew remover, or other preparations, and sand rough spots to ensure that finishes will adhere properly.
  8. Apply primers or sealers to prepare new surfaces, such as bare wood or metal, for finish coats.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all painter jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Specialty trade contractors48.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $54,290
  2. Construction of buildings7.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $56,390
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals2.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -0.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $72,940
  4. Real estate1.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $49,510
  5. Administrative and support services1.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +0.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $48,260
  6. Educational services; state, local, and private1.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $62,540

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Time ManagementcoreActive ListeningcoreCritical ThinkingcoreSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationMonitoringJudgment and Decision MakingReading ComprehensionService Orientation

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Building and Construction.

Tools and technology

Software painters use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Corel Paint Shop ProGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Corel PainterGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Evergreen Technology Total FauxAnalytical or scientific software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
  • Act!Customer relationship management CRM software
  • Evergreen Technology Eagle Bid EstimatingProject management software
  • Insight Direct ServiceCEOData base user interface and query software
  • On Center Quick BidProject management software
  • Turtle Creek Software GoldensealProject management software

Also called: Building Trades Painter, Commercial Painter, Facilities Painter, Highway Painter, House Painter, Industrial Painter.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.