Painter Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 3,060 US job postings by 1,438 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for painters: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 3,060 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for painters in US job postings is $23.50 an hour (609 postings from 294 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $20.07 to $27.50 an hour.
- The skills that most set painter postings apart are surface preparation, painting experience, attention to detail.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Painter job postings in the US, October 2026
- $23.50/hr
- Median advertised pay (609 postings)
- $20.07–$27.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- 3,060
- US job postings from 1,438 employers
- 2 years
- Median experience asked
How much does a painter make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $23.50 an hour, from 609 US job postings by 294 employers that state pay. That is about $50,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 609 US painter job postings: median $50,000 a year ($23.50 an hour), middle half $43,000 to $60,000.
- Median: $50,000 ($23.50/hr)
- 25th percentile: $43,000
- 75th percentile: $60,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.2% |
| $20K–$30K | 1.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 14.0% |
| $40K–$50K | 35.8% |
| $50K–$60K | 23.5% |
| $60K–$70K | 15.1% |
| $70K–$80K | 5.8% |
| $80K–$90K | 2.6% |
| $90K–$100K | 0.2% |
| $100K–$110K | 1.4% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $23.50 | $20.07–$27.50 | 487 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $50,000 | $43K–$60K | 609 |
What is the starting salary for a painter?
Figure withheld: fewer than 250 US postings list pay. How we decide.
Highest-paying painter jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Painter (general) | $24.00/hr | 452 | 241 |
Skills employers ask for in painter job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Attention to detail | 29% |
| Communication | 18% |
| Work independently | 14% |
| Surface preparation | 7% |
| Self-motivated | 6% |
| Dependable | 6% |
| Problem-solving | 5% |
| Detail-oriented | 5% |
| Strong work ethic | 5% |
| Customer service | 5% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set painters apart
- Surface preparation377.8× as often as in all postings · 7%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a painter job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a painter do?
Employers post these jobs as Industrial Painter, Paint Technician, Automotive Painter, Painter I, Powder Coater and other titles. The largest specializations are Automotive Painter (14%), Powder Coater (4%), Blaster (2%).
The closest official occupation is Painters, Construction and Maintenance (47-2141.00). Its most important tasks:
- Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
- Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements.
- Apply paint, stain, varnish, enamel, or other finishes to equipment, buildings, bridges, or other structures, using brushes, spray guns, or rollers.
- Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
- Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a painter?
Among 798 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. 2% say 0 years and 35% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 798 US painter job postings: median 2 years, and 35% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 5% |
| 1 yr | 30% |
| 2 yrs | 29% |
| 3-4 yrs | 22% |
| 5-7 yrs | 13% |
| 8-9 yrs | under 1% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 96%, Part-time 4% of the 323 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a painter: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Painter | 703 (48.9%) |
| Industrial Painter | 84 (5.8%) |
| Paint Technician | 62 (4.3%) |
| Automotive Painter | 42 (2.9%) |
| Painter I | 32 (2.2%) |
| Powder Coater | 30 (2.1%) |
| Paint Prep | 30 (2.1%) |
| Paint Prepper | 29 (2.0%) |
| Painting Subcontractor | 29 (2.0%) |
| Painter II | 25 (1.7%) |
| Lead Painter | 24 (1.7%) |
| Commercial Painter | 23 (1.6%) |
| Aircraft Painter | 22 (1.5%) |
| Body Shop Painter | 22 (1.5%) |
| Paint Prep Technician | 20 (1.4%) |
| Auto Body Painter | 19 (1.3%) |
| Experienced Painter | 19 (1.3%) |
| Powder Coat Painter | 16 (1.1%) |
| Maintenance | 15 (1.0%) |
| Spray Painter | 15 (1.0%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Painter job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Painter | 114 | 84 | – | – | – |
Painter compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Painter | $23.50/hr | 2 years | 3,060 | – |
| Groundskeeper | $19.73/hr | 2 years | 5,631 | 18 |
| General Laborer | $20.00/hr | 1 year | 6,220 | 16 |
| Custodian | $17.85/hr | 1 year | 27,601 | 17 |
| Assembler | $21.45/hr | 1 year | 6,799 | 18 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Groundskeeper | 18 | $19.73/hr |
| General Laborer | 16 | $20.00/hr |
| Custodian | 17 | $17.85/hr |
| Assembler | 18 | $21.45/hr |
| Machine Operator | 18 | $21.38/hr |
| Carpenter | 18 | $27.50/hr |
Applying for painter jobs?
- Painter resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find painter jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a painter make an hour?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 18 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 17 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.